Can I view Qolsys cameras remotely through Home Assistant?

Yes. With a properly configured remote access setup (like Selora's secure tunnel), you can view live camera feeds from anywhere. The key is doing this securely — exposing Home Assistant directly to the internet is risky. A managed setup handles secure remote access for you.

Does Qolsys support local recording with Home Assistant?

Many Qolsys cameras can record locally when paired with Home Assistant and add-ons like Frigate. This eliminates cloud subscription costs and ensures your footage stays private. The setup requires specific hardware and configuration that a managed service handles.

Can Qolsys cameras trigger other smart home automations?

Absolutely. A Qolsys camera detecting motion can trigger lights, lock doors, send notifications, start recording on other cameras, or play an alert through speakers. This cross-device coordination is where Home Assistant excels over standalone security apps.

Qolsys & Home Assistant

Security & Cameras

The Qolsys Panel integration is a community project, installed through HACS, that connects Home Assistant to Qolsys IQ security panels, including the IQ Panel 2+, IQ Panel 4, IQ Hub, and IQ Panel 5. It pairs with the panel by emulating an IQ Remote, the secondary touchscreen Qolsys sells, and keeps a persistent local connection that pushes every change as it happens. Nothing is polled and nothing passes through Alarm.com.

Each partition becomes an alarm control panel with arm home, away, and night, alongside panic alarm, quick exit, and silent disarming actions. Every security zone reports open, closed, tamper, battery, and signal strength, and the Z-Wave locks, lights, thermostats, and garage doors paired to the panel appear as their own entities. The panel keeps its siren, battery backup, and central station path, so monitoring is unaffected when Home Assistant restarts.

Installed through HACS

Qolsys support is a community integration installed via the Home Assistant Community Store (HACS), not a built-in core integration. It is actively maintained, but updates arrive through HACS rather than Home Assistant releases. A managed deployment keeps the integration and panel firmware versions tested together.

Local control No cloud required

Visit Qolsys Custom Integration

How Qolsys Works with Home Assistant

Getting Qolsys connected to Home Assistant and running reliably.

1

Connect & configure

Add Qolsys through the Home Assistant integrations panel. Cameras, sensors, and alarm panels appear as entities you can control and automate.

2

Live feeds & alerts

View camera streams directly in your dashboard. Set up notifications for motion events, door openings, or alarm triggers.

3

Cross-device automation

Build automations that coordinate Qolsys with lights, locks, and speakers. Motion at the front door can trigger a light, a camera recording, and a notification — simultaneously.

Common Qolsys Issues

The problems installers run into with Qolsys and Home Assistant — and how a managed setup prevents them.

Pairing needs the installer code

The IQ Remote pairing page sits behind the installer code. Panels set up by another dealer are usually locked, and only that dealer, or a new one after an account takeover, can unlock them through the Alarm.com Partner Portal.

Discovery fails across VLANs

Pairing finds the panel over mDNS, so Home Assistant and the panel must share a subnet while pairing. Wi-Fi systems and managed switches that filter mDNS or apply storm control also hide the pairing service.

Only what an IQ Remote sees

Because the integration emulates an IQ Remote, it is limited to what the panel shares with one. Alarm.com-only devices and some Z-Wave device types come through partially or not at all.

Why installers choose managed Qolsys setups

Installer code and dealer unlock coordinated before the visit
Panel firmware and integration versions kept in step
Z-Wave devices placed on the panel or on Home Assistant deliberately, not by accident
Arming, disarm, and alarm recipes tested against the live panel

Learn How We Manage Qolsys

Qolsys devices we deploy

Hardware from the Selora catalog that runs on this integration. Every unit is tested and supported as part of a managed installation.

View full Qolsys catalog

Security & Safety

3 devices

IQ Panel 2+

Qolsys

The IQ Panel 2+ is the previous-generation Qolsys touchscreen security panel, still installed in many homes with Alarm.com monitoring. Home Assistant pairs with it locally through the Qolsys Panel integration, the same way it pairs with newer IQ panels, and gets arming, alarm state, and every zone in real time.

IQ Panel 4

Qolsys

The IQ Panel 4 is Qolsys's 7-inch touchscreen security panel, with PowerG encrypted sensors, a legacy sensor receiver, Z-Wave, and Alarm.com cellular monitoring. The IQ Panel 5 has succeeded it, but it is still sold and installed widely. Home Assistant pairs with it locally through the Qolsys Panel integration and gets arming, alarm state, every zone, and the panel's Z-Wave devices in real time.

IQ Panel 5

Qolsys

The IQ Panel 5 is Qolsys's current 7-inch touchscreen security panel, with PowerG+ encrypted sensors, a legacy sensor receiver, 800-series Z-Wave with Long Range, and Alarm.com cellular monitoring. Home Assistant pairs with it locally through the Qolsys Panel integration and gets arming, alarm state, every zone, and the panel's Z-Wave devices in real time.