Recent content by knut

I have been in my new house for just under two years now, and all 4 smoke alarms have run through at least one backup battery. They are 120v alarms, First Alert 9120B, and a GE 350CX (which, one day, I'll wire into the Elk). There is AC power present at the alarms. Batteries used include...

Yes, I realize that. However, my goal is to see video frames synced with events from other motion sensors (at the front door, on the patio). The camera has a much broader field of vision, and it will pick up unrelated random motion.

One feature that I would love to see is support for IP cameras. I have an IP cam viewer app on my Android phone, through which I can monitor my Panasonic IP cam. I can also access the cam though the web browser. Getting it integrated with an Elk control software on the phone would be great: "A...

Thank you for the feedback ! The shared cable is wired up. In a few days, the electricity will be on and I'll test it. On to the next adventure... Knut

My walls are sheetrocked and painted now, and I found that I am missing a cable. To work around this, I'd like to use some unused wires on a Cat 5E cable which conveniently runs to the right physical locations. Specifically, the cable will connect my Elk to my Omnistat thermostat, using four...

My automation plan is to control a number of UPB switches from my Elk. My electrical rough-in now has started, and my electrician is predicting that I won't be able to send signals to UPB switches that are behind AFCIs. True ? Any special precautions or work-arounds ? Thank you Knut

I have been using it on Vista Home Premium, 32bit. No problems encountered so far. EDIT: Looks like I don't know what I'm talking about. I've been running ElkRP, not ElkRMS. I'm going to give ElkRMS a try, though.

I am assembling my collection of sensors, Elk components, and a structured wiring kit, to install soon. My house is under construction. It's metal framing, mostly 22gage interior walls and 18 (?) gage exterior. The studs all have wiring pass-through holes. What's the best way to affix the low...

Ano, you appear to be referencing incandescent cans with CFL bulbs (?). I think an industrial transformer in a housing may have different characteristics then a transformer in a bulb. I'll try to get my hands on a scope this weekend to check for noise. I have a sample can here. Knut

Fyi everyone - I have an Elk on the way, for UPB. Thank you for all the input. Knut

I am speccing a UPB installation. Part of this installation has to control a number of light runs that use non-dimmable fluorescent cans (Title 24 Recessed Lighting HB5PLIC-26-E-AT-AD from usalight.com), up to six of them on a switch. These cans have transformers in the housing, and they warn...

Thank you for the feedback. I'm looking into pricing an Elk-based system based on your suggestions. The UPB suggestion makes sense too, as a fallback position. With an Elk, is there any reason to prefer either Z-wave or UPB ? Greetings from Austin, Knut

Thank you for all the follow up. HomeSeer looks compelling, but I am looking for a bridge from Concord to z-wave that is not dependent on a running PC. The RS232 Home Automation board for Concord could, theoretically, be hooked up to a z-wave controller with a serial interface like the HomePro...

I am in the process of building a house, and I want to install a hybrid security system. I also have an interest in home automation, which, though, is limited from a budget perspective. The security system of choice seems to be the GE Concord 4, although the Vista 20p seems to have a large fan...