What Does the Automation Feature Do on the IQ5 NS System?

The Automation page that manages local lighting rules on the IQ Panel 5 and IQ5 Hub is not part of the IQ5 NS, which has no display and no Settings page. IQ5 NS households automate lights through rules and scenes in their Alarm.com account instead. The panel itself needs no changes.

Does the IQ5 NS Have This Feature

The IQ5 NS (available in AT&T LTE and Verizon LTE) does not include the Automation page found on the IQ Panel 5 and IQ5 Hub. On those panels, Automation is a button on the Settings page that manages local lighting rules. The IQ5 NS has no display and no Settings page, and its manual does not list a local lighting automation feature.

This does not mean lighting automation is out of reach for an IQ5 NS household. It means the on-panel rules described for the other two panels are not part of this system.

What the Other Panels Do

For context, the Automation page on the IQ Panel 5 and IQ5 Hub lets you add, edit, and manage local lighting rules, such as a Night rule that turns a light on at 7pm and off at 6am, or a Front Door rule that turns a light on for 15 minutes when the front door opens after dark. Those rules are separate from any rules set through Alarm.com.

How to Automate Lights on the IQ5 NS

If you want lights to follow a schedule or react to a sensor on an IQ5 NS, use the rules and scenes available through your Alarm.com account, which work with the devices on your security system. This is the way IQ5 NS households handle lighting automation, and it requires an Alarm.com account with home automation features included in your plan.

Do Not Confuse This With Automation Devices

The IQ Installer app has an Automation Devices page. That page is used to enroll devices such as Z-Wave lights and locks onto the system, not to create schedules or triggers. Adding a light there makes it available to the system, and the schedule or trigger itself is then set up through Alarm.com.

If You Want On-Panel Lighting Rules

If local lighting rules managed directly on the panel matter to you, the IQ Panel 5 and IQ5 Hub both include the Automation page. All three panels share the same core security features, so the difference comes down to whether you want an on-panel display and the extras that come with it.

Why the IQ5 NS Works Differently

The IQ5 NS is built to be set up and managed through the IQ Installer app and your Alarm.com account, not from a screen on the wall. The Automation page on the other two panels lives on the Settings page, which depends on a built-in display. Without that display, there is nowhere on the panel to host the page, so lighting rules for an IQ5 NS household are handled in Alarm.com, where they can be edited from a phone at any time.

Planning Ahead as an IQ5 NS Owner

If lighting automation is a priority, confirm before you buy that your Alarm.com plan includes home automation features, since the rules depend on that account. It also helps to enroll your lights and name them clearly in the IQ Installer app, so they are easy to find when you build rules later. A light named Front Porch is much easier to work with than a light named Device 4, and a clear name saves time whenever you review or change a rule.

Planning Lighting Automation Without a Display

Since the system is managed through an app, it helps to plan your lighting up front. Decide which lights should be automated, write down the times you want, and enroll the lights first. Once the lights are enrolled, you can build the schedules and triggers in Alarm.com, where changes take effect without touching the system.

The IQ5 NS does not have the on-panel Automation page, but lighting automation is still available through your Alarm.com account on the IQ5 NS. For help with lighting automation or other panel features 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.