@Brientim, yes I’d rather have redundant monitoring in case someone cuts the cable. I don’t want hard wired PIR due to the extra hassle of running wires all over the house. Is there anywy to program it so the delay is shorter? Or maybe even better, get it to send two triggers, one immediately and another 6 seconds later? About TR5164, what two way devices are there besides keypads?
The key fob is the most desired. See
http://dsc.com/index.php?n=products&o=view&id=130
Other than that not much and limited to partition 1 on the keypad if used. Alternative is the RFK5564 keypad as a second keypad or the PC/RF6164 wireless modules
http://dsc.com/index.php?n=products&o=view&id=1394
No way to overcome the delay as it is embedded functionality.
This thread is great! I’m spec’ing out almost the same thing.
It sounds like there is some overlap of the EVL-3 and the Vera3. It looks like you can arm/disarm via the vera. I’ll be buying the vera3 regardless because I’m an automation nut and I’ll probably purchase the zwave deadbolts as well.
So what is the point of adding the EVL-3?
I’m thinking of starting with self monitoring until I get the kinks worked out, and then buying a GSM module.
I’m inclined to get the touchscreen – hardwiring the keypad is minimal effort.
Is there a vendor anyone recommends buying the DSC components from?
The EVL-3 is required to interface the alarm panel to Vera. That is how the DSC plugin communicates to the alarm panel.
If in the US, homesecuritystore.com is a good start or ebay.
- Garrett
[quote=“garrettwp, post:84, topic:174399”]The EVL-3 is required to interface the alarm panel to Vera. That is how the DSC plugin communicates to the alarm panel.
If in the US, homesecuritystore.com is a good start or ebay.
- Garrett[/quote]
I’m confused then, because after reading:
http://code.mios.com/trac/mios_dscalarmpanel
It seems like the vera connects directly to the panel over serial or an ethernet serial interface.
PCXXXX → IT100 → serial → [Optional ethernet bridge] → serial → usb → vera
Ah, I see a very small note about envisalink.
Sounds like the envisa link bypasses the serial and just hooks your keybus to the vera over IP. And adds a webserver.
The IT100 was the origins of this interface and then 3rd party devices were designed which the current model is the EVL3.
The EVL3 simplifies your installation and provides less failure points. In addition, it provides both self and offsite monitoring through that web thingy… Which also enhances the notification from them without additional cost overhead. They also provide full monitoring services for their devices.
Awesome thread, learning so much in the planning stages.
I’m leaning towards the PC1864 panel; my confusion is with the TR5164 and the keypads.
1.) Is the TR5164 required to have any type of wireless device on your system (e.g., wireless sensors, wireless keypads)? OR, is the TR5164 only required if I want a wireless keypad or the wireless key fob?
2.) Keypads; If I want a wireless connection to the panel, do I need either an “RF” or “WT” series keypad? What are the differences between those two?
I have further questions on this, but I think if someone can help explain the above those would probably be answered.
Thanks,
Matt
[quote=“Brientim, post:73, topic:174399”]The RF (radio freq - wireless) k (keypad) 55xx is wired physically back to the panel albeit a direct home run or daisy chain via another device.
5500 is full alpha /numerical keypad which enable easier programming and use then the icon model the 5501. The upgrade would ptk5507 which is touch screen with a few extra embedded feature but would require either another wireless capable keypad or module PC/RF5132 etc
The TR5164 is an interface module similar to the RF function provided by the keypads mentioned with additional capabilities to interface with wireless devices that were designed for the Alexor but has a number of legacy design limitation as a result (discussed earlier) and provides two way wireless communications with those wireless devices which is not included with the RF55xx. The WT55xx is a full wireless keypad and is not wired to the panel but one of the major limitation to consider is single partition restrictions.[/quote]
Part of the answer is above. The TR5164 will enroll and communicate with the any of the normal DSC wireless sensors. But not all the Alexor specific two ways devices currently keypads and key fob. The current version of the WT series keypad were design for Alexor alarm and can only used with partition 1.
