Hi All,
I’m trying to use some VeraPlus controllers for a “DIY” security solution at my job. I have various Door/Window Sensors, Motion Detectors, and Sirens that are all working fine. From my phone I can arm and disarm the system and I get alerts if the door is opened while the system is armed, or if a motion sensor is tripped.
Unfortunately, not everybody has a smartphone where I work, nor would I feel comfortable installing apps on everyone’s personal phones at the company just so they can arm and disarm the alarm system. At first I wanted to give employees Aeon Labs Gen 5 Keyfobs to control the security system, but apparently this won’t work. We have multiple buildings, pretty far apart, and even though I’ve bridged Veras across our network I can only use a keyfob with the Vera it was paired to. So with a Vera in Building 1 and a Vera in Building 2, I can give someone a keyfob that will arm and disarm both buildings, but they can only use that keyfob while they’re physically in one building. If I want them to be able to control the system from either building, I would need to give them two separate keyfobs, which is not ideal. I’ve tried to “trick” the system in various ways, backing up the Z-wave network on one device and restoring it on another, in an attempt to have two “synced” Z-wave networks where a keyfob could interact with either one. So far, however, nothing I’ve tried works. The closest I’ve gotten resulted in one Vera being a “slave” controller and not passing keyfob button presses over the TCP/IP Vera Bridge.
So at this point, I believe I’m stuck using alarm panels. But I’m really having a tough time finding something decent to use. Most of what I see on the forum involve a whole separate security system (DSC, Paradox EVO, Honeywell, PowerMax). I really like some of the touchscreen panels out there, especially the DSC Touch or the Paradox TM50 Touch, but everything I find I either don’t see any use cases with Vera, or it needs to communicate to a full-blown security system that is costly and (IMO) unnecessary considering in this case the Vera IS the security system.
The only exceptions I’ve found to this rule is the WinTop RFID Tag Reader (Tag Reader - BeNext B.V.) or the deadbolts with built-in PIN pads. I kinda like the WinTop RFID solution, but I’m worried that someone could simply use a RFID reader/writer and clone someone else’s tag. I also don’t like that the keypad only has 4 digits, if I could find a full 9-digit keypad I would be much happier. I love the deadbolts, but our doors are thin glass with a thin metal frame, I’m not sure if I could get one to properly mount on it.
I’m sure this sounds picky, but I’m just looking for a simple wall-mounted, PIN-code alarm panel that would hopefully communicate via Z-wave (or Zigbee, or Bluetooth, or even over LAN) with the Vera. Any suggestions?