DMP Intrusion Tested (XR Series)

By: Brian Rhodes, Published on Mar 09, 2017

DMP is a major provider of intrusion systems, but lacks the global brand recognition of some of its rivals (such as Bosch, Honeywell, DSC, or 2Gig). How does it compare to competitor systems that have been in widespread use for decades?

We bought the X150 XR series panel plus 2 keypads and wireless receiver to test and examine the platform.

In this test, we examine DMP on this criteria:

Physical Overview
PC Programming
Keypad Programming
Wireless Integration
The Alarming Process
Access Control Onboard
System Price
Video Surveillance Integration
Monitoring Options

Inside, we detail our results that contrasting DMP's system to other typical residential and small business intrusion alarm systems.

*********

***'* ******** **** ********** **** the ***********, ********** ******** to ***** ***** ****** in *** *********** ******:

********** ***** ******: ******* ***** * '***** system' *****, *** ***** includes ****-*** ******** **** access *******, ********** ****, home **********, *** ****** app ******* ** *** base ******** **** ** additional ******* ******. *** also ******* ******, ***** gauge ******* **********, **** size ***** *********, **** power *******, *** ********** zone *******. *** ******* are **** ** *** a ***** *********** ** ******** wired ******* *** ********** with ******** ***** *******, including ***'* *** *********** line ** ***-*** ********.
******** *********** *******:*** ****** ******* ********* methods ** *********** *******, through *** ** ***** keypads, **** ********* ***********, or *** ** ***** software. ********** ** ****** model, *********** *** ********* process ** ********** *** the ****, ******** ** our ***** ***** ******** methods. ****** *********** * DMP ****** ** ******** after * ***** ********* physically ****** ** ** a ****, *** ****** commissioning * *** ** series ****** ******* ***** less **** **** *******.
***-*** ********:***** ******** ********* ******* are ******* ******, *** uses *** ************-******* ****** ********, **-*********** ******** **** ** ********* ** common ******* ** ******** ** contrast ** *********** ***** systems ********** ** ******** ****** ********* *****. ** *** ****, two *** ************* *** evidenced **** ** ****** notifications *** ** ******** ************ status ****.

**********

*******, ***'* ******** *** some ********* **** *** routinely minimized ** ******* ** competitors ** *** ********* market:

************ *********: ******* ******** * DMP ******, **** * small ***, ***** **** and ********* ** **** ordering *** *******. *** range ** *******, ***********, and ************** ****** *** rather ******* *** '**** & ****' ************* **** not ** *******.
*******:** *** *****-*********** ********* market,***** ***** ** *** high-end ** ******* *** intrusion *******, *** ***'* panel **** ***** ***** exceeds *** ****** ****** cost ** ****** *********** 'move-in ********' **** ******** alarm *********. *** ******* is *** ** *******, but ****** ******** ***** companies **** ******* ******** hardware ***** **** **** mandatory *********, *** ** much **** ****** ** be **** ** **** hardware ****** *** ****** up *****, ****** ** the $*** - $*** range *** ******* *******.
***** ******: *** ** *** standard, *****-****** ******* ****** when ***** *** *** access ******* ** ********** other ******** ***** *******, installing ********* ***** ******** may ** ******. ********, trouble ****** ** *****-******* options *** ** ********* to ************ ******* ******** tech *******.
**** ***** ********:** *******, * ****-****** installer ******* *** * 'blow *** **' ****** to ******* ******* *** move ** *** **** job ** ****** ***** to ** *********** ** the ****** ** ************* options *** ********* *********** needed ** ***** ********* a *** ******.

Competitive **********

** ***** ** ******** and ******** ******, *** is ** *** ****-*** of ********* *********, ******** the ******** ** ***** G-Series ** ******. ****** platforms ********* *** *********** installs, **** ****, * DMP ****** ******** ********** wireless *******, *** *** ******** ******** management **** *** **** automation ** ** ********** cost.

*** ** ****** ************* high ** ***** ***** residential *******, *** ***** the ***** ******** ****** from **** ********* *********, less ********* *** ******* capable ********* **** ********* like *** *** **** kits ******* ** ***** companies **** ** **** appealing *** ***** ********* systems.