If you want complete wireless keypad communication between the keypad and panel, this can only be achieved using the TR5164 and WT5500. The RF series are wired back to the panel.
[quote=“Brientim, post:88, topic:174399”][quote=“Brientim, post:73, topic:174399”]The RF (radio freq - wireless) k (keypad) 55xx is wired physically back to the panel albeit a direct home run or daisy chain via another device.
5500 is full alpha /numerical keypad which enable easier programming and use then the icon model the 5501. The upgrade would ptk5507 which is touch screen with a few extra embedded feature but would require either another wireless capable keypad or module PC/RF5132 etc
The TR5164 is an interface module similar to the RF function provided by the keypads mentioned with additional capabilities to interface with wireless devices that were designed for the Alexor but has a number of legacy design limitation as a result (discussed earlier) and provides two way wireless communications with those wireless devices which is not included with the RF55xx. The WT55xx is a full wireless keypad and is not wired to the panel but one of the major limitation to consider is single partition restrictions.[/quote]
Part of the answer is above. The TR5164 will enroll and communicate with the any of the normal DSC wireless sensors. But not all the Alexor specific two ways devices currently keypads and key fob. The current version of the WT series keypad were design for Alexor alarm and can only used with partition 1.
If you want complete wireless keypad communication between the keypad and panel, this can only be achieved using the TR5164 and WT5500. The RF series are wired back to the panel.[/quote]
Yea that pretty much nails it. Thanks.
I am quite excited to find this thread. I am new and starting from scratch (though I am not a newbie to technology). I’ve done some reading and I have a question.
I am looking at buying an alarm system, connected to verlite, and a near entire wireless system (except of course the Ethernet cables from veralite and alarm to router).
Can I just skip the DSC PC1832 and use a DSC Alexor KIT495-17CP01 instead [url=http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-1768-kit495-17cp01-dsc-alexor-2-way-wireless-alarm-kit-with-vanishing-contact.aspx]http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-1768-kit495-17cp01-dsc-alexor-2-way-wireless-alarm-kit-with-vanishing-contact.aspx[/url]? Since the 1832-kit comes with all wired sensors, I figure they would be wasted $$ and I’d just need to buy wireless sensors/keypad. And if I buy the above wireless system, I assume I then don’t need to get the:
RF5132-433 - DSC Wireless Receiver Module (saving $55)
Plus I get in the kit the following that I would buy anyways:
DSC Wireless PIR WS4904 (saving$60)
WS4939 Wireless Key Fob (saving $34)
EV-DW4975 - Vanishing Wireless Door Window Sensor (saving $84 for three)
WT5500 Wireless LCD Keypad (saving $122)
That saves me $355. The cost of the DSC Power 1832 Security Kit is $179 and the
DSC Alexor KIT495-17CP01 is $319. So for $140 more, I save $355.
I assume I would still need to get the EVL-3 - Envisalink $100 so as to integrate with iphone app, etc.
What am I missing? Surely there’s something I’ve overlooked else all y’all would be pushing the Alexor.
Will the plug-in work?
No the Alexor cannot be currently integrated with the Vera system.
You can look at other kits… The previous few posts went thought the differences between the wireless keypad and wireless modules. Albeit, the older modules, wireless integrated and the new tr5164, you need to understand their capabilities and limitation on the first place.
Some questions to consider:
Do you plan to have multiple partitions? (If so you will need a keypad wired to the panel)
Do you need a fully wireless system? (This learn towards the TR5164 but only partition 1)
Can the keypad be wired?
Can you wire some sensors; especially night walking patterns?
If you are going wireless you do not need to do it all at and can expand later.
Thanks for the reply Brientim, So these limitations of the tr5164 you speak of are:
[ul][li]one partition only (or is that a limitation of the wireless keypads?)[/li]
[li]limit to 32 zones?[/li]
[li]what else?[/li][/ul]
And the 'perks of the tr5164 are:
[ul][li]ability to use keyfobs[/li]
[li]ability to use WT series keypads[/li]
[li]an entirely wireless setup[/li][/ul]
I can certainly put a wired keypad just outside the box for programming since it sounds as if I need to for the initial set-up of my system, correct? Then the wireless keypad could be the one near the main entry door. I considered not even having a keypad near the door and I’d just use a keyfob, but it seems necessary to have a keypad for babysitters, house sitters, etc.
