How Do I Use a Qolsys IQ Siren With a 2GIG GC2 System?

You can use a Qolsys IQ Siren with a 2GIG GC2 System by enrolling the siren with the system and creating special scenes and rules for the siren to operate. You need one scene to have the siren activate when an alarm occurs and another scene to stop the siren when the system is disarmed.

The Qolsys IQ Siren is a Z-Wave siren that produces sounds of up to 105 dB. This is about as loud as a helicopter flying overhead. It will let building occupants know that there is an emergency and that they should evacuate the premises immediately. The siren also features a built-in strobe light for providing a visual indication of an alarm. It conveniently plugs into a wall outlet for power, and it also includes an integrated battery so that it can activate during electrical outages. The siren is designed for indoor use only.

When the Qolsys IQ Siren is enrolled with the 2GIG Go!Control GC2 Panel, the system sees it as a binary light switch, not as a siren. In order to get the device to operate as a siren, you need to create two (2) scenes and two (2) rules. The first scene will tell the siren to activate, and the second scene will tell the siren to stop sounding. The first rule will tell the first scene to activate when an alarm occurs so that the siren begins sounding. The second rule will tell the second scene to activate when the system is disarmed and an alarm is cleared so that the siren stops sounding.

If your GC2 System is set up with an interactive monitoring and automation platform like Alarm.com, then it is possible to set up automated scenes from that platform, however Alarm.com will not allow you to create a scene to activate the siren upon alarm. This is because the siren will not show up in the Alarm.com customer app or website. That is why in this FAQ, we will be showing you how to create scenes and rules from the panel only. Please note that you will need to have the panel automation rules option made available. This is associated with Question 79 (Q79) in System Configuration. Setting Q79 to Option 2 will make the panel rules option available within the Z-Wave Services Menu. Setting Q79 to Option 3 will require you to set up any automation rules from an interactive service platform like Alarm.com.

If you plan to use the Z-Wave siren with the panel, you must set Q79 to Option 2, and you WILL NOT be able to use Alarm.com for creating scenes or controlling Z-Wave devices. Since we will be showing you how to set up rules from the panel, we are selecting Option 2 for Q79. You can see this in the picture below.

For this FAQ, we will cover the process for enrolling the IQ Siren and setting up the locally programmed scenes and rules needed to have the siren activate. We will assume that Q79 is already set to Option 2 for "Enabled on Panel, Remote Access Disabled". Complete the following steps to set up a Qolsys IQ Siren for use with a 2GIG GC2 Security System:

1. Enroll the siren. The first step is to enroll the siren. Whenever you are adding a Z-Wave device, you must first clear it from the network. This will remove any existing network information from the device and ensure that it can enroll successfully. Start by plugging the Qolsys IQ Siren into a wall outlet located nearby the GC2 System. This will ensure that the device is receiving power.

Now turn your attention to the GC2 System. On the main screen, choose Services. Then choose Z-Wave. Then click on the Wrench icon in the bottom-right corner. You will then need to provide the system's Installer Code. This code is 1561 by default, but it may have been changed. Then click on Remove Devices. The system will begin looking for devices to clear from the network. Then press the button on the top of the IQ Siren. The GC2 System should display that a device has been removed from the network. Press OK in the bottom-right corner. Then press the Back button in the bottom-left corner.

You will now enroll the IQ Siren with the system. On the GC2 System, click on Add Devices in the same sub-menu. Press the button on the top of the IQ Siren. The GC2 System should show that a device has been added. It will be listed as a Binary Switch from AEON Labs. You can then click the Back button in the bottom-left corner. The IQ Siren is now enrolled with the GC2 System. You can then press the Back button in the bottom-left corner to exit the Z-Wave Toolbox Menu and return to the main Z-Wave Menu.

2. Create siren scenes. Now that you have returned to the main Z-Wave Menu, you can create the two (2) scenes needed for the siren to operate properly. One scene will tell the siren to activate, and the other scene will tell the siren to stop sounding. Start by clicking on Scenes. Then choose Add Scene in the bottom-right corner.

We will first create the scene that will tell the siren to activate. For our purposes, we are calling this scene "Trigger Siren". Click the OK button in the bottom-right corner after you have entered the desired name. After naming the scene, click Add Action in the bottom-right corner. You will then be presented with various device types. Since the 2GIG GC2 sees the IQ Siren as a Z-Wave Switch, choose Z-Wave Switch. You should see the Binary Switch by AEON Labs. Set it to ON. Then press OK in the bottom-right corner. Then press back in the bottom-left corner to return to the Z-Wave Scenes Menu.

Now you must create the scene that will tell the siren to stop sounding. For our demonstration, we are calling this scene "Stop Siren". Click the OK button in the bottom-right corner after entering the name you want. After providing a name, click the Add Action button in the bottom-right corner. Just like when creating the first scene, you will select Z-Wave Switch. The Binary Switch by AEON Labs should be displayed. Make sure that it is set to OFF. Then press the OK button in the bottom-right. Lastly, click the back button in the bottom-left corner to return to the Z-Wave Scenes Menu.

You should now see the two (2) scenes you created. You can press the back button in the bottom-left corner to return to the main Z-Wave menu.

3. Create siren rules. You now have a scene to activate the siren and a scene to stop the siren. However, the system doesn't know when to trigger these scenes. You need to create two (2) rules associated with these scenes. One rule will tell the system to trigger the first scene so that the siren activates during alarm events. Remember, we named this scene "Trigger Siren". The other rule will tell the system to trigger the second scene so that the siren stops sounding when the system is disarmed and an alarm is cleared. We named that scene "Stop Siren".

To get started, click on the Rules option in the upper-right corner of the Z-Wave Menu. Choose Add Rule in the bottom-right corner. You will have two fields that you can scroll through. The top field is called "When this Event Occurs". For that top field, choose the option "Audible Alarm". The bottom field is called "Run this Scene". For the bottom field, choose the scene that you made to activate the siren. In our example, this scene is called "Trigger Siren". Then press OK in the bottom-right corner to finish creating the rule.

You will now create the rule that tells the other scene to activate so that the siren stops sounding when the system is disarmed and an alarm is cleared. Click the Add Rule button in the bottom-right corner. You will see the same two (2) fields that you had before when creating the other rule. This time, choose the option "System Disarmed" for the top field. For the bottom field, choose the scene you made to stop the siren. Remember, we named that scene "Stop Siren". Press the OK button in the bottom-right corner after making the appropriate selections.

You should then see the two (2) rules that you created. You can then press the green picture of the house on the panel itself to return to the system home screen.

4. Test the siren. It is important to test the siren to make sure that it activates when an alarm occurs and that it stops when an alarm is cleared. Make sure to put your system on test mode before performing this test. The easiest way to put your system into alarm is to first press the panic button on the front of the panel. This is the blue button with a cross (+). Then press and hold the Fire button for two (2) seconds. The system should go into alarm, and the Qolsys IQ Siren should activate. You can then clear the alarm by providing the Master Code for your system (default 1111, but usually changed). If everything was set up correctly, the siren should stop sounding once the alarm is cleared.

Note: The IQ Siren will not produce a Temporal 3 sound for fire alarms or a Temporal 4 sound for CO alarms. It produces the same constant alarm tone regardless of the alarm type that has occurred.