looks like we’re finally getting to the final contract stages of purchasing our new property here in the uk and time for me to invest some more effort into thinking on how i want my HA project to work.
Essentially i am installing from scratch a DSC system (powerseries 1832) with a mixture of hard wired PIR’s and wireless window contact sensors. I have got the 3DS module as well acting as the interface between the DSC and Vera.
I’m not sure if anyone on here can advise on this, but essentially I want to have some PIR’s that don’t necessarily trigger anything on the Alarm but its status can still be read on vera.
Example: I have a PIR in the downstairs Cloakroom which will have a PIR. the only function on this pir is to automatically turn on the light for 5 mins for the cloakroom.
Does anyone know if i can leverage the DSC PIR sensor in this way or does it need to trigger something in the alarm for it to be recognised on via the 3ds?
The simplest option is to put them into a separate partition within the DSC config. Then they’ll do nothing, except show up in Vera.
The other options include setting them to one of the states:
Interior, Instant Stay/Away, Day Zone
Each has varying impacts/behavior when the partition is armed. See the installation guide for details. You may want to bench wire the panel to see how they all behave in practice.
I have my alarm panel setup with an extra partition for the automation centric Zones.
Depending on how you set the zone up when you initially program the panel, it can be set to operate in many ways in regards to setting an alarm condition or not, and these can be irespective of whether armed, armed in stay mode, or as a non alarming zone.
Generally no matter how you set the alarm up, it will always communicate to the panel and Vera that it has been tripped, and this is regardless of if the Alarm is armed in stay mode, or away mode.
Unless the sensors are in a closet, you may as well set them as “interior stay, away zones” as they will work as alarm sensors only when you are armed in away mode, when nobody is at home.
I also have a couple of others that don’t trip the alarm in any arming mode, but still communicate a tripped status to Vera when on the primary partition.
I’m just completing the sheet…very complicated to understand, but i’m slowly “getting it”.
It would be great if there was a macro built excel sheet where you can select the zones and what you want them to do and there would be a formula of exactly what needed to be pressed on the keypad…heres hoping!!
thanks for the help thus far…i’m sure i’ll be on the boards a bit more once i’m set up.
I know this is post is aged but I just read it…
So, just in case I can be helpful:
I believe that if you use Zone Definition 26 for that zone, it should do the trick. My DSC manual says that definition 26 is non-alarm and can be used for automation purposes.
s4nup, I’m also in the UK and it seems I’m looking to do the same as you!
Where did you get your DSC alarm panel from? I’m struggling to find a decent supplier. Also, which model did you go for?
I got my DSC panel from http://zwave-products.co.uk/ good, swift and helpful service . I got at PC1864 with a envisalink 3, working very well together with my vera3.
Huh…no notifications on responses to these threads.
I got ALL my kit from CFSS. My cousin has an account with them, so got most things at a VERY good reduced price. Also the customer service has been second to none, in that they upgraded my board and keypad at cost price when the new version (v4.6) was released.