*******, *** **** ********** applications, ***'* ****** **** is *********** *********** '***** features' **** ****** ******* are ******** ** *** base *****.

****** ******* *** ************* certifications *** *** ******* commercial *********, *** *** use **** ******* ******* monitoring *********.

DMP's ******* "*****" ******

* ****** ***** *******'* *************** ** * ****** offset ** ******* ******* 2Gig ****-********* *** *********. A ***** ******** ** the ******* ****** *****:

** ***-********** ******** *****
***+ ***** ****** *******
******* ******
******* ****** *******/**** **********
**** ***'* ****** ****

** ******** ** *** 'commercial *****' ** ******, the ******* **** *** hardwired *******, ********** **** fire, ****** *******, *** commercial ***** **************.

DMP ** ****** ****

***** **** ********* ********* are ********* **** ************, DMP ** **** **** and ******** ** ******* trained *******. *** ******** a $**,*** ****** ***-**, with ***** *********** ***** month. ***** ******* *** not ************** ******* ***** they *** ******* ** sell, *** ***** *********** keeps ******* ****** ****** low, ******** ****** ****-********** but ******** ********* ***-**** dealer ******.

Test ****** *******

*** *** ****** **** tested *** ******** ** an***** *****, **** ************** ******************** ****** ******** **** **** *******, and ******* ******** ******** **** ******** *** ******.

** ****, **** ********** was *** **** **** traditional ********* ****, *** the *****, *******, ******(*), and *********. ***** *** ********** **** need ** ******* *** buy **** **** *** **********.

Physical ********

*** *** ***** ***** we ****** ** ** 10-zone ****** ***** ********* inside * ***** *** enclosure. *** ***** ** tested ** ********** ** to *** ********* ***** and *** ******** *****, although ****** ***** ****** like *** ***** *** XR550 *** ** ******** up ** ***+ *****.

*** ******* ******* ***** is ******** **** * standard **** **-**** ***** battery *** * ****-********* RJ45 ******** ****.

*** ******** ********* ********* with *** ***** ** test ******** **** *** two ** ********* **** expanders, *** ***** *** three ** *** * - * ** *********. However,********** *** ********* ** six+ *****, *** *** ****** cabinet-sized ********* *** ** configured ** **** ******** shelves ** ********* *** many *********.

*** ***** ***** ********* the *****:

************, *** **** ***** memory ****** *** ******, 10k **** *****, *** includes ****** ******* *** home ********** ********** ******* without ********** *********. *** base **** ***** ********* by *** ***** ** for ***** *****, *** this *** ** ******** to ** ***** ** bigger ********.

****** ***********

*** ** ****** ******** several *********** *******:

******: *** **** ****** programming ******* *** ***** on ******** ***** *** changing ****** ******** *** locally ********* ******. ** tested *** *******, ***'* LCD ************ *** ******* touchscreen *****. ******* ****, display ******, *** ******* are ********* '***** ********' codes **** *** **** to ********** *** ******.
********** ********: * ******-**** ** configuration ****, **** ******** using * ***** ****** utility ** ****** ** duplicate ************** *** ********** to ******
*********** ***: * ***** ****** typically ******** ** ********* is ***** * ********** or ****** ***** *********** app **** ************ **** the ***** *** **** communication ****** ********* **** to ******* *** ****** to * ******* *******.

*** ***** ***** ********* and ***** *********** *** RemoteLink, ***** ** ********* for ******* ** ******, duplicate, *** ***** *** the *** ***** ******** a ****** ***********:

**** **** ***** *** keypad, * ******* * - ** **** *********** ****** **** **** less **** *** **** to ***** *******, *****, and ****. **** ** a ***** ******** ** similar ********** ******* **** ***** **** **** ***** *** of ********* ***** *** messages *** ******* ***** keypad ********.