Finally, should I just get the 1864 vs. the 1832. If I understand correctly, it has an extra 32 zones? Are there other key differences or considerations? I realize it needs to be the v6.4 firmware, but any other compatibility or functional differences?
[quote=“johnfdl, post:92, topic:174399”]Thanks for the reply Brientim, So these limitations of the tr5164 you speak of are:
[ul][li]one partition only (or is that a limitation of the wireless keypads?)[/li]
[li]limit to 32 zones?[/li]
[li]what else?[/li][/ul]
And the 'perks of the tr5164 are:
[ul][li]ability to use keyfobs[/li]
[li]ability to use WT series keypads[/li]
[li]an entirely wireless setup[/li][/ul]
I can certainly put a wired keypad just outside the box for programming since it sounds as if I need to for the initial set-up of my system, correct? Then the wireless keypad could be the one near the main entry door. I considered not even having a keypad near the door and I’d just use a keyfob, but it seems necessary to have a keypad for babysitters, house sitters, etc.
Finally, should I just get the 1864 vs. the 1832. If I understand correctly, it has an extra 32 zones? Are there other key differences or considerations? I realize it needs to be the v6.4 firmware, but any other compatibility or functional differences?[/quote]
Reported here earlier that you do not need the wired keypad for programming, and can be done from WT5500.
limitations of the tr5164
[ul][li]one partition only (or is that a limitation of the wireless keypads?)[/li][/ul]
This is a limitation of the keypad as it was designed for the Alexor. TR5164 = 8 zones and I believe a new full wireless will becomne available withy 8 zone support in the future.
[ul][li]limit to 32 zones?[/li][/ul]
Keypad restricted to 34 zones. TR5164 = 60 wireless zones
[ul][li]what else?[/li][/ul]
And the 'perks of the tr5164 are:
[ul][li]ability to use keyfobs[/li][/ul]
= two way keyfobs and others as per attached
[ul][li]ability to use WT series keypads[/li][/ul]
up to 4 on Partition 1
[ul][li]an entirely wireless setup[/li][/ul]
- yes
[/list]
1832 vs 1864 is zones only and requires 1864 require firmware 4.6+
Thanks for the clarification again and bearing with me as I learn. So correcting/updating my post as follows:
the limitations of the tr5164 are:
[ul][li]Requires firmware of 4.6+ on power series control panel[/li]
[li]does not support any two-way wireless sirens[/li][/ul]
And the 'perks of the tr5164 are:
[ul][li]ability to use a variety of Wireless devices shown below[/li]
[li]ability to use up to four WT5500-433 v1.4+ keypads (these only support one partition / 34 zones)[/li]
[li]an entirely wireless setup (perhaps with exception of a wireless siren)[/li]
[li]no wired keypad needed for programming when using WT5500[/li][/ul]
Wireless devices supported:
The TR5164-433 can receive signals from the following devices:
[list]
Alarm Panel:
[ul][li]PowerSeries v4.6+[/li][/ul]
Keypad:
[ul][li]WT5500-433 v1.4+[/li][/ul]
Wireless Key:
[ul][li]WS4939, WS4949, WS4959, WS4969, WT4989[/li][/ul]
Panic Pendant:
[ul][li]WS4938, WS4938-2W[/li][/ul]
Hold-Up Alarm:
[ul][li]WS4928[/li][/ul]
Smoke Detector:
[ul][li]WS4916**, WS4926**[/li][/ul]
CO Detector:
[ul][li]WS4913**[/li][/ul]
Door/Window Contact:
[ul][li]WS4945, WS4945CB, WS4965, WS4975,
EV-DW4917, EV-DW4955, EV-DW4975*[/li][/ul]
Glassbreak Detector:
[ul][li]WLS912L-433[/li][/ul]
Flood Sensor:
[ul][li]WS4985[/li][/ul]
Shock Sensor:
[ul][li]EV-DW4927SS[/li][/ul]
Repeater:
[ul][li]WS4920-433[/li][/ul]
Motion Detector:
[ul][li]WS4904, WS4904(P), WLS914-433[/li][/ul]
- Available in North America, South America and New Zealand only.
