Can I Make a DSC Impassa a Secondary Z-Wave Controller?

No, you cannot make a DSC Impassa a secondary Z-Wave Controller. All Z-Wave operation for the DSC Impassa must be done through Alarm.com. The Alarm.com service requires a security panel to be set up as the primary Z-Wave controller for it to process any Z-Wave smart home commands.

For the DSC Impassa Alarm System, the Z-Wave controller is integrated into the Alarm.com cellular communicator. The system must be active with Alarm.com in order for any Z-Wave operation to be possible. And even then, the panel is unable to perform any local Z-Wave control. All Z-Wave operation must done through Alarm.com, using either the Alarm.com Mobile App or the web browser version.

However, Alarm.com requires that any panel sending Z-Wave commands through its servers to be set up as the primary controller on the Z-Wave network. If a panel is set up as the secondary controller, then Alarm.com will be unable to process its smart home commands. And since the DSC Impassa is dependent upon Alarm.com for any and all Z-Wave control, it must be set up as the primary controller. So therefore, using the DSC Impassa as a secondary Z-Wave controller is impossible.

In addition to providing Z-Wave smart home capabilities for the DSC Impassa, getting the system connected with Alarm.com is extremely useful. Alarm.com allows a user to access their system from virtually anywhere. Once a user has logged-in to their Alarm.com account, they can arm and disarm their system, check the current status of sensors, control Z-Wave smart home devices and view the live feed of any security cameras that have been set up.

If a user wants to have a security system serve as a secondary Z-Wave controller, their best option is to choose a different system. Unlike Alarm.com, the Total Connect 2.0 service from Honeywell usually doesn't care whether the system is a primary or secondary Z-Wave controller. The Honeywell Lyric Controller and the Honeywell LYNX Touch Systems can be set up as secondary Z-Wave controllers and still perform home automation functions just fine through TC2.