*** ********** ***** ******* the *******-*******, ***** ****** app:

******* *** ***** *** ragged **********, *** *** includes *** ******** ****** to ***** ********** * panel.

Keypad *******

** ****** **** ** DMP's ***** ****** *******. The ***** ***** ***** them **** ****-**-****:

*** *****, **** *********, yet ********** ****** '******** [link ** ****** *********]' LCD ****** ** * multi-color ************ ******, **** alarms *** ****** ************* given ** **-***** ********. The ******* *********** *** appearance ** *** ****** is **-***, *** *** significantly ********* **** ***** similar ***** *******.

*** *******, **** ********* graphic *********** ****** ** app-like ********* ******** ** most ****** *****. * rotating **** ** ******* scrolls ** *** ***** half ** *** ******, with *** ******* '***/******' function ******* ********* ** the ****. ** ****** to ******* *** *********** keypad ****** ** ** option, **** *********** ********* the *** ****** ****** on ******.

*** ********* ***** ********* the *********** ******:

Integrated ****** *******

*** ** ****** **** includes ***** ********** ****** control *******. *** ******* we ****** **** ******* an ********** *** *** HID ** *** ****** card ******. **** ** not **** *** **** access, *** ****** ***** option ******* ***** ** flash * **** ** arm/disarm * ******, ******** the ****** ******* **** include ****** *********** *** integrating **** ******* ** maglock ********.

**** * *** ***** access ******, *** ****** serves *** ********* ** a**** **********, *** *** ******* installation ***** *** ** the ******* **** ** the **** ******* ********* edge-based ******.

*******, ******** ** **** dedicated ****** *********, ***'* onboard ********** ***** *** basic *** ********* ** navigate. ****** ***** ** often * *****-**** ******* requiring ******* ********* ******** to ** ******* ********* codes, ********, ********** *****, and *********. ******** ** not ********* ** * graphic/map ****, *** ****-**** events **** ** ****** before **** *** ** seen.

*** ****** **** ****** most ** ***** ****** users ******* ***** '*******' support ** * *** perimeter *****, *** ***** seeking **** ******** ********** and ***** *********** **** need ** *** ***** platforms.

Alarming *******

************ ** ******* ****** is ******* *** ********* siren *** ****** ********, but *** ******* **** change ** * '***' color ** ******** *******. The ********* ***** ** an ******* ** *** color ***** **** ***** to ***:

**** *** *** ******, disarming ** **** ******** when * **** **** is ******* (***** ** then ****** ** *** system), *** ****** ** possible **** ****** ****** strokes.

*** ******* ******* ** optional **** ************ ***** prompt, ***** ** ** alarm ** *********, * delay *** ****** ** activated ** ******** * user's **** *** ********** the ***** ****** ** is **** ** *** monitoring ******* *******. **** process ***** **** *** flow *****:

** ** '******' ******* is ******, *** ****** sends *** ***** ** the ******* ******* ******* user ************. ** ****, the ******* ***** ** used ** ******** ***** alarms *** ****** ****** dispatches, *** ** * feature *** ********* ** other ********* *******.

Secure ********

** ****** * *****-*** integrated ******** ******** *** a ****** *** ** see ** ***'* *-*** wireless ****** ** *** delayed ******** ** *** typical ******-******* ********* ******* used ** ***** *********. Our **** *** *** turn ** * *********** delay ** ********** ******, nor *** ******** ********* typical ** * ******-***** house ** ***** ****** have *** *****. *** test ******* ** ** 250', ******* ******** **** ***** ****** up ** ****'. *** ****** ******, DMP ********** * **** expensive *** '**** *****' model.

*** ***** ***** ******** a ***** ******** ** these ********:

*** ******** **** ** the ******** ** ***** large, ********** *** ****** of *** ***** **** antennas. *** ******* ****** mandates ******** ******** ** enclosures *** ** **** wall ******, ** ********* selecting *** ***** ***** card *******. *** **** itself ** *** ******** or **** *** **** be **** ** * protected ****.

** ***** ** ******** security,*** ****** ******* ***** wireless ** ********** ** common ******* *******. ***** *** **** of *** *******, *** claims ** *** ******** detects ******* *********, ** sends ***** ************* ** the ****** *** ** treated ********* ** * break-in *****.