** For Residential Fire installations, two WS4920 repeaters must be used.
ability to use up to four WT5500-433 v1.4+ keypads (these only support partition 1/ 34 zones) to utilise additional partitions a wired keypad must be used.
Some extract from the TR5164 Design notes :
WT5500 keypads natively support 1 partition and will be assigned to Partition 1 automatically. They cannot be assigned to other partitions and do not support any functions related to partitions 2-8.
Due to differences in their menu structure, some PowerSeries features are not accessible via WT5500.
Example: User Codes 1-16 & 40 are presented in WT5500 menu, 17-89 are accessible via hotkey only, and 90 and higher are not accessible.
Also, some WT5500 functions are not supported on PowerSeries. An error tone sounds when attempting these functions.
Example: Instant Arm and Night Arm are not supported on PowerSeries.
? The TR5164 automatically handles 1-way and 2-way wireless device serial numbers. This enables enrollment of devices with either 8 digits or 6 digits via any keypad. See section 3.4 of the Installation Manual for more details.
? Label broadcasting is available via TR5164. Labels can be broadcast from WT5500 keypads to other WT5500 keypads, and from PK5500 keypads to WT5500 keypads. Please note that labels cannot be broadcast from WT5500 keypads to PK5500 keypads.
? The TR5164 allows auto-enrollment of WT5500 keypads on power- up. Device Quick Enroll is also available via WT5500 keypads. See sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the Installation Manual for more details.
? Zones 29-32 are reserved as “WT5500 Supervision Zones” during the auto-enrollment process. These zones are used for supervision of Low Battery and Tamper conditions on WT5500 keypads. As a result, the total zone capacity of the TR5164 is 60 zones. See section 3.1 of the Installation Manual for more details.
Just FYI
New DSC 2-Way Wireless TouchScreen Arming Station is on the way… The WTK5504
See 2-Way Wireless TouchScreen Arming Station | DSC Security Products | DSC
This as a fully portable device and the specs are below or at the link provided… Other than this, there is not other documents currently available.
.3" full color display
?AC plug-in
?Rechargeable batteries
?24 hr battery back-up
?User programming
?User function
?Night light
?Sleep mode
?Proximity arm/disarm (WTK5504P only)
?Voice chime/voice prompts
?Wall and desk stand mount
?Multi-language support
?3-5 year battery life
?Tamper switch
?Compatible with IMPASSA, ALEXOR and PowerSeries (via TR5164)
?5 programmable function keys
?3 emergency keys
Looks like DSC need to take a leaf out of Samsung books for screen styling if you ask me! She isn’t going to win any beauty contests 
Aldera’s post on his experience with the DSC and Vera integration helped me tremendously. So as I ventured down the path, I made sure to log my newbie experience, progress and challenges with integrating a DSC and Vera in the hopes it helps others. I am no expert so please let me know if I’ve mis-stated anything…I’m happy to clarify/correct as needed.
I certainly would not have been able to get this far this quickly without the great support and guidance of the folks here such as Brientim, ChrisAZ, RichardTSchaefer & oTi@ as well as those who developed the very slick plug ins to go with the tool, especially guessed great work with the DSC plug-in (which is why I ended up buying Vera and DSC). If only MCV put as much care and effort into supporting the product.
