- This topic has 5 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated September 5, 2025 at 9:02 pm by Eric Bailey.
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What mobile is recommended for M1XEP – the ones I’ve looked at varies in capabilities and cost.
If cost is not an major issue – which one is recommended?
I’ve been using PlantM1 Cloud for a couple of years now and have nothing but good things to say about it. It costs $26 a year, which is very reasonable in my opinion. As far as my needs, it does everything the hardwired keypad can do. In fact, I actually use the app when I’m doing things like checking the status of a zone (it will tell you green for normal, yellow for bypass, and red for violated) or need to manually turn on/off or check the status of an output. Response times are really fast, I can disarm my system through the app and it’s practically immediate. It also has push notifications and you can select exactly what you get notified about – like you can get notification of the system disarming and arming in stay mode, but not arming in away mode. And app support is great – I had an issue where the temperature sensors were not displaying the right temperature in the app, reached out to their support, it was a glitch on their end, and they fixed it quicky.
The only weird thing about the app, is if you make any programming changes, you need to remember to re-sync the app with the M1 AND sync the app with the cloud. It’s a two step process but needed to keep everything the same between the app and your system.
If you have any questions about it, let me know!
It’s called “M1 Touch Cloud” in the app store (blue icon, with “cloud” below a M inside a cloud), it’s put out by PlantM1 Cloud Pty Ltd if that helps. I have both Android and iOS and see it in both app stores. I don’t know why it’s called something different but I can understand your caution on downloading something unfamiliar!
As far as the port forwarding, I am pretty sure I didn’t have to do anything like that to get the remote access to work. I say that because I’ve changed ISPs three times since having the system and never remembering having to change any settings on my routers. To get the M1 Cloud to work, all you should have to do is go into the M1XEP setup in your RP software, click on the M1Cloud tab (upper right) and follow the instructions there. It’s possible I had to change some other stetting, the only ones I can think of is Enable Non-Secure Port in TCP/IP Settings or change one of the Port numbers, but don’t hold me to that. In any case, I am not a computer network expert and whatever I did was easily figured out.
For myself, the most useful feature is the ability to scroll through all of the zones and get a status on what’s going on. I have a lot of zones, 120 active zones to be exact, and checking that through a hardwired keypad is time consuming. I wish I could attach a couple of screenshots so I can show you what I’m talking about but cannot do that here. Followed closely by the push notifications. If the alarm is activated, you will get a notification on your phone.
I understand what you are saying about Elk not producing their own app. I had my reservations about that initially but the 3rd party apps that are available are pretty solid and work well. One of the things I like about the M1 system and Elk itself is that they are pretty open with their products. Most alarm manufacturers, you have to be a dealer to get some support and their equipment is proprietary. Having your architecture opened up so anyone can make a product that will work with your system gives you more options. But that’s just my opinion.
So don’t second guess yourself just yet. The M1 is a good, versatile, system that should run smoothly once you get everything set up the way you want it. My system has been running for 5 years now and, day to day, I don’t even think about what it’s doing. And if you have any questions about anything, don’t hesitate to ask.
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