I need an Alarm system and have been trying to convince myself to get the DSC alarm, because it seems it integrates well with Vera.
The only problem I have is that I cannot convince my self to pay $300 ( KIT32-219+envisalink) for a primitive and outdated hardware, just to start. And then $200 more for sensors. DSC sells those primitive keypads for $60-$130 and charges $60 to show you “living room” instead of “zone one” (5500 vs 5501 keypads). Not to mention 1832, which is an 80’s hardware. This is a ripoff. iSmart gives you a system with 5 sensors for $200 and at leas a more descent hardware (that doesn’t mean i like iSmart).
The DSC is not outdated by any means! There is a reason why it is the way it is. It’s solid, cheap and secure. There is a reason why these security companies use this type of hardware. I trust using the DSC over the icrap that’s out there. They are either unreliable, not secure, expensive or more gimmicky. I never had any issues or a means to touch my DSC panel after I installed it. It just works.
[quote=“garrettwp, post:2, topic:182892”]The DSC is not outdated by any means! There is a reason why it is the way it is. It’s solid, cheap and secure. There is a reason why these security companies use this type of hardware. I trust using the DSC over the icrap that’s out there. They are either unreliable, not secure, expensive or more gimmicky. I never had any issues or a means to touch my DSC panel after I installed it. It just works.
Garrett[/quote]
I can accept any argument other than “DSC is not outdated” . Just look at the programming style. All DSC programming can be done through software in matter of seconds, rather than typing codes on a pre-historic 2 line LCD keypad.
So you think $300 is cheap for a piece of HW that reads 433MHZ sensors and provides the result on line?
DSC charges $120 for a key pad that doesn’t nothing more than reading/writing their propriety bus.
Just look how many component you need to achieve this. 1832, keypad, envisalink, power supply. I believe all of these can be simply put in a very small device.
DSC might be reliable, but it is not cheap nor is efficient.
2gig is another example. It doesn’t integrate well with vera. Other than that, it is cheaper than DSC and is a modern system
There are very distinct difference between the johny come lately (JCL) self monitoring home security monitor and an dedicated alarm system.
Even though I have DSC, there are other alarm system and more choices.
DSC have a fully self contained system; however, they are not capable of being integrated with Home Automation Systems.
The DSC power series are designed as a dedicated alarm system and their implementation is designed to be scalable and component independently upgradeable.
The current DSC power series have a life expectancy of over 10 years in comparison to JCL which have an unknown life expectancy. In the case of DSC, their parent company is Tyco and one of the largest in the world and not going anywhere soon.
I am not here to convince you it is worth the investment because that needs to be individually determined but the investment upfront for a dedicated alarm system should be look at over the life expectancy. There are iDevices that are only a few years old and no longer supported and the companies have come and gone…
I understand your point and respect it. Maybe if I want a security system for a corporate office, I’d buy DSC just because I know it works and someone is behind it.
For a home, where only one person is in charge, the story could be different. I need something cheap, easy to setup that is modern looks good. DSC is non of these.
Also, please take it into account that in technology some of those JCL’s manage to out perform big companies. One reason is that they can act faster and have a better vision.
As I state, individual must determine what is appropiriate for them and the investment in a large scale alarm system for a very small place may not make sense…
The main point I reference to compare is integration and therefore, reuse or multi purpose device.
The alarms system that have been integrated provide a wider option for reuse and greater return of investment.
You may be surprised how many devices/zones that you will think of when they are multi roll, dedicated security or purely HA triggers. Bedrooms, closets, bathrooms or stairwell etc can quickly result in a large investment if they are single dedicated purchases.
Properly installed you should never see security system except MAYBE a keypad. Maybe because mines inside a closet. As for outdated, if it connects to vera how COULD it be outdated?
It is very true that a security system must be concealed, and I learned that the hard way.
This is one of the reasons I decided to get DCS Power series. Because I can buy recessed door and windows sensors. I am going to put my alarm system in the attic. But I don’t know how to hide my motion sensors. Any idea?
In fact DCS Power series connects to Vera because it is old/outdated. Modern alarm systems DON’T connect Vera or anything else for that matter!
I did lots of research during the past few days about alarm systems. Here is the summary.
The alarm industry in US do not like home owners to self-monitor their home. Majority of new alarm system do not have the capability to connect to Internet, do not disclose their telephone line communication protocol and cannot be interfaced.
The DSC Power series is an old and out dated system. DSC is replacing it with DSC Neo and DSC Alexor. DSC Alexor is easier to work with compared to DSC Power series. DSC Neo has encrypted communication channel and switches to a different communication channel if it is is jammed. This is a very important feature for businesses.
2go has a better panel panel and UI compared to DSC. Additionally it has zwave interface and can switch on/off your zwave devices based on a limited set of events. There are more alarm system out there with zwave interface and colored/touchscreen. The price of these systems are comparable or lower than the DSC Power series.
Non of these newer and modern systems, such as 2go, DSC Neo, DSC Alexor, GE Simon can be interfaced to any device. Your only choice is to monitor them through an alarm company.
There are new generation of Alarm systems such as iSmartAlarm that are meant to be used as a self monitoring system. I did’not choose them because I want recessed door and window sensors but they do not provide. Additionally, people are not happy about the battery life of their devices.
Here is where DSC power series come to play. It has a proprietary bus that can be interfaced to network or a serial port. The bus (keybus) protocol has been reverse engineered to some extend one can read it with an Arduino. This is exactly what the Envisalink board does. Through the bus, we can find out which sensor has tripped and can transfer that information to Vera.
The DSC Power series is probably an old school that works and DSC will probably deprecate it soon. Vera enthusiast are lucky that can read the DSC power series bus.
I am going to purchase DSC Power series because I don’t want to pay to a monitoring company and I’d like to interface it with Vera, but I wish something like 2go Alarm would work with Vera.
i forget which store i ordered from but if you have a week or two add what you want in the cart, make sure you set up an acct so they have your email, and every couple of days they will send you % off. 5, 10,15, not sure how high they would have gone.
You can probably find some single gang motion sensors and just put them in an “old work box” inside the wall, like a light switch. I have a couple combo glass break motion detectors that look just like smoke detectors for $44 on amazon. The wired ones that come in the “packages” are pretty small. 2"x2.5"x.8" guessing. If you’re just wanting them for automation purposed I’d just get cameras and use a good DVR software (blue iris) to handle motion.
As for this outdated reference again I have installed DSC power series in some pretty secure sites this year. It would amaze you if I could name drop, but I like my clearance. The power series people use on here might not be the newest but if properly set up theres a contingency for everything. So what an audrino can read the output. It can’t disrupt them without throwing an alarm if set up right. Nothing can reasonably on a supervised circuit. That being said I would but the recessed door contacts that have built in resistors so you don’t have to mess around with shoving a resistor pack in behind the door contact. Not needed if your going wireless though. Put a tamper switch on the enclosure door, big ol’ back up battery, a hardwired transformer in its own locked enclosure. If you’ve never done a home security install before, youtube is pretty much the only resource you’ll need. I have messed around with wireless until my own home, and it made it a lot faster than looking it up in the manuals.
Thanks for the advice. work box is a good idea. But I need to cover it with something semi-transparent.
I am using all wireless sensors.
This is the first alarm system I am installing. I plan to install it in the attic, except the wired keypad that goes in the closet. I was thinking to install a cheap wired motion sensor close to the alarm system to protect it.
keypads or other “antenna” does the wireless for the wireless sensors rfk5500 i believe is the keypad. All the guts will be in a lock box. Keep in mind electronics don’t like heat.
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