How Do I Arm or Disarm a Partition on the IQ Panel 5 System?

To arm or disarm a partition on the IQ Panel 5, swipe to that partition using the page indicator on the home screen, then touch Arm Stay, Arm Away, or the disarm icon and enter a valid user code for that partition. Each partition arms and disarms completely independently of the others.

How Partition Arming Works

The IQ Panel 5 (available in AT&T LTE and Verizon LTE) displays additional page indicators on the home screen once partitions are enabled, one dot for each configured partition. Swiping between these dots moves you between partitions, and each one arms, disarms, and reports independently, so arming Partition 2 doesn't affect whatever state Partition 1 is currently in.

Each partition dot is color coded so you can check status at a glance without opening a partition at all: green means disarmed, orange means Armed Stay, and red means Armed Away. This makes it easy to see the state of every partition on a multi-unit security system from a single glance at the home screen.

How to Arm a Partition

1. Swipe to the partition you want to arm using the page indicator. The page indicator dots on the home screen show how many partitions are configured and which color-coded state each one is currently in.

IQ Panel 5 partitions page indicator on the home screen

2. Touch Arm Stay or Arm Away for that partition. Arm Stay arms doors and windows only, leaving motion sensors inactive, and is meant for when someone is staying inside that partition. Arm Away arms doors, windows, and motion sensors, and is meant for when everyone in that partition is leaving.

IQ Panel 5 arming screen with Arm Stay and Arm Away options

3. Enter a user code if the partition is locked or the screen has timed out. The code you enter determines which partition you're accessing. A code with access to all partitions unlocks whichever one you're currently viewing, while a code limited to a single partition only works for that assigned area.

IQ Panel 5 access code pad for entering a partition

How to Disarm a Partition

1. Swipe to the armed partition using the page indicator. An orange dot means that partition is Armed Stay, and a red dot means it's Armed Away.

2. Touch the disarm icon in the center of the screen. This is the same disarm process used on a single-partition system, applied to just the partition currently displayed.

IQ Panel 5 manual disarm icon in the center of the screen

3. Enter a valid user code with access to that partition. Once entered, that partition's dot turns green, confirming it's now disarmed, while any other armed partitions remain in their own state.

Arming and Disarming Partitions Remotely

Partitions can also be armed and disarmed from the Alarm.com customer website or the mobile app, which is useful when you're not at the panel or need to check on a multi-partition property remotely. Both the desktop site and the mobile app let you select a specific partition and change its arming state the same way you would at the panel.

IQ Panel 5 partition controls on the Alarm.com desktop website

IQ Panel 5 partition controls in the Alarm.com mobile app

What Doesn't Follow Partition Boundaries

A few settings apply globally rather than per partition, which is worth knowing before you rely on partitions for full separation between areas. If Screen Lock is enabled, which happens automatically once partitions are turned on, it applies system-wide rather than per partition. If global sounds and sirens are turned on from the Sound menu, an alarm triggered in one partition sounds audibly across all partitions rather than staying contained to the triggering area, so a tenant in Partition 2 would hear a siren caused by an event in Partition 1.

Why Independent Partition Status Matters

The practical value of independent arming shows up most clearly in shared-property situations. A landlord living in the main house can arm their partition Away for the night while a tenant in a basement apartment partition stays Armed Stay, or not armed at all if they're still up. Neither party needs the other's cooperation or awareness to manage their own area, and neither party's activity triggers a false alarm for the other. This same logic applies to a business owner who wants a retail floor partition armed overnight while an attached office partition stays accessible to a night shift employee working late.

Arming and disarming partitions independently on the IQ Panel 5 gives you real control over separate areas without one affecting the other on the IQ Panel 5. For help with partition arming or other multi-user configurations or other configurations on your IQ Panel 5, contact the Alarm Grid support team. We are here Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Email us at support@alarmgrid.com, call us at 888-818-7728, or visit our website and chat with a live support agent.