System *******

*** ** * ******-******* brand, *** ******* ******** are *** ****** ***** with *** ******* ******** listed **** *** '****' market ** ******. ****** DMP ******** ***** ** installing ******, *** **** support ** ******* ***** the *******.

******* ** ********* ** the ***** *** ** intrusion *********. *** ***** panel ***** *** * street ***** ** ~$***, which **** *** ******* other ******** ******** **** keypads, ****/****** ********, ****, and ****** ****** *****. Total '***-**' ***** *** a ***** * ****, ten ****** ****** ***** exceed $***, ********** ** wired ******* ** **** automation ** **********.

********** **** ********* **** Vista ** ***, ***** general **** ** **% - **% **** **** DMP, *** ****** ** mostly ********* ** ******-*** residential *** ********** ********* rather **** *** ***-*** 'door *******' ******* **** by **** ******** ***** companies.

Remote ***

*** ******** * ****, app-based ****** ******* *** the ** ****** ****** "******* ******" **** ** ********* for ***,***** **, *** *******. ***** the *** ******** * cellular ************ ****** *** monthly ******* ****, ******* at $**-$** *** *****, but ****** ****** *** and ********** ** *** DMP ***** ******, *** any ********** '*********' * Wave ******* ******'* ***** ***** *******.

Integration *******

** *** ********** *****,*** ***** ~** ********** commercial *********** ********, ********* *** *** Access ******** ******* **** Genetec, *************, ******, **, and ****.

*******, *** ****** ***** own '****-****' ******** ***** Entre' **** ******** *** with * ****** ** vendors ** * ****** API-based *** ****** ***** application. *******,********* ******* ** *****'*** ***** **** *** DMP ** ***** ********* listed ** '*********** ********'.

Central ******* ********** *******

*** ****** *** ** centrally ********* ** *** majority ** ******* ********, as **** *** ****** ******* ID [**** ** ****** available] ******* *** **** phone **** ***********. ***** formats *** ****** ********* by ******* ******* *********, with ** ***** ******** gaps ** ********** ** any ******* ** ***** America *** ** **** of *** *****.

*******, ** ********* ** cellular *********** *** **** for **********, ******* ******** must ******** *** ***-******** ***-* receiver. **** *** ******* prefer ***** ******* ******** with ***** ********* **********, because *** ******** ******************* *** *******, ** ***** ************ discrepancies **** *** ******* multiple ****** ***** ** each **** ****** *************.

***** ******* ******* ******* of *** ****** ** not *********, ** ** not ********, *** **** geographic ***** ******* ******** monitoring ******* ********** **.

Comments (16)

John Bazyk

Command Corporation
IPVMU Certified | 03/09/17 06:42pm

Pretty good write up. I have to disagree with a few things and I'll expand later (a little busy today). But for now I would say you can't compare the XR150 to 2GIG. The XR series panels are UL Commercial Fire/Access/Intrusion. DMP has a 2GIG comparable system, the XTLplus that is "blow and go" no additional modules required. 2-way wireless, cellular, wifi, z-wave all built in. Plus it's a distributed system so it's not all-in-one.

Anyways I'll respond to the rest later. And for those who don't know me we sell DMP, Bosch and Honeywell but I'm a HUGE DMP advocate.

All and all this is a good report and am really happy to see how much effort has gone into this report and the one the other day on motions. Wow. This is something out industry as needed for a long time. I actually like that you guys aren't neck deep in intrusion systems, it gives you the ability to present a different perspective that I like.

Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | In reply to John Bazyk | 03/09/17 08:00pm

That's interesting about the XTLPlus. I'll add a section the the report above that gives an overview as a potential light-duty version. Thanks.

Undisclosed Integrator #2

In reply to John Bazyk | 10/13/17 01:38pm

John .. older post, so I hope you see my question:

Since you sell multiple systems with combined burg/access/video capabilities, which one would be the preferred solution for a typical small retail (standalone, not a national chain) building ... examples:

1) A kickboxing/fitness club with ACS for 2-3 doors, 4-6 cams, and intrusion panel. Reporting needed for harvesting membership attendance on a monthly basis. Interior video needed for possible liability cases.

