What Are Partitions and How Do I Set Them Up on IQ5 NS?

Partitions let you divide the IQ5 NS into up to four independent zones that arm and disarm separately. To set them up, enable Partitions in Dealer or Installer Settings through the IQ Installer app, assign sensors to each partition, then assign user codes to control who can access each area.

What Partitions Do

The IQ5 NS (available in AT&T LTE and Verizon LTE) supports up to four partitions, each functioning as its own independently armed zone. A partition can represent a physically separate area, like a detached apartment or a rented unit, or simply a section of a larger home you want to control separately, like a main house and a finished basement. Arming one partition doesn't arm the others, so someone can be active in one area while another area is fully armed. A paired IQ Remote PowerG keypad can be assigned to support only one partition on the primary panel, controlling its local zone status, alerts, and notifications.

Partitions must be enabled first under Dealer or Installer Settings in the IQ Installer app before any of the partition-specific menus appear. Since the IQ5 NS has no display, you can control partitions remotely from the Alarm.com customer website or mobile app, which is the primary way most users interact with partitions on this panel.

How to Set Up Partitions

1. Enable Partitions under Dealer or Installer Settings in the IQ Installer app. This step must be completed by an installer or dealer, since Partitions is not a setting exposed to the Master or User code by default.

2. Assign sensors to a partition during enrollment. When adding a new sensor in the app, use the Partition Name field to choose which of the up to four partitions that sensor belongs to.

3. Navigate to Partitions in the IQ Installer app. The Partitions icon only appears once Partitions have been enabled under Installer or Dealer Settings.

IQ5 NS navigation path to the Partitions menu in the IQ Installer app

4. Review the Partitions overview screen. This screen shows how many partitions are configured on the system.

IQ5 NS Partitions overview screen in the IQ Installer app

5. View and edit partition details, including the name. This screen shows the users and sensors associated with each partition and lets you rename it to something meaningful, like Main House or Basement Apartment.

IQ5 NS partitions info and edit screen showing users and sensors

Accessing and Controlling Partitions

Since the IQ5 NS has no display, most day-to-day partition control happens through a paired IQ Remote PowerG keypad, which shows and manages its assigned partition, or through the Alarm.com customer website or mobile app. Assign each user code access to one partition, multiple partitions, or all partitions in User Management, depending on who should be able to arm and disarm which areas.

Partitions can be armed, disarmed, and reviewed remotely, which is useful for managing a multi-partition property, such as checking whether a tenant has armed their unit for the night without needing physical access to a keypad.

Limitations to Know Before Enabling Partitions

A few things don't split cleanly across partitions. Z-Wave devices currently can't be assigned to individual partitions, so locks and other automation devices remain shared across the whole system regardless of how partitions are configured. Global sounds and sirens can also be turned on from the Sound settings once partitions are enabled, and when that option is active, an alarm in any one partition sounds across all partitions rather than staying isolated to the triggering area, which is worth considering for properties where tenants expect their alarm events to stay private to their unit.

If Partition Access Doesn't Work as Expected

If a user code isn't granting access to the partition you expect, double check the assignment in User Management, since partition access is set per code and doesn't automatically inherit from a similar user. If the Partitions option doesn't appear in the IQ Installer app at all, confirm that it was actually enabled under Dealer or Installer Settings first, since the entire partition interface stays hidden until that toggle is turned on. For monitoring accounts, also confirm with your provider that partitions are supported and properly configured on the account side, not just the panel side, since both need to agree for reporting to work correctly per partition.

Setting up partitions on the IQ5 NS lets you manage multiple independently armed areas from a single system on the IQ5 NS. For help with partitions 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.