Recent content by Mark S.

If you will use Homeseer for #3 and #4, then you might as well use Homeseer for z-wave lighting control. Homeseer has a z-wave plugin that works with your z-net, and a new generation of plugin is on the way. Personally, I don't use much z-wave because I find it flakey, but others rave about...

I found a Canadian vendor that lists the ELK-7TS for $419 Canadian, and they seem to be taking pre-orders. So maybe that gives us an idea on cost.

I went with 3 Navigator touchscreen keypads, simply because I liked the look. However, there are 2 issues that I had not anticipated: 1) The Navigator keypad is smaller than I imagined. So it is easy to fat-finger the keys, and the text is small. That is a little annoying. ELK is developing...

Are you using a local power supply for the expander? Because it is an output expander, my first thought is a voltage or current problem when something activates, especially over that long distance. Any way to run a heavier gauge wire?

Congrats on 20 years. I have learned more from this forum than all other Home Automation forums combined, so I am very glad it continues. 40 years will be here before you know it. Then again, maybe you won't know it because your brain implant firmware got corrupted.

The master switch plus relay situation evolved over the years. I originally used X-10 to turn the transformer on and off, which turned all my lights on and off at the same times every evening. Then I added flagpole lighting which I wanted to stay on dusk to dawn, but I still wanted the other...

I have two 12V AC transformers for outdoor LV lighting, and each has multiple taps (12V, 13V, 14V, 15V) that can be used for short, medium and long runs. I control power to each transformer with an old X-10 light switch - sort of a master switch, which ELK turns on/off at dusk/dawn every night...

On two occasions in the past 5 years or so, my M1XEP IP address was reset to default for unknown reasons. Try reaching it via the default IP address.

The touchscreen looks nice. The 3.5" Navigator screen is just too tiny for old guys with bad eyesight and fat fingers. It is about time they came out with a normal size touchscreen, and glad it is M1 compatible. But I'd like to see exactly how it integrates with an M1G before I get too excited.

I have several expansion boards on my system, so my bus connects to a few other cards. But yes, your keypads may take up most of the outputs on the M1DBHR. But I doubled up (2 keypads on 1 output) because I needed an output for other boards, which seems to work as long you don't exceed the...

Keep in mind that once you are integrated with Homeseer or HA, you can create events to play your own chime sounds whenever and wherever you want via HSTouch, home/pc speakers, Sonos, Chromecast - lots of options.

Looks good - sounds like you have done your research. The only thing I would add is to make sure you have an enclosure to hold everything. If you buy a bundled kit, it may come with a box. Personally, I bought the 28 inch enclosure (actually 2 of them) - this larger box provides more room to...

They sound pretty slimey - I hope you call them out on it. I have used 123securityproducts and alarmsystemstore.com for many years. I think they are actually sister companies. I chose them based on best price, but I have never had a problem with them - they have been fast and accurate...

I reluctantly mothballed my Stargate quite a few years ago. One big problem I was having is that WinEVM would not run right on Windows 7 and higher. Even the serial drivers didn't seem to work anymore. I'm not sure what OS you are using, but I can't help but wonder if that could be the...

Pretty much any alarm system can do 2 partitions. Regarding HA features, I think ELK M1G and DSC lead the pack. I am a fan of the ELK - very feature rich.