Jerry,
We appreciate your interest in the new platform. I removed the duplicate post. For communicating to the cloud, you will utilize the onboard ethernet port or our optional Wi-Fi board. There is no port forwarding or router configuration needed. You will need to have an ElkConnect dealer account. You can register for that at http://www.elkconnect.com and click the link in the top right corner. Click on the Professional Installer and follow the prompts.
Once your account is approved and active, you will have the option to purchase a demo unit from ELK at a discounted rate. This is a one-time deal for demo use only.
Currently, the control is only configurable from our ElkConnect Mobile app that you can download from the Apple Store or Google Play Store. In the future, we will offer web-based configuration from a PC as well. Its in the works.
The subscription fee is monthly but only applies to accounts that you have assigned end users to. There is no fee for you to access panels. For example, if you have a customer that is not interested in a remote app for the system, you can still access the system for remote configuration at no cost. Our goal is to keep the fee as low as possible; it is only there to help cover the cost of hosting the service.
We are happy to conduct a personal one-on-one remote training for you if your interested. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out.
Thanks,
Mike