The annual Security Solutions Awards program celebrates manufacturers and vendors whose electronic security solutions have been proven in the field to meet security, safety or other organizational needs for end users. We kicked off the series unveiling our 2025 winners with Telguard, who earned the nod for fire and life safety.
Now, let’s take a look at the winner in the home controls category.
Who Won the Security Solutions Award for Home Controls?
Suffolk Security Systems was hired to do a life safety overhaul of a 10,500-square-foot residence in Southampton, N.Y., that was built in 1992 and had been seriously neglected. The wiring was a patchwork of outdated security systems, smoke detectors were missing and the home was not compliant with New York’s life safety codes.
The homeowners requested a complete modernization with better security, updated life safety systems and video surveillance. Since the Southampton home is their second residence, they wanted all of their devices connected via a whole-home network that would be easy to monitor remotely and automatically.
The project scope required a comprehensive retrofit, including a complete teardown of old equipment and wiring and relocation of the alarm system to a secure closet, which ultimately became the central hub for all networking and camera connections. A key factor was that they had a hybrid situation – they wanted to reuse some existing wiring and integrate wireless components.
The Suffolk team needed to identify a hybrid security system that could support a mix of wired and wireless devices, satisfy New York state safety codes and meet the requirement of being easy to access and control from anywhere.
Additional considerations included the fact that the basement was already in the midst of a renovation, complicating wiring in that area and it was a challenge to navigate the layout of the original alarm system. They had to move quickly because the homeowner’s insurance company wanted the system fully operational within 30 days because of the property’s value.
After evaluating the project details, the Suffolk team recommended Resideo’s First Alert VISTA H Series Security Platform, a full-service, scalable and hybrid security system that serves as a modern upgrade for retrofit customers because of its ability to mix wired and wireless devices and integrate with the latest technology.
Inside the Security Solutions Award-Winning Installation
Resideo’s First Alert VISTA H Series Security Platform was a strategic solution for the house because its scalable hybrid platform salvaged existing wiring while integrating wireless components.
The platform enables legacy systems upgrades and offers the flexibility to install touchpads without needing to run wires back to the control panel and it supports new upgrades, minimizing customer investment through compatibility and reuse of pre-existing peripherals and sensors. It is a scalable security system that can be upgraded for future needs.
When presented with the VISTA H Series, the homeowners liked the intuitive graphic interface and touchpads, the ability to integrate wired and wireless components, and the low-maintenance and high-performance capabilities associated with the VISTA product lines.
They were impressed with the Total Connect app, which enables them to be notified of activity with the Resideo app or website and remotely control security, video cameras, smart video doorbells, thermostats, lighting, locks and more.
Suffolk’s installation process included identifying reusable wiring, tearing out old components, creating accessible splice points and building out the relocated security closet. They started with hardwired devices and layered in wireless, reconfigured the broadband ISP network and installed an eero gateway switch with eero7 mesh access points throughout the home.
The team incorporated a VISTA H3 relay setup to enable remote control of the water main valve, along with VISTA H Series-compatible components, as part of the whole-home solution:
- First Alert VX1 HD Video Doorbell
- Surveillance cameras
- Five Honeywell Home T6 Pro Z-Wave Thermostats
- Flow-based water leak detection system
- Z-Wave door lock
- Smoke and CO detectors
The renovation was completed in January 2025 and is an example of fully integrated security, life safety and video surveillance systems. The homeowners utilize the VISTA H Series to locally and remotely monitor the home, track deliveries and maintain indoor comfort. The integration of the VX1 HD Video Doorbell on the touchscreen pads is particularly useful since the bedroom is far from the home’s entrance.
The homeowners quickly saw a return on their VISTA H Series investment while away on vacation shortly after installation. Honeywell Home PROSIX Two-Way Wireless Temperature Sensors alerted them the home’s temperature was running low, and they contacted a heating contractor to prevent frozen pipes. They were able to monitor the recovery using Honeywell Home T6 Pro Z-wave thermostats.