After doing research in these forums and elsewhere, I decided to buy:
- Veralite (at the time of this post with UI5 running firmware 1.5.622)
- DSC Power Series PC1864 Alarm Panel (came with enclosure)
- TR5164-433 - DSC PowerSeries 2-Way Wireless Transceiver
- EVL-3 - Envisalink
- WT5500 - DSC Alexor 2-Way Wireless LCD Keypad
- Two WS4939 Wireless Key Fobs
- DSC Wireless PIR WS4904 Motion Detector
- EV-DW4975 - Vanishing Wireless Door Window Sensor
- WS4916 - DSC Wireless Smoke Detector
- 16V40VA plug-in transformer (for alarm panel)
- SD15W - DSC 15W Indoor Siren
- BD712 - 12 Volt 7AH Alarm System Battery
- PLUNGER-D - ION Security DSC Compatible Wireless Door Sensors
- MICRA-D - ION Security DSC Compatible Wireless Window Sensor
Step 1: Attach the control board to the enclosure
The PC1864 alarm panel came with the metal enclosure. It came with 4 nubs (called standoffs) which are to attach the control board to the enclosure while still allowing space (presumably for ventilation but perhaps just to keep it off the metal enclosure). The nubs go thru the outside back of the enclosure’s pre-existing holes and the board has corresponding holes in the four corners to attach it to the inside of the enclosure via the nubs.
Step 2: Attach the wireless module to the alarm panel
I have a wireless keypad so I didn’t need to worry about wiring that to the board but I guess I would have done that next if I had a wired one. Instead, my next step was to connect the wireless module I ordered. To do this required wires which did not come with the board. Based on input from the good people here, I went to Lowes and got 4 conductor (unshielded) wire. Actually, they didn’t have the four conductor wire in the gauge I needed (18-22 gauge per the instructions) so I got 5 conductor wire. Essentially this is just 5 insulated wires embedded into a single casing. I only needed four but I just snipped off the tip of the un-needed 5th wire. I stripped the two ends of the wires and attached one end to the 1864 panel’s keybus (Red Green Black Yellow) and the other end to the wireless device. Particularly helpful at this stage were those small screwdriver sets as you have to loosen the screws, slip the wire in, and tighten the screws down to lock the wire in. Here’s the wire on Lowes site: [url=http://www.lowes.com/pd_162127-295-49276902_0__?productId=4326695&Ntt=conductor+wire&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dconductor%2Bwire&facetInfo=]http://www.lowes.com/pd_162127-295-49276902_0__?productId=4326695&Ntt=conductor+wire&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dconductor%2Bwire&facetInfo=[/url]
The wireless control board comes in it’s own plastic enclosure, presumably so you can place it outside of the metal enclosure box where the panel is for optimal reception. As such, you may want to have a good length of the wire so you can move it to the optimal reception location.
Step 3: Connect the siren
Next was to wire the siren. Actually, I didn’t do this next initially, but once I got the alarm powered up, the keypad showed a problem in that the siren wasn’t connected. So I think it’s best to do this now. The siren I got came with wires already attached to it. They were pretty short…certainly long enough to wire to the board and rest the sire in the enclosure (or just outside it), but depending on your placement, you may need to add some longer wiring. My siren actually came with three wires attached, but the board only takes two, so I just used the steady and current and left the yelp unattached. I think yelp is a slightly different sound where it pulses the siren sound vs. steady which is constant. If you want to test the alarm without the siren, I think you can always leave the siren disconnected but instead connect a 1000Ω resistor (came with the panel/enclosure) across Bell+ and Bell- to prevent the panel from displaying a trouble.
Step 4: Connect the ground
I then connected the ground wire which came with the panel/enclosure. the wire end goes into the panel EGRD and the other end into the cabinet with the nut/bolt/washers provided.
Step 5: Connect the battery
I had other equipment but I wanted to get the core components working first, so next step was to power the device. I ordered a 12v 7ah lead acid rechargeable battery. It came with wires which attached on one end to the battery itself and the other end to the control board. It actually had additional connectors which appeared to be to daisy chain an additional battery into the mix. Again, technically I didn’t do this step initially, but when I got things powered up, it showed a low batt status on the panel which cleared as soon as I attached the battery.
