Hi All,
Do you think I could connect Vera to a DCS Powerseries 1832 alarm using this:
http://www.dsc.com/index.php?n=products&o=view&id=139
Thanks
Dave Hage
Yes provided you or someone writes the code to interface with it.
On the “hardware” side of things, the interfaces tend to need a clearly documented API provided by the Alarm Panel manufacturer.
So generally to interface an alarm you need:
a) The Alarm panel
b) The interface board to connect Vera to the Alarm Panel (like a DSC PC5401)
c) Clear API Documentation
d) A Luup Programmer
and lots of time and patience to develop it 
I don’t know the specifics of the DSC TL150 interface board presented below, but it sounds an awful lot like the “freestanding” (@home) or “monitored” board that my Panel provider can install. Check to make sure that an Protocol-Spec/API, with clear Documentation, is available before going too far down that road as I had to use a specific [USB|Serial] Home-Automation interface board and not the Ethernet one.
eg. for the PC5401 - 正规买球app十佳平台「网站首页」欢迎您
Dear Guessed,
Many thanks for the prompt reply, looks like I’m completely out of my comfort zone then!
One more quick question, if the Alarm panel is connected to my network via the DSC TL150, why do I still need a serial board (DSC PC5401) to connect to Vera. Could the connection not happen over the network? As it happens my newly bought Vera is quite a distance from the alarm panel.
I might be tempted to look at Luup programming in the long run, but I’m all Mac based and very short on time at the moment.
Thanks again for the in information
Dave Hage
For the DSC TL150 to be good for Home-Automation integration, it’ll need to expose some sort of API/Protocol based access to it. This typically involves:
[ul][li]A documented set of API’s and/or the Protocol spec for how Software can “talk” to the Alarm Panel.[/li]
[li]A set of “Events” that get pro-actively notified to the caller (aka Vera) when things change (Doors open, Motion Sensed, Alarm conditions etc)[/li]
[li]A set of API calls to interrogate the current state of the Alarm panel (needed for startup)[/li]
li A set of API calls that can be used to Arm/Disarm/StayArm (etc) the Panel[/li][/ul]
From what I’ve seen so far, the older Alarm companies mostly use these Ethernet boards (or the GPRS or GSM equivalents) to replace the old “landline/phoneline” connectivity to the Central monitoring station, which usually doesn’t have “full” access to talk to every facet of your panel.
You’d need to check whether the DSC TL150 has full, bi-directional, Home Integration support - and not just “remote monitoring” capabilities. Unfortunately they lock their Documentation so I can’t tell, and you’ll need someone DSC knowledgeable to compare the two boards “feature-by-feature”
Could the connection not happen over the network? As it happens my newly bought Vera is quite a distance from the alarm panel.
That part can be solved separately, if it turns out the TL150 wont do what’s needed.
There are likely a few options for “remoting” Vera from the Alarm Panel, so here are some examples:
a) Use Alarm Bus cable (KEYBUS in your case) to backhaul.
This stuff is designed to drive the keypads etc over long distances so you can pull that. The Alarm panel boards are powered off this 4x wire cable anyhow, so it could theoretically sit next to Vera (it’d need some sort of enclosure if you did this, along with a BUS Isolator to prevent potential Alarm Panel damage)
b) Use a Ethernet-Serial adapter (like the WIZNet WIZ110SR)
This is what I’ve used to connect to my TV, since I have the opposite problem … my Vera is in the Structured Wiring Closet, next to the Alarm Panel, and my TV is downstairs.
c) USB Extender
I tried one of these and didn’t get farther than about 40 ft from Vera before it stopped working. YMMV.
Dear Guessed,
Thanks for all the information, I will try and get more information/documentation from the company I bought the DSC alarm equipment from in the UK.
Regards
Dave Hage