SSI’s BENCH TEST
2 / SECURITYSALES.COM / DECEMBER 2014
e Qolsys IQ Panel is perhaps the most dicult product I have
ever had to review. Even knowing what to call it for the review
headline is a challenge, as it dees categorization. To para-
phrase Shrek the ogre, Qolsys IQ panels are like onions; there
are lots of layers.
We were provided with a test kit that included the IQ panel
and some peripherals — a motion/image sensor, door/window
contact, temperature/water sensor, and smart socket. Our goal
was to test this in a system environment, simulating what both
an integrator and a home or business owner would see. To that
end, we were also provided with accounts on the Qolsys Dealer
Portal and Alarm.com.
In our time with the IQ Panel, our feelings toward the prod-
uct have evolved. It is essentially the center or hub of the much
talked about “smart home.” It can control pretty much any-
thing that you would throw at such a system, including (but
not limited to) locks, lights, thermostats and outlets. It has sen-
sors for temperature, water, tilt (garage doors), video, smoke,
carbon monoxide, glass-break and contact closure, among
other things. It can be controlled from the panel, keypad, key
fob, desk fob (duress alarm), a Web browser, your phone or
tablet (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and a mo-
bile-friendly Web site for other Web-enabled cellphones), or a
pendant panic button (think “I’ve fallen but I can’t get up”). e
list goes on and on, and if you’ve just skipped to the end of this
paragraph because such lists bore you, I’ll add one more thing:
it’s a digital picture frame as well, with both preloaded images
and an SD card slot for adding your own.
Construction
At rst glance, I was not impressed with the overall appearance
of the panel. It has a 7-inch touchscreen and runs the Android
operating system, so my expectation was more along the lines
of an Android tablet — slim borders, low prole and so on. is
was my rst exposure to the layers of this particular onion.
e panel has a wide (1.25-inch) plastic border, is 1.5-inches
deep and weighs close to two pounds. In the context of a tablet, this
panel is a beast, but considering it is an alarm panel with ve radios
inside, it is svelte indeed. In fact, when I approached the panel as
a system head-end with a touchscreen bolted on, it became more
impressive. e wide front bezel is used to house a fairly low res-
olution (0.3-megapixel) xed
focus camera, microphone,
and backlit “emergency” and
“home” hardware buttons.
Internally, we were pleas-
antly surprised at an extreme-
ly carefully thought-out lay-
out. While we suspect that few
people will have occasion to
take the panel apart, internal-
ly this is a very mature prod-
uct. Circuit boards are clean
(no cuts, jumpers or added
components) and ventilation
was clearly a consideration.
Screws that might be removed
for servicing are threaded into
brass inserts molded into the
chassis; antennas are ingeniously arranged; plugs for removable
connections are keyed for orientation, easy to reach and secure;
and there are many test points on the circuit boards. is is a prod-
uct designed to be repaired should the need arise, not disposable
technology.
In fact, the touchscreen itself was the only area of con-
tention in terms of construction. We understand that is es-
sentially a graphical keypad, and the control icons are large
enough for any size finger, but it’s hard not to compare it to
a tablet or cellphone. There is no multitouch (only one point
of screen contact registers at a time), and we’re OK with that,
but registration of touches on the resistive screen was incon-
sistent, especially for a woman with fingernails. Sensitivity
Why the IQ Panel Is
a Smart Choice for
the Smart Home
By Robert D. Grossman ◆ rdgrossman@tech-answers.
com
QOLSYS IQ PANEL
SPECS
Tremendously versatile
touchscreen alarm panel
and keypad that can be the
brains of a secure smart
home
Eliminates the need for a
traditional alarm panel while
providing advanced features
and solid reliability
PROS
Solid construction
Easy to install and congure
for basic setup
Home security, energy man-
agement and home control
Wide variety of accessory
devices
CONS
Signicant learning curve for
advanced features
Aesthetics may bother some
Software isn’t as polished as
end users will expect
Finicky touchscreen
(64 pages)
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