Forum Discussion
Vivint switch to Telus
I have had Vivint security for years, with no issues. I have multiple cameras and 24 hrs video recording.
I received a phone call from Telus stating that my equipment is no longer supported and they want me to switch to the Telus’ home security hardware. Has anyone done this and if so, how does it compare? As mentioned, I have multiple cameras with 24 hrs video recording video recording, front door lock,doorbell camera, motion sensors and window/door sensors. The person on the phone said they would replace all hardware and the Telus system will work exactly as my Vivint….. but I’m not as trustful/hopeful as the Telus rep. Has anyone switched over? Does the new hardware work as expected? Any issues?
29 Replies
Telus has been attempting to contact me about this as well - everytime I try to call back to the # it fails to connect me and they just repeatedly keep leaving messages (I don’t pick up all the spam calls). There is no way to seemingly do anything about this unless I randomly pickup every spam call.
Very frustrating and I’m inclined to just drop Vivint/Telus entirely - if someone from TELUS home support is monitoring this and wants to email me I will talk but otherwise it looks like I just need to rip it out and cancel the service.
TELUS_SupportOfficial Support Team
Since you haven't answered any of the contacts our team has made, another option would be for you to reach out to discuss with them directly. Let us know if you'd like for us to get you connected and we can definitely look in to that.
I am responding later today. My installer told me I have to deal with him for first 30 days which expired yesterday.
A question for Telus Support: In the message above the reason for the upgrades is the "3G / LTE sunsetting which affects older Vivent panels". The sunsetting is for 3G only and LTE will continue for many more years. So if our system is LTE capable, I see no reason to upgrade only to have my monthly fee increased to cover the new equipment. Servicing of sensors / panel may be a benefit, but customer service concerns I've read indicate that getting service from Telus is difficult anyway.
- TELUS_Support
While the LTE network itself will remain active, many first gen Vivint systems rely on 3G 'fallbacks' for certain signaling. As carriers decommission the 3G backbone so to speak, these specific systems can start to experience 'signal flapping'. This causes intermittent connectivity to the monitoring station, even if your panel would show 'LTE' onscreen. We'd rather have you upgrade now, so in case of a real emergency there'd be no issues.
Thank you for this explanation, this is very helpful. Is there any way to determine what generation the Vivint system is? The panel states the cellular network band is "Rogers LTE (LTE 5)". Would newer Vivint systems continue to be compatible with Telus's system?
I was told they would stop supporting my Vivint paned and I would be left with no service if I did not switch.
What is frustrating is my Vivint panel worked flawlessly for over 10 years ( with one upgrade), they can't get my new panel to connect reliable to Cell. I only have 2 bars Cell in my neighbourhood, I've been told they are oversubscribed and some simple google searching shows that these type of devices get deprioritized on their networks so it will be the first (along with my CPAP) that get punted when the network is saturated.
I switch from Vivint to Telus less the a month ago, my panel lost cell earlier today, they can't figure out how to get it back, even though I'm connected to wifi it is not communicating to the call centre, Telus support had me activate alarm, wasn't seen for over an hour.
I can't control the panel from the app some commands work after about 5 min but others don't at all, ie I can't arm or disarm from app.
This is frustrating as Vivint worked flawlessly for over 10 years. Not a good start.
- TELUS_Support
While there are some things to test that'd need to be done by our SmartHome team directly, there are a few things we can try:
- Ensure your panel is on a 2.4GHz network, not the 5GHz one. Security panels need the 2.4GHz band's ability to get through walls to maintain solid connection.
- Ensure no new electronics/devices have been placed nearby; even small changes in local interference can drop that cell signal.
Of course, that's first level troubleshooting only. We'll send you a private message to discuss this further. Check your Inbox!
Wifi is strong, it was cell that was hard down.
Is there a number I can talk to someone technical about this? When I called all they wanted to do was give me a price on what all the new hardware would cost me ( about 100% more than what I am paying now) and not explain what or how the equipment will work.
Telus contacted me today. They are replacing my current Vivint system for free. I have a lot of sensors not just the basic package. The Telus rep listed them all off and said everything is going to be replaced. They're sending it out this week. The catch? A new 5 year contract and I have to install it. No biggie. Plus they dropped my monthly payment by $5
Wow that’s great. They did offer to replace all my hardware too, and install it, but my monthly bill was increasing almost 100%.
Let me know what you think of all the hardware and if it works better than Vivint’sWell new Telus system is up and running. I'm not impressed. It took a day and a half to set up. Hours on the phone with support. First call. Oh. We haven't activated your panel. Next call, oh, your app won't work because we haven't activated it. Be nice if it was mentioned somewhere before you attempt to self install. I had an expanded Vivent professionally installed security system that a tech installed in a few hours , when he left it worked. My app worked. I didn't have to spend a day and a half jumping through hoops to install this garbage. They also tried to stiff me out of 5 door sensors. I don't trust them and I don't trust this system. I wanted it installed but Telus claimed they didn't have a tech in my area. Well Vivint did!! Cheap ass company and cut rate service. Do not believe them when they say you can do it yourself , it's easy. It is not. You can do it but take a few days off to do it. Not a happy customer
Thank you for the info. I did talk to one of your Home Security Team, but now I have more questions…they told me the tech would work my current smart drive (Vivint’s hardware for 24 hr recording) into the new hardware if I upgrade. But you said I need micro SD cards in each camera to record 24hrs. So can this by clarified? I’m still not sold on switching all hardware over unless I know what exactly I’m getting and how it will work.
thank you- TELUS_Support
We understand where you are coming from.
What we can do is send you a private message and answer your questions
- TELUS_Support
Just so you have some info as well, the reason for these upgrades is the 3G / LTE sunsetting which affects older Vivint panels, and that we're moving all of our customers onto our native SmartHome Security platform. Our system handles 24/7 recording using Onboard Recording via High-Endurance microSD cards directly in each camera. While this removes a possible single point of failure (if the hard drive on the older Vivint system has an issue, everything goes down), it does mean you'd have to manage storage on a per-camera basis. Everything's still viewable through the app though. We also use the Qolsys IQ Panel 4, which is widely considered the industry standard. It supports a big range of Z-wave devices, and it's pretty robust for features, etc.
If you need, you can always ask our SmartHome Security team about our Continuous Video Recording plan as well!