2) A bike shop with a front door, back door and a rollup door. Same profile as fitness club except video emphasis more on in-store theft/shoplifting.

The typical others would be small quick serve restaurants, real estate and law offices, pool supply stores .. I think you can see the direction.

The biggest thing I am wondering about is the ease of user interface for the owners of these small businesses, both on-site and remotely, as well as the overall cost, since that is always a major factor in these smaller single sites.

Lastly is there a preferred model in these cases, i.e. full purchase to own (if the pricing makes sense) versus a monthly RMR model where the equipment cost is also figured into the monthly fee?

Thanks!

Undisclosed Integrator #3

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #2 | 10/13/17 01:50pm

Longtime DMP user. Thier app is very good but the video/alarm integration leaves a bit to be desired for end users. If you want the best app for end users, take a look at Connected Technologies - Connect One. It is tailor-made for small to mid-sized businesses. Their video is simply better than DMP.

Just as a side note, DMP rebranded HIK cameras and NVR. Due to some technical problems, they can't use their NVR with motion on the app. It makes for an on-site storage nightmare. ConnectOne can solve that well.

They are a couple of dollars more per month, and some customers are dollar sensitive, but if you the dealer want fewer problems in your life, that is where I would land, from experience.

Undisclosed Integrator #2

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #3 | 10/13/17 03:24pm

Thanks for the reply ....

Recently moved from a major market area to a secondary market area ... in going to various commerical/B2B networking events, there is certainly a large wave of small/medium storefront type users who ask about security. Would be like using a bazooka on a paper target to propose what I am used to using for large projects.

John Bazyk

Command Corporation
IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #2 | 10/17/17 12:31pm

Anytime you are installing access control you should be using a panel from the XR series, the XR150 can do 8 doors of access and about 142 burg or fire zones. The XR550 can do up to 96 doors of access and have almost 574 zones I believe. We use the XR150 in the situations you're describing all the time for Access/Burg/Fire. The XT series panels can do door control, you, however, can not do much logging, filtering or any schedules to control who can come and when. I have found the XT series is OK for some people who are just looking to have someone unlock the door and they don't care about having much control. This makes a 1 or 2 door system extremely affordable. DMP makes it very easy to program via their cloud portal. All you need to do is plug the panel into the internet and the serial number into your dealer admin portal and it's connected. It uses a 2048 RSA key exchange and a 256 AES VPN so it's secure. You can also program via the keypad pretty easily. The App is really easy for anyone to use, I have some complaints about terminology but once you learn DMPs language and train your customers on it it's not a huge deal.

We usually use DW Spectrum for video surveillance, it's affordable, easy to use and easy to setup.

We almost always sell outright, sometimes we will do a pay over time model with smaller clients who can't pay upfront, we're very selective doing this in-house tho. When I'm skeptical if they're going to stick with us for long enough to pay for the system we use a leasing company and let them hold the paper. When we do this we offer an upgrade at the end of 5 years and roll them into a new lease and get a new check from the leasing company. Helps to keep out-dated equipment off the streets. Not all devices would need to be upgraded, especially with DMP. Cameras, however, can always use an upgrade every 5 years.

Hopefully this helps.

Undisclosed Integrator #2

In reply to John Bazyk | 10/17/17 05:55pm

Thanks John .. I appreciate the time you took to craft the helpful reply.

Mark Hillenburg

03/10/17 12:51am

Really detailed report Brian. Nice work.

Undisclosed Integrator #1

03/12/17 09:50am

Pros of DMP-- their residential mobile app + video offering is probably the best at the moment with their rebranded hik cameras and decent mobile app.

Cons-- their entrè and system link products for customers suck and their systems in commercial settings become migration nightmares when people tie the access control into the product as well. I think the system works great for a single location facility but I can't tell you how many cluster'd messes we migrate from other integrators where they sell burg+card access to multi location customers (namely banks) where IT gets pissed when they have to manage things with DMP's limited tools. It's probably close to the cheapest access/burg system you can get. Which is why people push it and are successful but it creates a lot of trunk slammer situations where customers are sold the wrong product and only find out after it is fully installed / at scale.

