Advantages of Elk M1KPNAV...?
- Thread starter homejones
- Start date
chedemefedeme
Member
If I did my setup again I'd have wall mounted ipod touches running eKeypad at every keypad location instead of the KP2 and single gang arming stations I have around the house now. Cost is not that much more and you can literally do ANYTHING from eKeypad.
Seriously. I wish I had done it this way. The app has a full screen virtual keypad for arming/disarming, swipe to the side to get nice big buttons for quick arm features. You can customize a home screen for your favorite lights and tasks. You are not limited to 4 or 6 tasks like you are with elk's keypads. There is a full screen thermostat display you can switch to with one tap that lets you control your HVAC.
I love the app so much on my iPhone that whenever my keypads fail in the next lightning storm (is that season around here..surprised i've lost nothing yet) i'm 100% going this direction. With the right wall mount it would probably look awesomer than any of the elk keypads too.
Seriously. I wish I had done it this way. The app has a full screen virtual keypad for arming/disarming, swipe to the side to get nice big buttons for quick arm features. You can customize a home screen for your favorite lights and tasks. You are not limited to 4 or 6 tasks like you are with elk's keypads. There is a full screen thermostat display you can switch to with one tap that lets you control your HVAC.
I love the app so much on my iPhone that whenever my keypads fail in the next lightning storm (is that season around here..surprised i've lost nothing yet) i'm 100% going this direction. With the right wall mount it would probably look awesomer than any of the elk keypads too.
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
I like mine, a lot more stylish than an ordinary keypad! B)
Elk will also be coming out with a new firmware that makes them a lot more functional for lighting control!
I did a review of it HERE and it also includes a short video as well.
Elk will also be coming out with a new firmware that makes them a lot more functional for lighting control!
I did a review of it HERE and it also includes a short video as well.
apostolakisl
Senior Member
You might consider using the vizio touchpads. My wife just bought one from Costco and I thought for sure it would be crummy considering all the stuff it was supposed to do for such a super cheap price ($185). But after playing with it for quite some time, it turns out to be very functional and very pretty to look at. They run android and could theoretically work as video intercom stations as well as web-browser, weather radar displays, and so on. ekeypad looks very nice on it as well. I don't know if they make a mounting bracket for it. It would only need power since it otherwise runs off of wifi.
KapnKrunch
New Member
I have one, and it is quite nice. It's small, but the display quality is excellent, and the touchscreen is responsive.
I have yet to find a IPOD (touch) mount that is reasonably priced. Do you know any? I would love to mount IPOD Touch in bathrooms/bedrooms for music zone control.
IPAD is overkill for something like this. The only decent mount I found is the iPort which costs alot.
chedemefedeme
Member
For something that small I'd probably build my own wall mount, honestly, and then just use a power extending kit of sorts. I can't find it right now but somewhere on this forum a guy had built a really slick looking iPod touch mount out of some wood he grooved together then sanded and made real nice and custom for the iPod.
And you're right..iPad is probably overkill...unless you wanted to write a custom interface and display cameras on it too. Which I probably will do
And you're right..iPad is probably overkill...unless you wanted to write a custom interface and display cameras on it too. Which I probably will do
tmbrown97
Senior Member
eKeypad on Android?
For something that small I'd probably build my own wall mount, honestly, and then just use a power extending kit of sorts. I can't find it right now but somewhere on this forum a guy had built a really slick looking iPod touch mount out of some wood he grooved together then sanded and made real nice and custom for the iPod.
And you're right..iPad is probably overkill...unless you wanted to write a custom interface and display cameras on it too. Which I probably will do
After doing more research on using iPad or iTouch, I don't think there's a way to make the screen sleep on them even with jailbkeak (unless i'm wrong). So the screen would be on 24/7 to accomplish this. Now I'm looking at android devices.
chedemefedeme
Member
It's a matter of preference to be sure, but consider that normal keypads don't shut all the way off when not in use. You can glance at them at any time to get crucial information such as arm state, time/date, temperature, and even LEDs lit up to indicate custom statuses. In this same way when I convert to touchscreen devices for system control I'm fairly sure I'll desire them to be up and lit at all times, so that they can provide at-a-glance information - especially if I have cameras streaming to them.
Only place I can see this being an issue is in a bedroom.
Only place I can see this being an issue is in a bedroom.
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
I agree. One nice update Elk will do with their Navigator Touch Screen is to have a mode where it will show arm state and time when not in use. You can even adjust the lighting intensity so it is 'just' the right brightness for a bedroom.
I like the look, but in my opinion it doesn't (and can't) function as well as a normal keypad.
First, it doesn't have clear status LEDs, so you can't quickly see the alarm status -- maybe the idle screen mentioned by BSR will help. Also, a touchscreen is just harder to arm/disarm for numerous reasons, most of which has to do with tactile response and muscle memory of a normal keypad. Finally, the keypad beep isn't as loud as the older pads, but is less harsh and gets less complaints from my wife.
First plus for me is the design: small and modern. Blends well and is half the size of a normal pad. I also really like the ability to make changes to the system setup from the keypad. Of course, you can do the same thing from the older pads, it's less painful with the touchpad.
When I bought the touchpad, I kept imagining putting a camera by my door and doing a rule to have the feed on NAV when someone rings the bell.
First, it doesn't have clear status LEDs, so you can't quickly see the alarm status -- maybe the idle screen mentioned by BSR will help. Also, a touchscreen is just harder to arm/disarm for numerous reasons, most of which has to do with tactile response and muscle memory of a normal keypad. Finally, the keypad beep isn't as loud as the older pads, but is less harsh and gets less complaints from my wife.
First plus for me is the design: small and modern. Blends well and is half the size of a normal pad. I also really like the ability to make changes to the system setup from the keypad. Of course, you can do the same thing from the older pads, it's less painful with the touchpad.
When I bought the touchpad, I kept imagining putting a camera by my door and doing a rule to have the feed on NAV when someone rings the bell.
tmbrown97
Senior Member
I have a hard time liking this for bedroom use for the reasons listed above... Our keypad works well - I let it get pretty dim, but still enough to where I can see it and know the status from across the room. As for the WAF, well, she hates any light source in the room (and keeps covering up the display on my alarm clock which drives me nuts!)... but when I installed the system, I just didn't let her know that timing out and turning off was an option! 
h34r:
h34r:
