I have a factory/dealer (unbranded) gc3 panel. 4 smart switches for wired sensors.
its all good to go, I will buy a new Cell module, but I have a question about Smartthings integration.
My locks currently show in the panel but not in alarm.coms app.
does your company have easier integration where the z-wave kwikset locks will show in the app I have seen a few on here that have done it . I just wanted to verify first before a 2000 buyout of my contract
Secondary Z-wave controller integration can be tricky, and not every controller will play nicely, however we do have a lot of folks report success using Smartthings.
How long have you had the secondary controller paired with the GC3? Has your dealer attempted any remote commands to sync your equipment list?
I can say, with Surety, not only can you get support from users and technicians who have worked with these setups, but you get access to dealer level troubleshooting controls for your system using the Surety System Manager. Z-wave device equipment list sync commands are one of the tools found there.
Just to make sure there isn’t any incompatibility likely occurring, what model of locks are you using and what is the firmware version of your GC3?
Locks.
Kwikset 910 [ z-wave ]
5 locks
Was going to add later on . 1 - Yale X
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Panel info
Nortek Gc3 . Firmware 3.2.3
Build 6713
Z-wave ver. 4.54
Garage doors
Liftmaster MyQ [ with -myq gateway ]
The alarm co/monitoring company is of little help,
They had me remove all devices from smartthings and reset the z wave controller on the gc3. Than re-add without ST just to see if they populate on their end.
I am able to add them fine that way, they show in ADC app/website. But when I asked him about smartthings and the gc3 as secondary. He did not know about it. Seems he just follows a script and did not want to run a hardware list update or anything for that matter.
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But , I do have this unbranded panel. And I get the firmware from a nortek dealer portal login my friend gave me.
And i am willing to change to Surety if i can see those locks in the ADC app and smartthings. So that I can intergrate my automations/scenes into one complete package.
A question about legacy wired sensors and 2gig smart switches. So I can place the order.
Will using the 2gig takeover smart switches and my current setup work with seruety? I belive all I will need is the gc3 4g cell sled. But I may ne missing something.
A shot of my setup I wired a few weeks back.
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If so This was my cart, just to make sure its all I need.
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The cart looks fine. I’m curious, do you know for sure that you will need a new cell sled? If the one you have is a 4G Alarm.com module then you should be able to reuse it with our service. If it’s 3G then you will need a new one.
Yes, you can use the 2GIG takeover switches and your current sensor setup will work fine with our service. Nice wiring, by the way.
Regarding setting up your GC3 and smartthings, have you seen these topics?
I was trying a monitoring company for a few days. On the pick plan page on surety it shows the serial in use by alarm.com. so I was going to get the new 4g sled.
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And, yes I searched up and down for my current setup. I can get as far as devices added to the panel. They wont connect to adc app or website.
All sources I found to male it work is through your company and forums.
I luckily had a flakey installer put the sled in and make sure it worked, but he didnt have me fill the contra t out right. So I have a easy out on my contract. [ yay ]
So I was going to switch to surety, way better support here.
Our cellular module check tool will say that when your panel is connected to an Alarm.com account. If your current provider deletes that account then the module should become available again. Then it would just come down to whether it’s 4G. If it’s a new system that was installed this year then it probably is 4G and you should be fine. But the module check tool will tell you for sure after your existing Alarm.com account has been deleted.
it does say it has a alarm.com account tied to it, and its 2gig-ltev1-a-gs3
So yes its a 4g lte.
even if I have to spend the 100*.00 + on a new sled. it will be worth it.
I imagine I can keep my wireless and wired settings for my sensors , and just do the cell radio swap command in the gc3 and activate through surety?
Yes, your sensor settings will remain in tact. You would lose any rules or notifications in your Alarm.com account but everything in the panel should still be there.
Circling back, the models of locks you mention should have no trouble with the GC3 panel.
The error you are seeing where the locks are inaccessible in ADC may be a result of the Smartthings controller and the GC3 not properly sharing security keys for the lock.
The locks use encryption when transmitting, so if the key is not shared properly from one controller to the other, the lock would not be functional.
Are there any firmware updates available for your Smartthings controller by chance?
To my knowledge , yes it should be updated.
I have only been able to get ST hub and the Gc3 show devices (add them to the ADC app/webpage ( and than I had the security issues) once, maybe twice. But now , I cant even get it to register as a device upon adding the gc3 as primary VIA the advanced zwave settings.
I did notice whenever I reset the ST hub it still has some of my smart devices - fridge, tvs, phones… I do not think this would be a issue, but???
here is a few pics of the current status.
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My friend is coming over later to cancel that contract as he was the dealer on it, ( at least I can get out early) And I will be seeing if they release the 4g lte sled, or if I need to buy one from your company.
Either way, I will be switching to your company.
Thanks.
The one thing I do see, not sure if it matters, but on doing a network test, it has green on LAN & Internet, but the backend is red.
For the best chance of success, it should be set up with everything learned into the Smartthings controller, then pair the GC3 as a secondary controller. The Smartthings controller will share its Z-wave device list.
There may be incompatible Z-wave devices on that device list, and typically these would not be registered on the GC3. If incompatible devices are showing up in the back-end it may be part of the issue, but we would be able to check that if you were a Surety user.
Resetting the Smartthings Z-wave controller shouldn’t affect non-Z-wave devices. The remaining devices you mention wouldn’t be Z-wave and I would expect them to remain, depending on the type of reset you are performing.
The one thing I do see, not sure if it matters, but on doing a network test, it has green on LAN & Internet, but the backend is red.
This most likely means that the Alarm.com account on the dealer side is not set to communicate via dual path, just cell only, but you have the GC3 connected to your local wifi network.
This is controlled by dealer settings.
My buddy came by, I was able to buy a new 4g sled module. I verified it will work with surety VIA your SN test tool.
The directions say to fully power it down, but removing the battery and transformer,… Will that reset all of my settings / sensors etc
I assumed on the gc3 I could just hit the Cell- Swap without having to unplug it?
Can I get a proper procedure for it? and I am going to purchase the plan in a minute.
I was able to integrate my locks with alarm.com VIA calling and acting as a tech, and I was Integrating it right from the start. It ended up needing to have the update equipment list From ADC directly. ( which you can do )
But great news is, Got out of that contract, got integration working and hubitat as well as smartthings.
Cant wait to get going with your company, just wanted to verify about the cell swap procedure first I have 50+ sensors and even more devices programed into the gc3 I really don’t want to reprogram.
Thanks
Powering down the panel and disconnecting the battery should not erase your sensor or settings. You should be able to use cell sled hot-swap feature to change the sled without powering down but I’m told that often that feature doesn’t work and you need to power it down anyway. We usually recommend people just go ahead and power it down to avoid that. Here’s a video showing the procedure.
After you purchase a plan on our website you’ll be promoted to enter the IMEI number of the cell sled and set up your Alarm.com account. Just follow the instructions there and run the cellular communication test when it tells you to. Let us know if you have any issues.