Beyond the single location is where Bosch and Honeywell become superior products especially if you get into compliance reporting and stuff like IP locks/credential on card, multiple systems integration beyond alarm (video, intercom, etc.)

Disclosure: We sell Honeywell, Bosch, DSC, DMP

John Bazyk

Command Corporation
IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 03/12/17 01:47pm

I agree with what you're saying about Link. Not so good for end users. We haven't used or sold it since we can to multi site administration in the cloud. We just finished a bunch of municipal buildings who are using it and it's the easiest thing to use. We have more than a few systems with more than 20 doors per site. Advanced reporting helps them easily run reports for multiple sites on one page. Of course it's not as robust as a dedicated access system but far from truck slammer quality. Now that it's all in the cloud we're going to start seeing a lot of good updates coming out of their new R and D facility.

Undisclosed Integrator #1

In reply to John Bazyk | 03/12/17 06:46pm

We see DMP in the financial sector so that's a big reason the cloud is a no go. There are no bank IT managers I know of that are going to throw their branch security out to the cloud and open up an extra port on their network that they could manage internally. That's the problem we see. I agree with you the cloud offering isn't bad for SMB, but for whatever reason in our vertical market all the financials seem to have DMP except for the nationals which are almost exclusively bosch / honeywell.

Undisclosed Integrator #1

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 03/12/17 06:53pm

I should rephrase that, US Bank, RBS, Santander, BBVA are centralized on Pacom GMS. Deutsche, Goldman, Citi are on Honeywell.

John Bazyk

Command Corporation
IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 03/13/17 12:38pm

Some of our clients in the past were less than thrilled about going online. I could see how banking may not be eager to move forward yet. However, with SecureCom easy connect DMP doesn't require port forwarding. The system creates a 256bit AES VPN using 2048 RSA credentials when the connection is made.

We have a lot of customers that have regular network security audits, in the past, they would fail because we would have ports opened on the firewall. Now we pass with flying colors!

Mark Jones

03/12/17 06:36pm

Really good write up. We have been DMP dealers for 25 years and it is our lead horse. Among the things we enjoy is the programming. If you learn to program their larger panels, you can program all of them. They use the same interface and software for everything and it is backwards and forward compatible with every single panel they have ever produced. That makes training a breeze and customers appreciate the continuity. They also offer their dealers free on-line training through the dealer portal. Another problem solver is if you do have the panel report to a DMP receiver, it will update the time to Central Station time automatically. Your time is never very far off (I just read your article on updating time on IP devices). The 96 door system is new and is a game changer for sure.

DMP was late to the market with mobile apps, but now they lead the industry (IMO) in ease of use and features. They are very forward thinking.

I would also agree with the assessment of Entre. If not setup properly it can be a bear.

SecureCom is a fine portal for dealers and end-users alike and getting better all the time. We are slowly shifting our customer programming database to this web-based portal. It allows us to make changes after-hours from anywhere in the world to any panel, anywhere. We can lock, unlock, change schedules, arm, disarm, add/delete users, etc. Just last Friday one of our customers needed a user removed and it was an emergency. We just logged in from home and made the change in minutes (3 time zones away). They also offer admin tracking to log who made changes and when (believe it or not that is rather unique even in 2017).

If you are interested in other ways to integrate the product, there is a software company called Connect One. They have been offering multi-site programming/control of DMP products to end-users well before DMP with SecureCom.

Sorry for the unsolicited commercial message, but as you can tell, I am a fan.

Undisclosed

03/13/17 04:45pm

We have been a DMP dealer for 14 years now. I want to commend you guys on this article. Tells the story and is incredibly thorough.

Ino Quandus

IPVMU Certified | 10/13/17 12:31pm

I was looking for this kind of information and I am really happy I found it. To much time and money would go in testing all kinds of systems ourselves before we could choose one. By this independent report and member feedbacks I am pretty confident DMP would be a good choice for us as a upcoming dealer in the alarm business.

Thanks all for your comments.

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