How Do I Arm or Disarm a Partition on the IQ5 NS System?

The IQ5 NS has no display, so partitions are armed and disarmed through a paired keypad, a keyfob assigned to that partition, or the Alarm.com app. Select the partition you want to control, then touch Arm Stay, Arm Away, or disarm and enter a valid user code for that specific partition.

How Partition Arming Works on the IQ5 NS

The IQ5 NS (available in AT&T LTE and Verizon LTE) supports the same up to four partitions as the IQ Panel 5 and IQ5 Hub, each arming, disarming, and reporting independently. Since the panel itself has no screen, a paired IQ Remote PowerG keypad can be assigned to support one specific partition, showing and controlling just that area's local zone status, alerts, and notifications.

Without a display on the main panel, most day-to-day partition arming happens either at a paired keypad assigned to that partition, or remotely through the Alarm.com app, which shows the current status of each partition and lets you change it from your phone.

How to Arm a Partition

1. Go to the paired keypad assigned to that partition, or open the Alarm.com app and select the partition. Each IQ Remote PowerG keypad only shows and controls the single partition it's been assigned to.

2. Touch Arm Stay or Arm Away. 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.

3. Enter a user code if prompted. The code you enter must have access to that specific partition. A code limited to a single partition only works for that assigned area, while a code with access to all partitions works everywhere.

How to Disarm a Partition

1. Go to the paired keypad for that partition, or open the Alarm.com app. If using the app, select the specific partition you want to disarm from the list.

2. Touch disarm and enter a valid user code with access to that partition. That partition's status updates to disarmed while any other armed partitions remain in their own state, unaffected by this action.

Viewing Partitions in the IQ Installer App

While day-to-day arming happens at a keypad or through Alarm.com, the IQ Installer app is where partitions get configured and reviewed at the installer level. The Partitions overview screen shows how many partitions exist on the system, and the info and edit screen shows the users and sensors tied to each one.

IQ5 NS Partitions overview screen in the IQ Installer app

IQ5 NS partitions info and edit screen showing users and sensors

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 global sounds and sirens are turned on, an alarm triggered in one partition sounds across the whole system rather than staying contained to the triggering area, so a tenant in one partition would still hear a siren caused by an event in another. Since the IQ5 NS relies on paired keypads and the Alarm.com app for day-to-day partition control, it's worth confirming each keypad is correctly assigned to its intended partition during setup so there's no confusion about which area it's actually arming.

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. On the IQ5 NS, this typically means each party has their own paired keypad or their own view in the Alarm.com app, since there's no shared display to move between partitions on.

Arming and disarming partitions independently on the IQ5 NS gives you real control over separate areas without one affecting the other on the IQ5 NS. For help with partition arming or other multi-user configurations or other configurations on your IQ5 NS, 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.