Upgrade Your Existing Alarm System

Land lines in homes are rapidly disappearing because of the high cost to maintain a phone line when frankly everyone in the home has a cell phone in their pocket.  For many alarm owners they’ve kept this obsolete communication medium in their home just for their alarm system.  Eliminating the POTS line and switching to celluar monitoring is actually a monthly savings, and increases security.

Phone lines are always at risk of being cut by an intruder before they attempt to break-in to your home. Land lines also have the added risk of being disabled by weather events such as a down tree taking down the communication path to your home during a storm or snow blizzard.  Cellular of course has no wires to be cut and the “communicator” is generally powered by your alarm panel which has a backup battery in case of power failure.

If using a hardwired security system (regardless of brand) adding an external cellular communicator is possible and not difficult to install yourself.  If staying with your existing alarm company they must make the change.  If you are looking for less expense but just as reliable, maybe even more so alarm monitoring, changing the communicator may sometimes be necessary.  Security companies such as ADT use proprietary cellular equipment which only they can use for alarm monitoring.

In many cases we can reuse your existing cellular communicator as long as it is a 4G LTE model.  If you have an older 3G model using 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 or 5G 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 their 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.

Control Home Automation Devices

If you want to add interactive services to remotely arm/disarm your security system as well as manage home automation Z-Wave devices such as lights, door locks, and thermostats then cellular or IP broadband Internet communication is essential.  Interactive services will not work over a landline (POTS or VoIP).  Your panel must be capable of Z-Wave communication in order to control home automation devices. 

Modern wireless panels today either offer Z-Wave as an add-in option or have it included already on their motherboard.  Hardwired systems such as the Honeywell Vista or DSC PowerSeries can gain Z-Wave capability by just adding an Alarm.com SEM (System Enhancement Module) which includes a cellular communicator.

Also many interactive service providers now integrate with Amazon Alexa and Google Home too.  We are an authorized dealer with Honeywell Alarmnet for Total Connect 2, SecureNet, Telguard, Alula, Uplink, Connect24, and Alarm.com.

Adding devices, regardless of wired or wireless is always possible.  Of course adding wireless devices is much easier, but costs a little more.  Time is money!

More than likely your home security alarm system was installed by a local professional security installation company so the coverage may be adequate for your needs.  But in some cases it may have been set-up as “interior only” meaning just some doors were protected and one or more interior motion detectors are used to cover the windows and other unprotected doors.  When no one is home (or possibly when out of view of the motions when in bed) this may be enough.  The alternative is full perimeter coverage backed up by interior sensors.  This allows you to arm the system protecting your family while in the house moving about because now all doors and windows are protected. The motion detectors are off until you will be out of view (away).  Expanding the system for full perimeter protection is always possible.  

If you have a Honeywell hardwired Vista panel (or ADT ProWatch) moving to a “hybrid” configuration combining both wired and wireless devices can be the easiest and least expensive upgrade path.  Adding a 5800 series wireless receiver allows the use of a wide range of Honeywell wireless security devices.  This includes door and window sensors, motion detectors, glassbreak detectors, smoke, heat, CO detectors, as well as wireless keyfobs.  An example wireless receiver is the Honeywell 5881ENM which can add 16 wireless zones to the Vista series hardwired panels.

Another Honeywell Vista upgrade option is adding a hardwire keypad with an integrated 5800 RF wireless receiver built-in such as the Honeywell 6160RF.  Keep in mind the wireless receiver you choose must be compatible with the panel you are upgrading.  For example a 5800 series wireless receiver add-on will only work with Honeywell Vista hardwire panels.