Step 6: Connect the Transformer/Adapter
The transformer I ordered for the system is the ‘brick’ with plugs coming out of it but had no wires attached…just screws to attach the wires yourself. But it didn’t come with wires. Since it’s a low voltage output transformer so I suspected any speaker wire would do the trick, but first confirmed that here. Lamp cord, speaker wire, etc. would work just fine. I had wire actually from an old alarm (Visonic) transformer so I just used that but just about any wire would do here. Of course, it’s its solid copper (vs. stranded), it’s a lot easier to get attached into the board. It’s a good idea to confirm the output on the adapter is consistent with the alarm panel requirements. Most small appliance adapters are 12v, but I think the 1864 requires 16.5vac 40VA. I am not an electrician but I’d think it’s important to have the right voltage required so I would not recommend sticking with the requirements for your board. I say this because I know I’ve used extra adapters in the past to provide power to solenoids and the like and I always ensure they are a match.
Step 7: Power and Enroll the wireless keypad
I added batteries to my wireless keypad (WT5500). It took me a minute to figure out how to detach the keypad from the mounting plate. I kept looking for a pressure switch to release the mounting plate but it just slides up to separate. I was then able to install the batteries. Note, in my case, the keypad did not come with a power cord/adapter (although it clearly had an outlet in the back of the keypad to support one). That is an ‘accessory’ you can purchase for an additional $15. The 4 AA batteries (included with the keypad) are supposed to last 3 years under typical usage. I powered up the control board and the keypad registered to my panel. I think the registration must be done in the first two mins of powering up the board. IIRC, the keypad screen told me to press *1 to enroll to the board and after a couple secs, the keypad screen said “Enrollment Successful”. Joy!
Step 8: Program/Configure my Alarm Panel:
So now I was ready to take on the painstaking task of programming the board. I didn’t know what I was in for. I have to admit, I know very little about alarm systems. Jus the concept of a zone was not intuitive to me. I assumed a zone meant a group of sensors, but in fact, in most cases, it’s just a single sensor. So each sensor is a zone. In my case, all my zones are wireless. This is an expensive option but being in a completely finished house, I didn’t want to snake wires through the walls. At this point, I only wanted to get one zone registered. With wireless sensors, each has an electronic serial number (ESN). This is a combination of letters and numbers (or just numbers). Each of these has to be programmed into the system using the keypad. If the ESN is entirely numeric, it’s just a matter of entering the digits at the appropriate menu…but when there are letters, you must use the asterisk (*) key on the keypad followed by a number which maps to the letters. It sounds worse than it is, but it’s a learning curve. So I ventured into the programming aspect. I found much of the written instructions painful and difficult to follow. What I did find helpful was the programming worksheet as it showed what were the menu codes and defaults. I strongly recommend you pull that worksheet out first and plan out your system on paper first. It will give you a record of your system configuration as well as guide you in the programming.
The programming is done via an extensive menu system. The areas of programming are divided into sections. Each section contains attributes which configure and program the system. Each section, subsection, and attribute you set are done with the numeric keypad so it can be quite difficult to mentally grasp the concept. So for example, you just have to know that the wireless configuration is in section 804. You can’t peruse the sections and find “wireless” on the screen and say “Oh, that’s what I need”. Instead, you really need to have your programming guide which provides the descriptions for each of the sections, subsections and attributes/variables. God only knows why there is not a more intuitive interface available though I understand there is a PC based program (DLS2002 or DLSiV) which is an alternative but also has UI challenges. I can only equate this programming experience to trying to use a PC which only has a few keys…a dot, a dash, a spacebar and an enter key. Imagine how hard it would be to type a simple phrase using morse code? Of course you could do it, but you really need a reference document which shows the dot/dash representation for each letter. And before typing anything, it might be easier to plan out your phrase and jot down the dot/dash combinations in a worksheet so you can then just refer to them as you blindly type them in off your worksheet into the PC. Well, this is what it was like for me as I undertook this programming venture. It’s been about a week since I first did that and I can say that I now am past the learning curve. I still need the reference doc which shows me all the sections attributes etc. And I still need the worksheet so I have a document of all my customizations, but mentally, I can easily grasp the task of programming. Once you get to this point too, you will likely be okay. To access the programming you press the asterisk key followed by the 8 on the keypad followed by the installer code followed by the programming section you want to access. You then can configure the setting you want. The default installer code is 5555. So if you look in the programming worksheet you will see that programming section 001 thru 004 are for programming zone definitions. Each zone can be configured to operate exactly how you want it to. For example, perhaps you want zone 001 to be an instant alarm when violated but zone 2 to be a delay (so you can have time to disarm the system). You simply need to know the section where the zone definitions occur and the values you enter that correspond to the various zone types (instant vs delay, etc.). The programming guide provides this.
