GC3 is no longer "good". What's next?

Support
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When I first installed my home security system GC3 was the best panel I could get. It was highly recommended by surety, had all the bells and whistles, and presented itself as a solid, reliable choice for years to come.

Within the last couple of years I am experiencing more and more problems with GC3, and the sense I am getting is that 2GIG is not exactly that great of a company that cares, jumps and solves customer problems. It is more of a “we were great once, now we just here for the money, existing contracts and brand inertia”

A few examples would be:

  • “motion sensor false alarm” that was reported 2 and a half (!) years ago, and still is not fixed
  • more frequent “console tampers” that happen for various reasons, not just bulged back up battery
  • “no love for schlage locks” where new firmware upgrades are no longer backwards compatible, and 2GIG does not really care.

there are more, but it’s just a sense I get.

From a quick forum search I see that you guys no longer sell (and I suspect at some point will drop the support for) 2GIG panels.

I did just buy a new 2GIG Verizon LTE 4G cell sled, since my 3G one will stop working soon. But… I’d like to ask you what would be the best action plan here: when should I switch to IQ 2+ 345 Mhz? I understand the answer might be, don’t worry we’ll always support GC3, but there is also reality where Nortek Product Development (devs behind this buggy firmare) will stop producing. I’d just like to understand how much more time do we (2GIG panel owners) have before we need to switch to the “next good panel”.

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Hello there as my personal opinion since u need to replace the cell card In the system anyways I would just go ahead and replace the panel with Iq panel I will say as ur sensors die replace them with powerg ones but I would go ahead just replace it save ur self the head because sounds like ur not happen won’t be with these issues happening so make ur self happy

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From a quick forum search I see that you guys no longer sell (and I suspect at some point will drop the support for) 2GIG panels.

We have no plan to drop support for any viable Alarm.com compatible panel. Many people want to continue using their system and we’ll support that. We do still sell the cellular modules for that panel.

The GC3 did not favorably compare with the IQ Panel 2/2+ in terms of features or support. We switched to selling only the panel that we recommended for new users. This was independent of functional issues such as the motion detector bug.

The motion detector bug is a very strange issue. It breaks a basic function common to and necessary for all alarm panels with motion detectors.

We reported it numerous times, other dealers commented to us that they tried to report it as well. The bug persisted so long that, I’m guessing due to turn-over, after a while some 2GIG tech support reps we spoke to appeared to believe that the bug was the normal way that interior follower zones worked.

After nearly 2 years 2GIG’s development team acknowledged the issue and said a fix would be coming out. I was even notified of a new firmware version that would be released to address it, but it was never released. Recently the GC3 was discontinued.

2GIG has released the Edge panel, their newest system, which compares very well with the IQ Panel 2+ in terms of features. Switching focus to the new panel was likely necessary, but it is very disappointing to me that the GC3 would be left with that bug.

But… I’d like to ask you what would be the best action plan here: when should I switch to IQ 2+ 345 Mhz?

There is still no immediate need to switch if you don’t want to.

For motion detectors, you can switch the zone type to Interior with Delay and work around it in perpetuity. It is not a good solution, but it is a solution. If you don’t use motion detectors, that bug won’t affect you.

The issues with Schlage locks are less representative of 2GIG and more representative of Schlage as far as I am aware. In my experience, Schlage support has had problems more than once due to Z-wave radio versions. Alarm.com now officially only supports Schlage models made in December 2019 or newer, because older models are not compatible with current 700 series Z-wave radios.

If your system is otherwise working for you, you may wish to wait for a little while because there will undoubtedly be newer systems coming out.

If you are having a lot of issues with the GC3, since there won’t be further development you may want to make a switch when you feel it is necessary.

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thanks @jwcsurety, this detailed response is very helpful.
especially helpful to know that the GC3 was discontinued and there won’t be further development.

Given that I just bought the new Verizon LTE 4G cell sled and a backup battery for GC3, I’ll see whether I can still use GC3 for some time, unless… Is there any way for me to cancel that order and to get the IQ 2+ panel instead?

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I have reached out to distribution to get the package halted so the order does not ship. I should know more soon.

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great, thanks @tyler
let me know iff/what my next steps should be when you hear from distribution

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Apologies for the delay. Distribution wasn’t able to catch the package before it went out, however they were able to reroute the shipment back to their warehouse.

As such, order 525198 has been cancelled in its entirety and payment refunded. Depending on your payment method, this may take a few business days to post to your applicable account.

You can purchase the IQ Panel 2 with 345MHz radio via this link here when ready.

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@tyler great, thanks for following up and cancelling the order!

I am about to order Qolsys IQ Panel 2+ (345MHz Verizon), before I do that I’d like to have more intel about the change.

I created a new thread to make it cleaner and more useful for humans to consume later on.