Blog: IQ Base Sound You Can Feel

 

When designing IQ Panel 4, we were intent on incorporating critical feedback into the panel. Many users and installers told us that the panel needed better, more powerful speakers. We responded to this feedback with the new QuadSound speaker system incorporated into the panel. But we wondered if we could take it further.

 

So we did.

 

The new IQ Base adds increased levels of depth to the IQ Panel 4’s powerful QuadSound speaker array. With its large, low-frequency speaker, IQ Base rounds out your panel’s sound with impressive bass to give your panel the richness of sound it deserves. No matter what you’re playing, you can be sure that you’re hearing it the way it should be heard.

 

In 2022, NPR reported on a 5-year survey about smart home devices and revealed that more than 1/3 of Americans own a smart speaker. In that same survey, they found that between 2017 and 2022, the number one reason users bought a new smart speaker was to listen to music.

 

Luckily, with IQ Base, your home security panel is that speaker. Thanks to IQ Panel 4’s Bluetooth connectivity, you can take advantage of IQ Base’s room-filling sound to stream audio from any app on your Bluetooth-enabled device. Jam out to your favorite songs while you’re cooking or wind down for the evening with a cozy audiobook. If you can stream it, IQ Base will make it sound pristine.

 

In addition to sounding great, the IQ Base makes your IQ Panel 4 look great as well. The sleek design expands your choices for your panel location, meaning you can keep your panel wherever you want without needing to reinstall the system on a wall. Install your IQ Panel 4 on a desk, side table, counter, or anywhere you want convenient access to your home security system and music.

 

But the IQ Base is more than just music. Every sound that comes out of your panel will have improved strength and dimension. That includes IQ Panel 4’s built-in features, like Live View, Live Answer for your video doorbells and cameras. Every voice and alarm – regardless of how high or low – will come through loud and clear.

 

IQ Base is an essential add-on to every IQ Panel 4 installation. Enjoy every sound’s mid, low, and high wherever you want in your home.

Blog: Keeping Water Where Water Belongs

It’s the nightmare scenario: your home’s pipes have burst, and the water is rising quickly. An unexpected freeze may have blown in, or some aging pipes finally gave way, or perhaps an errant, thirsty tree root found the ultimate watering hole. In any case, you’re stuck with the repair costs of flood damage.

The threat of flooding exists everywhere. According to floodsmart.gov, 30% of all flood insurance claims are filed in low- to moderate-risk areas, and just one inch of flood water can cause more than $25,000 in damages. Standard homeowner insurance policies don’t include flood damage in their terms, meaning those costs will be coming out of your pocket – unless you have a plan.

The IQ Water Valve can help you stop flooding as soon as it starts. The retrofit servo can operate 1/4 turn ball valves with pipes from 1/2” to 1 1/4”. When a flood is detected in your home, the valve will automatically turn your main water off to prevent any more water from escaping your plumbing.

As part of the Qolsys IQ platform, the IQ Water Valve utilizes powerful Z-Wave 700 to ensure reliability and maximum range to your IQ Panels. Like other IQ products, setting up is as easy as putting your panel in pairing mode and adding the device.

Most amazingly, the IQ Water Valve can be completely installed without the need for a plumber. Similar, more expensive products on the market today require an appointment with a plumber to install, and that visit alone can cost you an average of $330 (according to homeadvisor.com). The IQ Water Valve is designed to keep your install simple, removing burdensome and expensive appointments to save you time and money.

In fact, the IQ Water Valve is so easy to install, our technical account manager’s 5-year-old son completed an install in less than one minute during a product workshop in 2021. In just a few turns of the screws, you (or your kids) can protect your home from future flooding catastrophes.

Protect your home, keep it dry, and give yourself peace of mind with IQ Water Valve.

Press Release: Johnson Controls Honored in Inaugural SecurityInfoWatch Readers’ Choice Awards

Leading security industry online portal announces top products after more than 1,650 security pros participate in online voting

 

Nov. 2, 2022 — Johnson Controls is pleased to announce that its IQ Panel 4 has been named a winner in the inaugural SecurityInfoWatch.com Readers’ Choice Product Awards in the Residential Security & Smart Home category.

 

The SecurityInfoWatch Readers’ Choice Awards recognize the most impactful products introduced in the physical security industry over the past year (June 2021 through June 2022) in 13 different categories. The program is judged and decided by the very people who use and install these products every day. Voting was open to any SecurityInfoWatch reader (one vote per IP address) during September. In all, more than 1,650 security professionals participated in the voting.

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Press Release: Johnson Controls releases IQ4 Hub for Lower Cost Markets

New lower cost panel leverages IQ Platform targeting residential, SMB, Builder, MDU/Multifamily and wellness segments.

San Jose, CA — (October 3rd, 2022)Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings today announced its IQ4 Hub is now available. By utilizing the IQ Platform, this lower-cost adaptation of the IQ Panel 4 targets residential, SMB, builder, Multifamily/MDU and wellness installations with many of the software features customers love – such as Bluetooth Disarming and Dual Path communication on LTE and Wi-Fi – while retaining the IQ Panel 4’s attractive form factor.

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Press Release: Johnson Controls Releases IQ WiFi 6

San Jose, CA. Sept 26, 2022 – Johnson Controls, the global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, announced the IQ WiFi 6 — a new purpose-built mesh router solution for homes and businesses with security, automation and Wi-Fi devices — is now available. The IQ WiFi 6 is a Wi-Fi Alliance Certified router with Alarm.com management software built in, delivering improved end-to-end user experience and reduced dealer maintenance, support calls and truck rolls.