I only had one sensor to define initially so I went to that section and defined my wireless plunger door sensor as a delay 1. To do this I enter:
*8 5555 001 01 ## breakdown as follows:
*8 accesses installer functions
5555 is the installer code default
001 is for section 001 of the programming functions (specifically 001 equates to zone definitions)
01 is the zone definition for delay 1
exits out of the section
exists out of programming
In my case, since I was only programming one zone, I had to zero out all the other zones in order to disable them. If I didn’t do this, the system would not show Ready to Arm since those zones were not secured (they reported open). So I had to do that via:
*8 5555 001 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ## the above essentially scrolls through the 16 zones and changes their default zone definitions to null (00). You wouldn’t normally do this (set all but the first to 00) as you likely have more than one zone, but you’d likely have some combination of the above. The big mental challenge here is that all 16 initial zones are sort of strung together in a single section. But to confuse me even more, after typing *8 5555 001 and then 01 to toggle the first zone as type 1, the second zone doesn’t appear to the right as shown above, it just then displays the default for the next…so it almost looked to me as if the 01 I just typed in changed to something else. Not sure how to better state this, but you just have to know that section 001 has 16 ‘fields’ for the 16 zones. So after typing the first, a second will appear, then a third, etc.
Next, I need to pair the wireless sensor with the system. Each wireless sensor has a ESN as mentioned above. Let’s say my ESN is 2316D0. The letters require some extra work since there is no letters on the keypad. The method used for the ESNs is hexadecimal so the letters only go up to F so there is a number assigned for each letter A=1, B=2, C=3 D=4, E=5, F=6. To distinguish a number 1 in the ESN from a letter A, you must enclose letters in the asterisk key. So an ESN of 2316D0 would need to be keyed in as 231640. In my case, the keypad allows for more digits than are in the serial number so I just added zeros at the end. So technically, to register this wireless device, I needed to enter 23174000. So to register the wireless device I need to enter the wireless section, enter the zone, and enter the ESN, then exit. So it goes like this:
*8 5555 804 001 2317*4*000 ##One final thing I needed to do to finish defining this zone is to enable the wireless attribute for it in section 101 (zone 1 attributes are done in section 101…zone 2 attributes are in section 102…zone 3 in 103, etc.). There are 8 attributes you can set. They are numbered 1 thu 9 and they are either on or off. so when you get to this menu within this section, you can see 123456789 on the screen if all are on. Any attribute not enabled (on) would not appear on the screen. So if wireless option 8 were not enabled, it would look like 1234567 9. If only 1,4,5, and 7 options were enabled, you’d see 1 45 7. To enabled 8 (assuming it’s not already showing on the screen, just press 8 and it will show up. So it goes like this:
*8 5555 101 8 ##Step 9: Install Sensors
I installed my sensor on the back door. It was a plunger type which is installed in the door frame by drilling a hole. All I had to do was pop the battery in and popped it in the frame drill hole. The antenna on it seems to work just fine.
Step 10: Test
After all this, the system showed Ready to Arm and I tested it by arming it, opening the door and disarming the system with a user code.
