TSB #: 210114
DATE: 01/14/21
RE: NOTICE REGARDING POWERG DEVICE SYNCING IN 2.5.3 & 2.5.4
Overview:
Recently we have discovered an issue where in rare circumstances PowerG devices may not re-network themselves after applying the 2.5.3 or 2.5.4 update on IQ Panel 2+. Additionally, this issue could also occur after a power cycle of a Panel running 2.5.3 or 2.5.4 software.
This is due to the encryption key potentially getting defaulted in certain limited scenarios, in these rare scenarios the PowerG sensors are unable to communicate with the panel due to the encryption key mismatch. If this occurs, sensors will show on the Panel and on Alarm.com as “Not Networked” or with an “!” next to their status. If they remain in a Not Networked state for the entire supervisory window (default is 24 hours for non-life safety sensors and 4 hours for life safety sensors), they will then go into supervisory failure and Malfunction status.
Panels that encounter this issue will require all PowerG sensors to be deleted and re-learned into the Panel, this will share a new encryption key and PowerG sensors will resume functioning as intended. PowerG sensors should not be learned in to the Panel remotely from Alarm.com as they need to be tampered/power cycled in order to share their encryption key and sync with the Panel.
This issue does not affect non-PowerG sensors or other sensor technology (319MHz, 345MHz, 433MHz, Z-Wave, etc).
Recommendations:
When needing to update from an earlier software version to 2.5.3 or 2.5.4, it is strongly recommended to update locally at the Panel via Patch Tag or with a MicroSD Card as this will allow you to easily verify PowerG sensor functionality after the update is completed. If updating remotely from Alarm.com, special care should be taken to verify sensors are working correctly after the update. In all cases we recommend you validate and test for proper sensor operation after a power cycle or software update to 2.5.3 or 2.5.4 and additionally before leaving the installation.
Resolution:
New software, version 2.5.5, will be released in the near future which will address the root cause of the PowerG issue. Additionally, future versions (i.e. 2.6.0) will also include the necessary fix.