How Do I Enable IQ Remote Reset Authentication on IQ5 NS?

To enable IQ Remote Reset Authentication on the IQ5 NS, open the IQ Installer app, go to Installation, Installer Settings, then turn on IQ Remote Reset Authentication. A Dealer or Installer Code will then be required to master reset any paired IQ Remote keypad on the entire system.

What IQ Remote Reset Authentication Does

The IQ5 NS (available in AT&T LTE and Verizon LTE) relies on a paired IQ Remote keypad for on-site arming and disarming, since the panel itself has no display. That IQ Remote normally can be master reset without any special authorization. IQ Remote Reset Authentication closes that gap. Once enabled, a Dealer or Installer Code is required before someone can master reset a paired IQ Remote, protecting it from being wiped and reconfigured by anyone with brief physical access to the device.

This setting is disabled by default, meaning IQ Remotes can be master reset without any code out of the box. That's a reasonable default for a device sitting inside your home, but it's worth reconsidering for an IQ Remote mounted somewhere more accessible, like a garage, a rental property, or any location where someone other than trusted household members might have physical access to it.

How to Enable IQ Remote Reset Authentication

1. Open the IQ Installer app. This is the mobile app used to configure the IQ5 NS, since the panel has no display of its own.

2. Connect to the panel. The app communicates with the IQ5 NS over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to load its configuration menus.

3. Enter the Installer Code when prompted. The default Installer Code is 1111, though your account admin may have changed it to something else, like 2222.

4. Touch Installation. This opens the Installation menu, which lists Devices, Installer Settings, System Logs, Sirens and Alarms, Security and Arming, and Camera Settings.

IQ5 NS Installation menu within the Configuration menu

5. Touch Installer Settings. This opens a longer list of system-wide toggles, including Delete All Z-Wave Devices, Zigbee Reset, Master Reset, Data Recycle, and IQ Remote Reset Authentication.

6. Scroll to find IQ Remote Reset Authentication. This setting is disabled by default, meaning no code is currently required to master reset a paired IQ Remote.

7. Turn on IQ Remote Reset Authentication. Once enabled, a Dealer or Installer Code is required to master reset any IQ Remote paired to this panel.

What Master Resetting an IQ Remote Actually Does

A master reset on an IQ Remote wipes its configuration and restores it to factory settings, similar to what a Master Reset does to the main system. Without authentication required, anyone standing in front of a mounted IQ Remote could potentially trigger this reset, disconnecting it from your security system and requiring it to be re-paired before it works again. Since the IQ5 NS relies on the IQ Remote for local arming and disarming, losing that keypad to an unauthorized reset is a more significant disruption here than on a panel with its own display.

This Setting Applies Panel-Wide

IQ Remote Reset Authentication is a single toggle in the app that applies to every IQ Remote paired to your system, rather than something configured per individual remote. If you have multiple IQ Remotes installed throughout your home, enabling this setting once protects all of them, without needing to configure each one separately.

If You're Locked Out of Resetting an IQ Remote

If you've enabled this setting and later need to master reset an IQ Remote yourself, you'll need the Dealer or Installer Code to do so, the same codes used to reach this setting in the IQ Installer app in the first place. If you don't know your Installer Code, contact whoever manages your system or your monitoring provider, since Alarm Grid can typically only provide this information for systems actively monitored through Alarm Grid.

How This Compares to Other Reset Protections

IQ Remote Reset Authentication is one of several reset-related protections available in the app, alongside Engineer's Reset, which locks the main system after a confirmed burglary alarm until an installer enters a code, and the standard Installer Code requirement to reach these settings in the first place. Together, these settings reflect a layered approach to physical security, since a determined person with access to your property could otherwise reset individual components one at a time to disable protection piece by piece. IQ Remote Reset Authentication specifically closes the gap around the keypad you rely on most, given the IQ5 NS has no display of its own.

Who Should Consider Enabling This

This setting matters most for installations where an IQ Remote is mounted somewhere with less oversight than the main living areas of a property, such as a garage entry, a basement, or a secondary building. It's also worth enabling for rental properties, short-term stays, or any situation where people who aren't the account holder have regular physical access to the space. Since the IQ5 NS depends on the IQ Remote for local arming and disarming, protecting that keypad from an unauthorized reset arguably matters even more here than on a panel that also has its own display as a backup.

Enabling IQ Remote Reset Authentication on the IQ5 NS protects your paired keypads from being wiped without proper authorization on the IQ5 NS. For help with IQ Remote security or other installer-level settings 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.