What’s the difference between Panel Sync and User Sync and why are they two separate operations?

Panel Sync is when the Remote Service and your security system reconcile their data about:

  • The control panel itself
  • Sensors like smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors, window/door sensors, flood sensors and single-purpose motion detectors (which are different from video cameras that perform motion detection)
  • Automation devices
The data exchanged enables the Remote Service to report device problems due to tampering, battery failure or hardware failure; this includes batteries running low in any of these devices.

User Sync is when the Remote Service and your security system reconcile their data about:

  • Addition or deletion of Users
  • Changes in a User’s privileges/access
  • User codes being changed (this includes the Duress code)

Why are they two separate operations? 

This separation of tasks can help to reduce data usage.

Broadly speaking, information about a system’s users is likely to change more frequently than information about the system’s components.
By updating only recent changes, Sync operations go more quickly and create less traffic on your cell network and/or the internet.