Hi
I know this is a bit of a cheek… but I did read quite a few posts. I want to buy a new alarm and integrate it into my Veralite… I have read forum post after forum post and I am swinging to DSC for its ease and support with plugins…
But still cant figure what exactly works, model wise, that is…
Can someone point me, say on ebay to which Alarm panel is supported and what else I need to buy…?
E-g - DSC POWERSERIES SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM 2-WAY CONTROL PANEL W/ BACK-UP BATTERY | eBay
does this work with - Brand New DSC PTK5507 PowerSeries TouchScreen Keypad Security Interface 7 Color | eBay
and do my zwave motion /door/ window sensors also work with these… or do I need to buy others?
The first item you list is an integrated panel/alarm that’s not supported.
The second item is just a keypad which is compatible, but you would need to also buy a panel and the other items like a battery and AC adapter too.
Compatible panels are the power series 1616, 1832 and 1864, and it’s best to buy a whole kit. There are plenty of threads here with recommendations, however everyone has different needs, so it’s hard to recommend a particular kit until you know how many zones you need, and whether or not you need wireless support too.
If price isn’t a concern then you can’t go wrong with the 1864 (most expandable), the PT5507 keypad, and if wireless support is needed, then an addon wireless receiver like the TR5164-433.
It depends on how “tightly” you want the alarm to integrate with your Vera system.
For me, I installed the Honeywell L5100 (w/ Z-wave module). I kept my Vera as the Primary Controller and then added the L5100 as the Secondary Controller.
I cannot “control” the L5100 via my Vera, but what I can do is load all the device info from Vera to L5100, which allows me to:
- Control my lights / thermostats / door locks from the L5100 alarm panel
- Create scenes from the L5100 to turn on/off lights based on ARM/DISARM action
The L5100 integration… is more like living side by side. I had one… also the Big brother to it … the TUX
I like my Vista20 panel with the AD2USB to connect to Vera…
But Honeywell in both alarms does not use the alarm sensors to trigger HA on the wave side… they are missing the boat… This is fixed by using the AD2USB of course…
just did a 1832 and its working great
The Alarm recommendations may also change depending upon where you’re located, since not all models are available in all locations. Given you’re looking at the ebay.ie, I’m guessing you’re in Ireland - which will definitely change the models that are available to you…
Thanks for all the feedback…
You guessed correct… what reason limits me? Just voltage? I assume I can easily correct the voltage issue… is there other reasons why… say - this one wont work in Ireland… - http://www.ebay.com/itm/COMPLETE-DSC-ALARM-SYSTEM-PC1832-PK5501-3-LC-100PI-SIREN-BATTERY-LOCK-POWER-/230936021232?pt=US_Security_Cameras&hash=item35c4dc08f0
[quote=“jimpapa, post:4, topic:180284”]The L5100 integration… is more like living side by side. I had one… also the Big brother to it … the TUX
I like my Vista20 panel with the AD2USB to connect to Vera…
But Honeywell in both alarms does not use the alarm sensors to trigger HA on the wave side… they are missing the boat… This is fixed by using the AD2USB of course… [/quote]
Would you mind “EBAYING” the models you have… and sharing a link… Yes. I am doing the same… but I get quite a mix of devices…
My goal is to to have visibility of the alarm condition from within vera… and have control over arm/disarm
here is an Ebay link for a Vista 20P kit
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-HONEYWELL-ADEMCO-VISTA-20P-HARDWIRED-SECURITY-KIT-KEYPAD-MOTION-SIREN-TRANS-/380781751307?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a85c6c0b
if you don’t get from ebay at least you know what to look for.
Here is a good guide also http://www.allpar.com/reviews/other/ademco.html
add the AD2USB and your in business with Vera. I run a mix of wires sensors with my Vista20P and wireless with the wireless interface for my Vista20
You guessed correct… what reason limits me? Just voltage? I assume I can easily correct the voltage issue… is there other reasons why… say - this one wont work in Ireland… - http://www.ebay.com/itm/COMPLETE-DSC-ALARM-SYSTEM-PC1832-PK5501-3-LC-100PI-SIREN-[/quote]
There are usually several factors, typically:
a) Radio Frequencies used in any RF components of the system (ie. Wireless sensors)
b) Regional/Country certifications for use of the device “in-country”
c) Local availability of spares/parts
d) Import duties, for bringing stuff into the country.
The Plugpacks themselves are usually sourceable locally. The ones I’ve seen haven’t been universal input Voltage, so would need to be replaced if you buy from a US-based provider.
Anyhow, just check one the makes/models before purchasing, since there’s a ton of stuff in the US that’s not widely (and in some cases, cheaply) available overseas.
There are a bunch of folks from the UK here that seem to use models that I’ve never heard of (Texecom?). If you go with a DSC, then there are threads like this one (http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=15001.0) that link vendors that are at least “nearby”.
Look for the Alpha-numeric keypad if you can, since the one in the link you provided is fairly basic. There’s a hyperlink on the code.mios.com wiki page that links to the normal bundle of stuff you might want, and several in the DSC Plugin thread that are for more detailed/complex configurations.
BTW: I know DSC 1832’s are available from providers in Ireland, since my brother-in-law has one.
The DSC frequencies are different from the EU and US; therefore, if you buy and wireless items they need to be from the same region. There is also a setting in the panel to switch between 50/60 Hz.