Can I Use More Than One Battery Pack in a 2GIG GC2?

No, you cannot use more than one battery pack in a 2GIG GC2. The system only has one connector for a single battery pack. The two battery packs that can be used with the GC2 are the 2GIG BATT1X, which offers 4 to 6 hours of power and the 2GIG BATT2X, which offers up to 24 hours of power.

The GC2 relies on a battery pack to remain powered on if the electricity goes out or if the transformer becomes unplugged. This will allow the system to maintain active communication with a central monitoring station. It will also allow the end user to receive alerts regarding any faulted zones, and sirens will still occur during alarm events.

It's important to keep in mind that a backup battery can only keep a system running for a limited duration of time. That is why many users think it would be a good idea to have a second battery back ready inside the panel. Unfortunately, this is not possible with the 2GIG GC2. There is only one connector for a backup battery, and a second pack would not fit inside the panel.

A backup battery works by continuously storing power while the system is plugged into a wall outlet. This way, it can be ready for when primary power is lost. On a GC2 System, the backup battery draws power from the proper connector port. Even if you kept a second backup battery somewhere else, you wouldn't be able to have it maintain a charge. As a result, you can really only have one backup battery with a GC2 System.

You can see the connector port in the following picture:

Also keep in mind that the GC2 backup batteries have a limited product life. After roughly 3 to 5 years, the backup battery will no longer be capable of storing a charge, and it will need to be replaced. You can identify a dead battery by a low-battery warning that won't clear even after 24 hours of running on AC power. A full day of running on AC power is plenty of time for a backup battery to store a sufficient charge. If it has been 3 to 5 years since you last changed the battery and the warning simply won't clear, it's time for a new battery.

If you believe that you may find yourself in a situation where you need to keep a GC2 System running for an extended period of time, you may want to invest in a separate power generator. This is the best way to provide reliable power for a security system in the event of an extended power outage.