Possibly a faulty run, but I suspect it’s really software issues.
Over many years of phones, tablets, and devices I have grown weary of Android. When implemented properly, it works great and I’m a huge fan. Samsung phones and tablets or Google Nexus are excellent examples. Those are largely stable devices that run well - at least minus the inevitable carrier bloat that ensues. When it’s implemented poorly, Android is an utter nightmare. Grab any $50 android-based tablet off the shelf and you will know exactly what I mean.
And that is where I start taking issue with Qolsys. A security system is a critical component. Not to the extent of hospital gear, but it needs to work every single time reliably. There is no room in the security business for working “most of the time”. And when one sets out to create a security panel, usually the focus is on making as few moving parts as possible, along with minimizing bugs and ensuring reliability as top priority.
So, when looking at available option for what to base your security panel on, you have got to be extremely careful with what your foundation is built on. Qolsys is clearly a fan of Android and that’s cool in and of itself. For whatever reason - I know not why - Qolsys decided to build its foundation of the Qolsys panel on an ancient version of Android (2.2) that came out nearly six years ago. That’s six years worth of vulnerability patching, speed and reliability improvements, etc that were skipped over. Vulnerabilities like this: https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/573848 Things that would let someone bypass the IQ panel for your home. That should have never happened. I don’t expect them to be on the latest Android 6.x but there is no earthly reason why they couldn’t have done at least 4.x if not 5.x.
Also with the IQ2 panels, it has become painfully clear that it was a rushed endeavor to create a device to be used at the bedside on the stand and not mounted on the wall. It doesn’t run the same OS as the IQ panel - again no clue why - and it has different hardware capabilities such as the ability to connect to 5ghz networks when the IQ panel can only connect to 2.4ghz networks. It doesn’t utilize RF to talk to the IQ panel even though it probably could - again no clue why as RF is generally far more reliable than wifi connectivity. It is also clear they did not start with quality components. The IQ2 is slow to respond, has a very poor viewing angle, and is prone to sometimes lock up, or lose wifi connectivity or otherwise hamper it’s function as a secondary panel. Everything about the IQ2 says “cheap cheap CHEAP!” except the nice stand they provide. The 2" circle of velcro is just ridiculous.
TL;DR - too many moving parts… too many opportunities for software issues to arise. These are issues you won’t see on Simon/Interlogix or 2GIG or Honeywell because they all use custom firmware not built on Android. There’s probably a reason for that. In years of using the Simon XT/XTi I never ever had something like this happen. So this is where I take issue with Qolsys. I’m not saying everyone is going to have the same problems I did, but the opportunity for those problems are too great. As I sit here and type this, I am still happily surprised every day when my IQ panel works and the IQ2’s stay connected and I have no issues. That should NEVER happen on a device that you are using to protect your family with. As time goes on I may let my guard down, now that additional software patches have helped some.
While it probably sounds like I’m damning Qolsys, it’s because I’m a network security practitioner and evangelist and I scratch my head at some of the decisions they made. I think they meant well, but security-wise some things are a mess. Then as an end-user I scratch my head because so many things can go wrong with this particular setup. Even things like the power, look how close the tolerances are… and this is a panel that is likely to be installed in many locations with long runs of cable to the power adapter.
While I have my frustrations with them, the effort their L3 techs have gone to over the last couple of weeks has been great, and when I was ready to send this gear back and wash my hands of it, they gave me enough help and the right patches that I have had no issues for about a week now, and it feels like I can now keep the system and have it work well enough that they will have software patches out in the near future to dial it in to where it will be good enough for me to stick with. I just wish none of this had been necessary, and it’s a shame because it’s otherwise a fairly compelling product.
With the new IQ2 they are coming out with that is meant to be wall-mounted and powered from the backside, if they fix the issues with lessons learned from the original IQ2 and keep the software updates coming to improve reliability, then I would soften my original statements to say keep an eye on it if you choose this system but I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel whereas before I did not.