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Awards: Winners of 2022 ESX Innovation Awards Revealed

Electronic Security Expo has announced the winners of its 2022 ESX Innovation Awards. Each year the program aims to distinguish innovation and excellence in the industry, as well as identify the next-gen products and services that will offer significant opportunities for growth for security integrator companies.

The products and services were selected by an independent panel of judges based on a specific set of criteria including ingenuity, applicability, response to market need and more.

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Press Release: Johnson Controls Announces IQ Pro for Commercial Markets

New hybrid panel combines the IQ Panel platform and PowerSeries Neo

The global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings announced today the new IQ Pro, a hybrid panel utilizing the IQ Platform and key features from IQ Panel 4, PowerSeries Neo and customer feedback.  IQ Pro will address the needs of commercial, SMB, large residential, campus, and K-12 markets.

“We are reinventing the commercial security market,” said Mike Hackett, Johnson Controls, VP Global Sales & Marketing.  “We already have a reputation of disruption in the residential security space and we are bringing that same experience to commercial installations. The IQ Pro is a true hybrid panel leveraging key features of IQ Panel 4 and the DSC Neo, the most popular products in their respective spaces.”

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Press Release: Johnson Controls announces IQ Hub for Lower Cost Markets

New panel leverages IQ Panel platform targeting residential, SMB, Builder, MDU/Multifamily and wellness segments with a lower cost hub.

Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings announced today its new IQ Hub, targeting Residential, SMB, Builder, Multifamily/MDU and Wellness installations.  This lower cost adaptation of the IQ Panel 4 utlizes the IQ Platform, retaining the form factor of IQ Panel 4 and many of the software features customers love such as simultaneous Dual Path communication using LTE & WiFi , Intuitive 7” Touchscreen user interface, Bluetooth Disarming, Live View Cameras and Live Answer Video Doorbells and Z-Wave Plus for compatibility with lights, locks, thermostats and more.

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Press Release: Johnson Controls Announces IQ WiFi 6

Mesh Router Delivers Purpose Built Network Experience and Dealer Remote Connectivity For Smart, Secure Homes and Businesses

Johnson Controls, the global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, announces the IQ WiFi 6, a new purpose-built mesh router solution for homes and businesses with security, automation and Wi-Fi devices. The IQ WiFi 6 is a Wi-Fi Alliance Certified router with Alarm.com management software built in, delivering improved end-to-end user experience and reduced dealer maintenance, support calls and truck rolls.

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A Connected Home Is A Safe Home

A Connected Home Is A Safe Home

A connected home is a safe home and a connected home requires smart devices installed in every place you can think of performing various actions, reporting data and giving you real time insights into what’s happening in your home.

Smart smoke detectors in every room report if a fire occurs whether the system is armed or not. Around the clock, it is watching, protecting, taking care of you making sure your home is safe from what could be the most disastrous and traumatic life safety event. There are occasions where you become more susceptible to a fire like forgetting to water your Christmas tree, it dries out, and leaving the lights on when you leave home. Fireplaces getting out of control, faulty wiring or others, standard smoke detectors do not protect you from these scenarios because all they do is make noise and if you believe your neighbors will come rushing to your aid when they hear it beeping in your house, try setting off your car alarm and see what happens. How many people come outside and check on the car and knock on the door to see if you are okay. Most likely, the answer is none. Don’t place the security of your home in the ultraistic nature and availability of your neighbors.

Similarly, protection against carbon monoxide poisoning is equally critical. Carbon monoxide detectors are required in 50% of the states in the United States and yet many homes still don’t have one. Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental deaths in America. Having a monitored carbon monoxide detector not only allows you to be informed if and when this silent killer enters your home but sends help right away, even when you are asleep and everyone becomes unconscious. It’s a scary scenario and one that will hopefully never happen to you. But if you have a monitored carbon monoxide detector then you can avoid that disastrous problem.

Floods are another very common insurance claim and if you ask an insurance company, they will tell you that floods are the #1 source of challenges for a homeowner. Floods can be tremendously expensive with thousands and thousands of dollars of damage occurring for even just a few inches of water. Statistics show that every basement will have a flood at some point during it’s life. Installing a smart flood detectors under each of your sinks, near the water heater, near the water in your refrigerator and other water locations can certainly help, but without the help of a smart water shut off valve, they will only inform you and hopefully you would be in a position to turn around, drive home and address the situation before too much damage has taken place. A better scenario is to install a smart flood detector like this one and a smart water valve on your pipes to automatically shut off the water when a flood is detected. Prevent your leaks from becoming lakes with an automated smart system that ties the flood detectors installed throughout your home to the water shut off valve with no action required from you other than to come home and fix the leak at minimal cost.

Heat detectors and freeze detectors are equally important as HVAC units can fail, heaters can fail resulting in not only added expense but added danger to pets, elderly and the infirm. Imagine if you were able to get a notification that your heater had broken in the middle of winter and rather than waiting for your pipes to freeze and deal with the requisite flooding that might occur and instead take immediate action to fix the heater and make sure that your home stays the temperature you need it to, no dead pets, no dead grandma, no dead plants. Simply a warm house all through smart technology with the best encryption and long range reliability that PowerG has become known for.

These and other solutions, when combined together make a smarter safer home, protecting you and your loved ones from unnecessary hassle, life threatening scenarios and costly damage all with access from a single touchscreen like the IQ Panel 4 and the easy to use mobile app, powered by Alarm.com.