Step 11: Enroll Wireless Keyfobs
Once this all seemed to work, I next wanted to enroll the wireless keyfobs I purchased. Following the instructions, it registered just fine using the Quick Enroll option which involved:
*8 5555 898 then pressing any key on the keyfob
then confirming the ESN with *
entering the keyslot (I used 02)
The keyfob then worked flawlessly and allows me to arm home or away or disarm. Joy
Step 12: Install remaining sensors
I then installed a couple other wireless door/window sensors, ensuring I:
- defined the zone type (section 101 for zone 1, 102 for zone 2,
- enter the ESN
- turn on wireless for the zone
Step 13: Install Envisalink 3
So now I went to install the Envialink 3. First, I registered the device on the eyez-on.com. I had to enter the MAC ID from the device on the website. I then mounted the board into the enclosure using the enclosed clips and the same method as the main alarm board. I wired it to the main board using the conductor wire left over from wiring the wireless module. Finally, I connected the ethernet cable and the eyez-on site shows the system.
Step 14: Bridge Vera to DSC Alarm (using Envisalink and Plug-In)
So next step was to bridge my DSC panel to my Vera (using the Envisalink3). So I went into Vera UI5 and clicked Apps → Install Apps and DSC Alarm Panel Plug in (v .38 is what I have). It installed it and I had a bunch of devices show up in my devices:
DSC Alarm Panel
Partition 1
and Zones 1-6
This is (as I understand) what will show up in devices no matter how many partitions or zones you have set up. I only have one partition so I didn’t need to add any there, but I (currently) only have three zones set up: front door, back door and wireless smoke detector. So, I followed the instructions on the [url=http://code.mios.com/trac/mios_dscalarmpanel]http://code.mios.com/trac/mios_dscalarmpanel[/url] and went into config (wrench) for the DSC Alarm Panel device on UI5.
On first tab, I set DSC Interface Module to EnvisaLink 2DS by clicking it (shows dark blue when enabled)
On Advanced tab, I set the IP address of my envisalink in the ip field. I also suffixed it with the 4025 port so it looks like: 192.168.0.12:4025
On same tab, I updated Door Zones to 1,2 (since I only have two door zones)
and I added 16 to smoke zone (as I have a wireless smoke detector installed on zone 16)
Finally, I changed Enable Remote Arm setting to disarm (note see [url=http://code.mios.com/trac/mios_dscalarmpanel]http://code.mios.com/trac/mios_dscalarmpanel[/url] for warning about this as it creates a security exposure). This change allows me to arm or disarm the system from a scene
Step 15: Create Scene
Next, I created a scene to arm the system. I experienced trouble in that when I click Run on that scene, it doesn’t work unless my keypad is not blanked (my keypad is set to blank out when not being used to save batteries) . Will need to figure that out. OK, figured out to the cause: In my panel config, I have keypad blanking enabled. This is not the default, but it sounded like something that would help with battery consumption so I enabled it. Apparently when this settting is enabled, the Envisalink cannot properly communicate with the panel. Disabling this setting did the trick. You can read about it here; http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,15336.0.html
Then I created a scene to disarm the system. Here I put triggers in to run this scene when my Yale lock is unlocked. This means, when I enter my code to unlock the door, it disarms the alarm system.
Likewise, I created another scene to unlock the door when the keyfob disarms the alarm. I don’t have many other scenes at this point, so my next step
Step 16: Relocate Panel Enclosure
This was all just sitting in my workroom table so once I was comfortable I had things working correctly, I moved it to it’s final location. The only concern I had in moving the Alarm panel enclosure to it’s final home was to ensure the wireless communication with the keypad, etc. all was fine. There is a function in the panel to test the wireless but I did not do that. It’s a good idea to do that though, since it will actually require a stronger connection than typical in order to ensure it will work under varying circumstances.
@johnfdl,
Thanks for the detailed writeup, it should definitely help others following the same path.
In the background @Brientim has been re-working the wiki doc, as time permits, to account for the questions that come up frequently. I’m sure he’ll be interested in this more detailed “how to install” type note as well… since it guides people after the initial purchase.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us on setting up your system. That was a great writeup. It was very detailed, thorough and easy to follow. It will definitely be a great resource for those that decide to add a DSC alarm to their Vera system in the future.
I echo your sentiment on the other posters who have contributed to this thread. I’ve learned a lot over the past few months because of their input. Thanks to all the guys/gals that have shared their expertise and time. Bravo!