The Honeywell Lyric Gateway is the second of the Lyric series alarm systems. The Lyric Controller was released first and is may still be viewed as the ultimate wireless security system on the market. However there are some clear benefits from both systems. While the Lyric Controller has a 7.0 inch touchscreen display, the Lyric Gateway is more of a hub design with a simple number pad without any display. The minimalist design caters to installations that benefit from the advanced features of the Lyric platform yet do not necessarily require a fancy touchscreen. Lyric panels are the first security systems to offer bi-directional wireless sensors with 128-bit AES encryption. Currently the Honeywell SiX sensors are the only encrypted peripherals. The Gateway still offers backward compatibility to all the Honeywell 5800 series devices and supports up to 64 total RF zones. This makes upgrading from an existing Honeywell wireless system a breeze! Keep your previously installed 5800 devices and add some SiX devices where needed.
The Gateway still uses 2.4GHz WIFI and also has an ethernet port for hardwire ethernet connections. Keep in mind that the Gateway is the only Honeywell wireless system to include the LAN port out of box without any added modules. In fact, the Lyric Controller only has WIFI without any ability to hardwire a LAN connection. Conveniently the gateway shares the same cellular communicators as the controller: Honeywell Lyric-3G (AT&T 3G network) and Lyric-CDMA (Verizon CDMA network). There is a small compartment where the modules slide into the gateway itself. As a Gateway owner you can choose to use IP only, cellular only or dual path with IP as primary and cellular as a secondary comm path. Cellular communications are the most reliable since they do not rely on any local hardware. Internet signaling is faster in most cases which is why a dual path setup is ideal.
The major difference between the Lyric Gateway and any other Honeywell panel is the lack of local end-user programming. The gateway is the first panel that requires proprietary software in the form of an app for programming. In other words, there is no way to locally program this panel without being a certified Honeywell installer. Traditionally, installers would locally program alarm systems through a keypad by using an "installer code" that was kept secret. Over the years there have been technological advances making security systems much more user friendly. This has resulted in a more DIY approach where alarm owners (end users) install and program their own system. This approach is not possible with this panel.
Starting with the LYNX Touch series panels, Honeywell created apps for remote access (Total Connect) and more limited ones for local control of an alarm panel. This required being on the local WIFI network for local apps and paid services for remote apps. The Gateway has a free app (My Home Gateway) designed for local setup but they dropped the installer programming menu. Basically you must enlist a Honeywell dealer to program zones and adjust most of your programming settings. Whereas other systems like the Lyric Controller offer local programming with the use of an installer code. Keep this in mind before purchasing this product. If you plan on enrolling monitoring service your alarm company will be able to remotely program your system.