New System Advice

Hi,

Disregard the email I sent on this.

We recently moved into a new home in a low crime area, home is a good size, ~4300 sqft over 3 floors with no existing alarm.

I have some past experience with the setup of a DSC 1832 hardwired system in our previous home and have been tinkering quite a bit with lately with home automation using the SmartThings platform.

Goals for the new system:
• Self-install via wireless sensors
• Modern panel interface
• Extreme reliability of alarm hardware and reporting
• ADC integration
• Nice to have – alarm panel allows SmartThings to read alarm sensors

Given the above, I was focusing attention on the newest 2gig and Qolsys systems. On paper, I really like the Qolsys but I’m sensing its more “temperamental” than the 2gig system and it possibly doesn’t play as nice with SmartThings?

I also saw the integrated (ADT branded) 2gig/SmartThings system for sale. Any idea if I can just bring that over to ADC?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Happy to help out.

Goals for the new system: • Self-install via wireless sensors • Modern panel interface • Extreme reliability of alarm hardware and reporting • ADC integration

All of this is easy to achieve with either 2GIG or Qolsys equipment. suretyDIY is an Alarm.com service provider. This page gives a quick description of how our service works.

Nice to have – alarm panel allows SmartThings to read alarm sensors

This is not possible with any Alarm.com compatible panel. Alarm sensor status is transmitted only to ADC directly and is not shared via Z-wave reporting. Keep in mind with Alarm.com you can create numerous rules which activate Z-wave devices based on sensor activity. These rules are saved locally on the panel and run locally when the trigger occurs.

When it comes to automation based on sensor activity/alarm activity, you will generally have much more granularity and ease of use with Alarm.com rules than any third party integration.

I also saw the integrated (ADT branded) 2gig/SmartThings system for sale. Any idea if I can just bring that over to ADC?

I am not picturing what model this would be. Do you know the model number?

If it is not a Go!Control or GC3, however, it would not be Alarm.com compatible.

On paper, I really like the Qolsys but I’m sensing its more “temperamental” than the 2gig system and it possibly doesn’t play as nice with SmartThings?

Overall we have had and heard of more experience with and success from third party controller interactions with 2GIG. A lot of that has to do with timing however, as the Go!Control panel has been out for a long time, with a lot of software refinements under its belt.

Hi Warren, very much appreciate your insight!

To make sure I understand, a connected SmartThings hub wouldn’t be able to (for example) get a routine motion alert from the alarm panel to turn on a light connected to the SmartThings hub?

Would either alarm panel be able to control a zwave device connected to the SmartThings hub (lights, locks. etc)?

I’m trying to leverage some of the custom automation power of the SmartThings hub while still having some communication with the alarm.

The new ADT/2gig panel with built in SmartThings hub - https://www.smartthings.com/adt

To make sure I understand, a connected SmartThings hub wouldn’t be able to (for example) get a routine motion alert from the alarm panel to turn on a light connected to the SmartThings hub?

Would either alarm panel be able to control a zwave device connected to the SmartThings hub (lights, locks. etc)?

Correct, integrating a smartthings hub with a GC3 or Qolsys, etc, would provide you with two controllers on one network. Essentially parallel control of the same devices from both Smartthings and Alarm.com.

However, the alarm panel controller does not share sensor information via Z-wave, and would not communicate that to the other hub.

As long as the Z-wave device is compatible with the alarm panel and Alarm.com, it could be controlled via both the primary Smartthings hub and Alarm.com with successful secondary controller setup.

This thread goes into detail on this setup with a Vera.

Hi Jason,

Thanks so much for the reply.

With the Qolsys as secondary controller off my SmartThings hub, sounds like I should be able to control zwave Schlage locks through ADC. I assume the same for zwave GE light switches but not so for wifi ecobee thermostats?

With the Qolsys as secondary controller off my SmartThings hub, sounds like I should be able to control zwave Schlage locks through ADC. I assume the same for zwave GE light switches but not so for wifi ecobee thermostats?

Correct, through Alarm.com you would be able to control what is itself compatible with the alarm panel and Alarm.com. Anything not compatible with both the alarm panel and ADC would not be accessible via ADC.

Keep in mind any automation device that is not Z-wave would not be connected and controlled by the alarm panel, though a lot of automation devices like Rachio Irrigation, Lutron RadioRa2 and Caseta, Liftmaster MyQ, etc., are compatible with Alarm.com directly.

Ecobee is not compatible at this time.

I mentioned a new 2gig/SmartThings panel that ADT has branded. I ordered one on sale on Thanksgiving before finding your site but would like to see if we can get it working with ADC through you guys if you are willing to help.

I’ll check the communicator status when it arrives.

We’ve spoken with 2GIG about this new model. We are told it is built from the GC3 but is a firmware/hardware variant exclusive to that dealer. Alarm.com communication modules would not be compatible we are told.

For clarity, note that you cannot use third party cellular communicators. You must have an Alarm.com cellular communication module. The module itself only communicates with Alarm.com directly and you cannot program a different communicator to replicate this. In fact, panel programming cannot affect the destination of Alarm.com cellular communicator signals, only whether it sends signals.

Compatible alarm panel models are below:

2GIG GC3 Panel
2GIG Go!Control
DSC Impassa
DSC PowerSeries Neo
DSC Touch
Interlogix Concord
Interlogix NX
Interlogix Simon XT
Interlogix Simon XTi
Interlogix Simon XTi-5
Qolsys IQ Panel
IQ Panel 2
SEM - DSC or Honeywell

Got it, I was wrongly assuming I could at worse install a new communicator.

Back to the ADC supported panels, if I wanted to pause ADC service for a short period, do any of these panels allow for self monitoring (via email or text or phone) of alarm events? There are extended periods of time where someone is almost always in the house and remote services aren’t needed. Other times the house is empty and the remote services are critical.

Thanks!

The alarm panels listed above can only communicate with a central station directly via landline or back-end service like Alarm.com (in cases like the IQ Panel, only Alarm.com). The data transmitted are coded alarm signals which must be handled by an alarm receiver. All are intended for use with a service provider.

Without a service provider, they would only function as noisemakers locally. Alarm.com service itself provides the remote management and self-monitoring tools.

suretyDIY offers Alarm.com service with or without 24/7 Central Station monitoring. You could use Alarm.com only for self-monitoring via text, push notification, or email notifications.

As a month to month service, you could enable and disable professional 24/7 monitoring whenever necessary through suretyDIY.