Installation is pretty simple as long as you have basic hands-on skills meaning you can attach four wires to your alarm panel and mount the unit on the wall next to the control panel. SafeHomeCentral can talk you through this over the phone and provide the exact screw terminals you need to connect on your alarm panel. Remember its just four wires or a plugin card!
In many cases we can reuse your existing cellular communicator if upgrading as long as it is a 4G LTE model. If you have an older 3G model with either AT&T or Verizon they can no longer be activated with these carriers. This is because carriers are preparing for their 3G sunset (shutdown) in the next 18 months. If you still have active 3G service with an alarm dealer it will continue working until the carriers shutdown their 3G network, but timing has no set date per region. However all 3G communicators MUST be replaced with 4G models soon and certainly if changing alarm dealers.
Note on existing ADT Cellular Communicators – These communicator, even if 4G LTE models, can ONLY send signals to an ADT data center / central station. If you are looking to get away from ADT high pricing and long contracts then a new cellular communicator is required. The good news is the existing alarm system and sensors does not need to be replaced, just the cellular communicator. These are easy to swap out DIY and we can guide you through the process over the phone.
I just switched my ADT SafeWatch Pro to Alarm.com and cutting my monthly service fees by 1/2. I was worried about making the wiring change but Tim was right, it was not difficult at all to do myself with his help over the phone. I didnt have any remote control ability with ADT and they never offered it except to sell my a “new” panel and contract. Really happy my neighbor turned me on to this company.
I have a Honeywell Lyric wireless alarm system that is currently being monitored by a local dealer but looking for less expensive service. Are there any differences between your service and others? Is it an easy swap? I am using both WIFI and cellular today.
Hello James! We use Honeywell’s AlarmNet for both IP Internet and cellular connectivity from your Lyric panel and our UL central station. We use COPS Monitoring for alarm monitoring dispatch which has six redundant central stations spread throughout the US. Moving to a new monitoring providers is generally easy but a little complicated when using a Lyric panel. If you still have active AlarmNet service with your local dealer they must “release” the MAC address for your panel before any other dealer can address your panel. Could be released in an hour by some companies while others will drag their feet for at least a week before releasing your Lyric address (they hope you will sign back up).
The other issue is if the panel was registered with AlarmNet previously then the Lyric must be factory reset (defaulted) meaning all sensors must be relearned once again like a new installation. Honeywell only included this “feature” with Lyric which was designed to help dealers retain alarm monitoring accounts due to takeover. We offer free remote Lyric programming however so no worries.
Switched from ADT last week and wow what a difference. Less cost, no contract, and a fast call from the dispatchers. Took about 30 minutes testing that all zones worked with Tim. Very pleased!
Can you monitor a DSC PC1832 alarm system? I use a landline today but would like to upgrade to cellular. Is that possible and is it expensive to upgrade?
Hello Jim! We can monitor DSC’s full line of alarm panels, both hardwired and wireless systems. For the DSC PC1832 we recommend a universal cellular communicator such as the Telguard TG1 Express to take advantage of the newer LTE carrier networks. We have both Verizon (TG1LX001) as well as AT&T (TG1LAX02) versions in LTE format. Both are under $150 and no contract cellular alarm monitoring is only $14.95. The communicator hookup is just four wires and we’ll walk you through it over the phone. We program the Telguard TG1 remotely so no need to worry about any system programming. Just give us a call if you need more info.
I have a Lynx Touch wireless panel with a cellular card installed though it has not been used (not monitored) for almost two years now. Another dealer told me I have a Verizon CDMA card and they could not activate service using it. Can you use this card?
Hello Drake! Sounds like you have a CDMA-L57 cellular communicator installed. Verizon stopped activating all new CDMA devices on their network as of June 2018. This relates to both alarm communicators as well as cell phones. If you still had service running your CDMA card would continue to work until the network goes end of life completely (12/31/2022 if using AlarmNet).
In your case if you want to use cellular for alarm monitoring you will need to upgrade the communicator in your panel with an LTE card which is actually very easy to do, plus we can walk you through the process over the telephone.
The card you want is either the LTE-L57A (ATT) or LTE-L57V (Verizon). Just pick the carrier that has a stronger signal in your home (or at least near the Lynx Touch. These two cards will work for both the L5210 and L7000 Honeywell Lynx Touch models. Call us if you have any additional questions.
Purchased my new Honeywell Lyric security system through SafeHomeCentral and have them also providing alarm monitoring. They programmed the whole system as part of the purchase so getting monitoring turned on was simple. All that was necesaary was to activate a few alarms to ensure everything was working correctly. Using TC2 for remote control of the security as well as home automation devices. Very slick. Spent a lot of time researching both system cost as well as alarm monitoring cost and these guys were clear winners especially with the programming thrown in. Highly recommend.
I have a Honeywell V20P that was installed 4 years ago by a local security dealer who is unfortunately going out of business. Can you monitor this particular alarm system? We use a phone line today but woud like to upgrade to cellular monitoring and have the ability to control the alarm from our phones. Is this possibe as an upgrade?
Hello Janet! Yes we can monitor your Honeywell Vista-20P system as well as get you ugraded to AlarmNet Total Connect 2 interactive services to remotely control your alarm. Upgrading is actually fairly easy for DIY homeowners and does not require an engineering degree. Hooking up the cellular communicator is just four wires and we guide you through where the connections should be made. The only question is what firmware version is your Vista-20P running. For TC2 to work you need to be at version 9.12 or higher but if the panel is only 4 years old its probably already at the minimum version. To be sure just open up the control panel (the metal enclosure in the closet or basement and not the keypad on the wall) and you will see a white tag on the PROM in the top center of the circuit board. It will say something like WA20-9.12
We recommend the Honeywell LTE-XV (Verizon) or LTE-XA (ATT) cellular communicator for your panel.
If your firmware is below V9.12 we also have a kit that includes a new pop-in PROM and communicator. Again we woud guide you through this upgrade which is not difficult for the average DIY customer. The kits are the LTE-XV-TC2 (Verizon) and LTE-XA-TC2 (ATT).
Just give us a call if you need more info Janet.
I have T-Mobile today. Can I use my T-Mobile account for alarm monitoring?
Hello Robert! Cellular alarm monitoring is accomplished by sending signals through a cellular “communicator” that is compatible for your particular alarm system. This communicator is essentially a stripped down cell phone in a box that is designed to work with alarm systems. Our $14.95 alarm monitoring fee includes not only the UL central station dispatch but also cellular charges.
Most communicators are available in AT&T and Verizon models and we recommend choosing an LTE version which is the fastest and newest on the market currently. Just check out our Alarm Communicators section for models available. We have brand specific models as well as universal models that will work with almost any brand alarm system. Just give us a call if you need help choosing the appropriate cellular communicator.
“Affordable” pricing is exactly what these people offer. Was paying $36.50/month for what I now pay $17.95 with cellular Total Connect 2! Very easy transition.