A Global Chip Shortage Continues to Disrupt the Security Industry

In addition to chip shortages, a backlog of shipping containers are further complicating the operational flow of the security industry through 2022.

As many of you have probably experienced or heard about, there is currently a backlog of container ships in most US Ports; this backlog is causing a delay in the regular supply chain that leads security products to customers.

So you may ask yourself, how exactly has this happened? Well, there are a few reasons why supply chains have been stressed across a plethora of industries, thus resulting in product availability delays. Over the past two decades over 90% of the world’s global trade has been shipped by sea and with 70% via shipping containers. Simply stated, shipping products by sea has been the most cost effect means for sending goods abroad.

The United States has continued to increase the outsourcing of the production of goods to foreign countries, mostly for economic reasons which has resulted in a supreme reliance on importing goods, instead of producing them at home, in today’s global commerce. As well, US companies have also increasingly relied on JIT “just-in-time” inventory systems to order their goods at the last moment, rather than stocking the items on their shelfs, which has resulted in lower inventory levels.

Together with, during the past two decades the shipping business has not been too profitable, meaning little investment has been put into building new ships. To make matter worse here in the US, our railroad companies have also been cutting costs and reducing their headcounts which has created the perfect storm for the shipping logistics crisis that we find ourselves in today.

The global semiconductor shortage is reducing the availability of security related parts.


Many industries including the security industry are also experiencing a global semiconductor chip shortage too. The sudden lockdown from the coronavirus created a ripple effect, where suppliers were unable to meet the growing demands for the silicon microchips that power today’s security system electronics. The remote work from home environment along with cloud infrastructure amplified and prioritized the sales of gaming gadgets, phones and several other electronic devices. And, the remaining stock of chips left available was insufficient to catch up to the pent-up demand in a slew of industries, including the security industry.


The good news is that we anticipate both crises to come to an end soon. Shipping routes now have alternative locations, like Florida, which are offering to carry more of the load, and semiconductor manufacturer’s, like Qualcomm, have stated that they expect the chip manufacturing shortage to begin resolving itself by the third quarter of 2022. So, if you are one of the many who are experiencing delays in receiving your parts order, you are not alone. Here at GeoArm, we are monitoring the two shipping crises described in this article on a day-to-day basis and keeping track of the out-of-stock items. So that when these parts do become available again for distribution, our customers will be first in line to receive them.

GeoArm Partners with Affirm for BNPL Options

GeoArm partners with Affirm to offer customers “Buy Now, Pay Later” services.

We are excited to announce our new partnership with Affirm, a leading “Buy Now, Pay Later” consumer financial provider in the United States.

Now shoppers can now finance purchases over 3, 6 or 12 months to buy their favorite security system in monthly installments on GeoArm’s website. With Affirm there are no late fees and no compounding interest of any kind. By removing the upfront costs, GeoArm and Affirm are disrupting the traditional security market by making the choice easy for DIY customers with flexible BNPL payments minus the gimmicks.

By selecting Affirm on GeoArm checkout, you can pay over time for your favorite wireless security system brands such as; 2GIG, Alarm.com, Qolsys, Resideo and more!

Honeywell SiXSMOKE Smoke Detector Review

The Honeywell Lyric SiXSMOKE has finally been released and is available for shipping within the USA and Canada. The SiXSMOKE was announced at the same time as all of the other SiX Series sensors and where available for ordering but, these sensors were delayed for a few months. The Lyric smoke detector is compatible with the Honeywell Lyric Controller and other systems that can utilize SiX sensor. Once the SiXSMOKE is enrolled into the panel, it cannot be used with another control panel until it has been deleted first because of the Lyric Lock feature. Each Lyric smoke detector has a unique MAC number located on the sticker on the unit.

The wireless SiXSMOKE has a maximum coverage area of 50′ X 50′ and detects smoke/heat in two ways Fixed =135° F Heat Sensing and Rate-of-Rise Sensing of =15° F within 1 minute. One of the coolest features of the Lyric SiXSMOKE, when paired with a Lyric Controller is the fact that if you have more than one detector you can set up the One Go All Go feature which will activate all SiXSMOKE’s if one is triggered. You can place the Lyric SiXSMOKE within 300 feet of the alarm control panel which allows you to install in those back areas. The SiXSMOKE works on a a Direct Sequence, Spread Spectrum (DSSS), two-way radio utilizing the 2.4GHz RF band. In the 2.4GHz band, there are 16 channels available for SiX™. When the device registers with the control panel, it will automatically determine which frequency channel the panel is operating on.

When the SiXSMOKE photoelectric beam detects the presence of smoke, it will go into alarm and send the alarm signal to the Lyric Controller. The Lyric SiXSMOKE works best when you have professional alarm monitoring for your Lyric Security System. Once our central alarm monitoring station receives these signals we can dispatch the exact fire department for your area. During an alarm condition, pressing the detectors test switch will silence the piezoelectric horn for 5 minutes. When programmed in one-go-all-go mode, the detector can only be silenced from the controller. When the battery of the Lyric SiXSMOKE is no longer working you will need to replace it with One 3V lithium battery. Duracell DL123 and DL123A, Panasonic CR123A, Honeywell 466. Remove batteries for at least 10 seconds, before installing new ones.

Note: Do not mix old and new batteries, battery types or manufacturers. 

Honeywell SiXSMOKE Frequently Asked Questions

Honeywell SiXSMOKE Product Manuals