C7 as Secondary Controller to Qolsys IQ2 w/ Alarm.com

I'm having an issue with connecting my C7 as a secondary controller to the Qolsys IQ2. I enter learn mode on the C7 and inclusion on the IQ2. It starts to recognize the node then times out on the IQ2.

What I'm trying to do.

  • Have my zwave network communicate with my Alarm System

  • Have my zwave devices show up in google home for seamless voice control. (ADC has horrible google integration)

Why I am running this.

  • My original setup was, ST as Primary / 2Gig GC2 as secondary

  • My IQ2 does not have a controller learn option and cannot be added as a secondary controller in a network (some older IQ2s can, with an older zwave firmware, no way to downgrade)

  • I tried running ST as secondary, and it learned in and fed over, but the status of the zwave devices did not update. And was non-functional.

  • Now I'm trying to run the C7 as my secondary but I cannot get it to join the network as secondary.


  1. Does anyone know how I might be able to get it to join? Could I change something on the C7 side?

  2. Does anyone know of a GIT to feed ADC devices to HE?

  3. Maybe how to make ST work better as secondary?

  4. A hub that works with Google and is secondary controller friendly?

This hub is amazing by the way, much better than ST. Really hope I can get it to work.

Adding a second Controller to SHARE a ZWave network is complicated to explain in less than 500 words. :slight_smile:

ZWave does not support a 'full featured' second controller. The original purpose was to support portable hand held remotes that could Include/Exclude devices and then operate as a button remote to devices. (on/off/dim/etc.)

The Primary Controller is 99% of the time using Node ID #1. When a device is Included via a Secondary, the secondary asks the primary for the next Node ID and in many ways act like a 'broker/agent' to facilitate the Join. The device itself is given a Lifeline Association back to the Primary (Node 1) and that's where the frustrations start. A switch, for example, will tell ONLY the Lifeline Association Node that it was physically pressed. Nothing will 'inform' a second Controller. Thus it is out of Sync. That was always intentional in the specification. Lifeline could be populated with a couple of node IDs but Hubs don't. This is why so many hubs say they are not compatible with Secondary Controllers.

I hope this gross oversimplification helps. :slight_smile:

At one point, I had 4 ZWave "hubs" interconnected on a single ZWave network.... I know quite well what works and doesn't, and your description sounds oh so very familiar.

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Thanks!

Yeah I tried to fix what wasn't broken, but this IQ2 is sick man lol, plus I got it for free. (I work for an alarm company.)

Any idea why I can't get C7 to join the network?

The C-7 will accept/Include a Secondary.. I have my doubts about it BEING a secondary.

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