How Long Will the Alarm Industry Support CDMA in Their Existing Installations?

The alarm industry will support CDMA in their existing installations until Verizon shuts down their CDMA cellular network. This is expected to occur sometime in 2022, but we we do not have a firm date for the shutdown. At this time, you can no longer activate a new CDMA communicator.

The Verizon CDMA Network is in the process of being shutdown in favor of the faster and more reliable Verizon LTE Network. Many industry experts are referring to this process as the "CDMA Sunset". As of June 2019, it is no longer possible to activate a CDMA communicator for alarm monitoring service. This also means that you cannot deactivate an existing CDMA communicator and then reactivate it for alarm monitoring service. New users should NOT buy CDMA communicators for alarm monitoring.

However, any existing CDMA cellular communicators that have already been activated and are currently in service will continue to remain supported until Verizon shuts down their CDMA network. Once that happens, the CDMA towers will no longer be in service, and it will be impossible to maintain CDMA communication. If your panel attempts to send out signals across the CDMA network after this happens, the signals will not go through. As a result, alarm monitoring will be unsuccessful. Again, this is expected to happen sometime in 2022, but Verizon has not yet publicly released detailed information regarding the CDMA sunset.

If you are in the market for a new cellular communicator, it is strongly recommended that you purchase an LTE cellular communicator. The LTE cellular networks provide faster and more reliable connectivity than the older 3G and 4G cellular networks. Cellular service providers have stated that they plan to support their LTE networks well into the very distant future. By adding an LTE communicator to your panel, you can rest assured that your system will remain actively monitored for many years to come. If Verizon service tends to work best in your area, then you can expect excellent results with a Verizon LTE Communicator from Alarm Grid. Make sure that the communicator you purchase is compatible with your security panel.