The annual Security Solutions Awards program honors manufacturers and vendors whose electronic security solutions have proven performance in meeting security, safety or other organizational needs for end users. The 2025 awards series opened by naming Telguard as the fire and life safety winner. Attention shifted to the home controls category, where one retrofit project stood out from the crowd.
Suffolk Security Systems was commissioned to perform a life safety makeover at a 10,500-square-foot residence in Southampton, N.Y. Built in 1992 and left unattended for years, the home featured a patchwork of aging alarm wiring, absent smoke detectors and wide gaps in code compliance. Inspectors found smoke alarms absent in several living areas, leaving occupants unprotected against fire hazards. Restoring proper life safety coverage became an urgent priority.
Owners requested a full update that would upgrade security, introduce modern life safety devices and add comprehensive video surveillance. Since this property serves as their secondary home, they needed every system connected over a unified network that could be viewed and managed from any location without manual intervention. Integration would make sure that each device could communicate status changes automatically, triggering alerts or follow-up actions without requiring manual steps from homeowners.
Meeting those requirements meant dismantling old control panels, keypads and wiring runs, then relocating the main alarm hardware into a secure closet. That room was transformed into the command center for all network routing and camera links. A hybrid design strategy preserved reusable cables while accommodating fresh wireless modules.
Project leaders faced extra complexity as an ongoing basement renovation limited cable access through rough-in work and exposed framing. Deciphering decades of undocumented wiring added to the challenge. A high-value insurance policy put additional pressure on the timeline, with full system activation required within 30 days from project start.
After evaluation, Suffolk Security Systems recommended Resideo’s First Alert VISTA H Series Security Platform. That solution offers a scalable hybrid architecture capable of supporting a blend of wired and wireless sensors, keypads and monitoring devices. State life safety regulations, user accessibility and dependable performance guided that choice. That evaluation process included compatibility tests with legacy wiring, performance trials and code validation checks.
The VISTA H Series allows legacy system upgrades by reusing existing circuits and avoids extra wiring for touchscreen keypads, since panels link via wireless mesh. Built-in compatibility with pre-existing peripherals lowered installation costs. Should homeowner needs evolve, the platform can expand with minimal equipment changes.
Owners responded positively to the touchscreen graphic interface and the streamlined controls. The system’s low-maintenance engineering, paired with high throughput and reliability typical of the VISTA lineup, left a strong impression. A central appeal centered on remote monitoring and system management from a smartphone or web portal.
Total Connect, Resideo’s companion application, notifies users of sensor triggers and delivers live or recorded video feeds. Remote access covers security alarms, indoor and outdoor cameras, smart video doorbells, thermostat settings, lighting circuits and door locks. That integrated approach links every element under one user-friendly control environment.
Installation began by tagging and testing circuits that could remain in service, removing obsolete hardware and building accessible splice junctions. The security closet transformation included dedicated racks for network gear. Suffolk then overhauled the broadband internet setup, installing an eero gateway switch plus eero7 mesh nodes to achieve full coverage. Signal strength tests confirmed mesh nodes and wireless sensors registered reliably in every corner of the property.
Adding system-wide automation, the team integrated a VISTA H3 relay module for remote water main valve control. A selection of compatible devices rounded out the solution:
• First Alert VX1 HD Video Doorbell
• Five Honeywell Home T6 Pro Z-Wave Thermostats
• Flow-based water leak detection system
• Interconnected smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
All components report real-time status to the VISTA H Series panel and Total Connect interface.
Work wrapped up in January 2025, delivering a fully integrated package encompassing security, life safety and video surveillance. Owners now use the VISTA H Series interface to monitor local conditions, check video streams, track deliveries and maintain optimal indoor climate. The VX1 video doorbell appears on the touchscreen panels, an advantage for that bedroom located far from the entry foyer.
Real-world value showed up almost immediately during a trip. Honeywell Home PROSIX Two-Way Wireless Temperature Sensors signaled a drop in indoor heat. The owners dispatched a heating contractor to avert frozen pipe damage, then confirmed the temperature recovery through T6 Pro thermostat data displayed in the app.
