[quote=“Svu79, post:135, topic:174399”][quote=“johnfdl, post:98, topic:174399”]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.[/quote]
Thank you for such details! So informative for a newbie like me to know what you bought, how each device works with each other, how it was installed and how it was used in one post. This Post should be right below the OP.
I have a few questions, what is the benefit of getting a DSC with Vera? Why not get just a Vera? I understand that a alarm system / DSC is more dependable but what makes it more dependable? can’t something cause the alarm system to go down just as a vera would? I’ve added the DSC system to cart and it is not cheap. I assume that I can get the same alerts through z wave sensors and the veralite. Sorry if the question has been asked before…this thread is great and I think getting an answer to this would benefit it. Thanks![/quote]
The DSC was built from the ground up to be an alarm system. It has the built-in features and intelligence for that specific task. If you were building a house from scratch or could run wires to most of your sensors, a DSC system would be much cheaper. Wired door/window sensors can be had for around $5 whereas wireless sensors are $25-$40 a pop. Wired keypads, sirens, etc., are also cheaper than their wireless counterparts. Batteries wear out and certain areas in a home can be difficult for a wireless sensor to receive/transmit a signal. Other appliances can be a source of interference, etc. If you ever wanted to have your alarm system professionally monitored, you have a lot more options with a dedicated alarm system.
ZWave is a general-purpose wireless protocol. You can certainly create many of the capabilities with ZWave that a dedicated alarm system provides but there are tradeoffs. I think there’s going to be more work on your part to put all the pieces together and get things tweaked and working as a system. ZWave is definitely more of a DIY environment, but for many, that’s part of the fun. An alarm system is also more reliable when you consider motion detectors. You will tend to have more issues (false or delayed response) with motion sensing with a wireless device than with a wired sensor. Wireless motion sensors have built-in delays to address this problem, but if you need immediate response, wired is the only way to go.