basic setup required

[toymaster458]

BTW, this is a very informative thread and gave me some additional ideas - maybe it should be made sticky?

Maybe I should stop giving away all my little secrets

 

[v1rtu0s1ty]

I am sorry I ment the Living room

Living room height approximately around 20-22ft in height.

If you set the alarm in stay/night mode then the motion sensors do not activate the alarm

Help me here. If I activate stay/night mode, then I'm making my motion sensors in first floor useless right?

Thanks for the answers to the wirings. How many zones do you think my setup is needing?

Won't know untill you have all your senors picked out

Gotcha! I will start first with the wiring.

I actually have a not so good feeling right now that the people who will be doing the other wirings(coaxial, cat5e) based from what I requested from the builder, might get confused. They will see tons of wires all over the place.

 

[bfisher]

If you set the alarm in stay/night mode then the motion sensors do not activate the alarm

Help me here. If I activate stay/night mode, then I'm making my motion sensors in first floor useless right?

This depends on your HA system. I use a Homevision Pro connected to a Caddx security system - and even when the motion sensors are bypassed (alarm is set and we're in the house) - it still feeds the movement to my HVPro. I guess it just depends on the capabilities of the hardware you choose...

 

[v1rtu0s1ty]

This depends on your HA system.  I use a Homevision Pro connected to a Caddx security system - and even when the motion sensors are bypassed (alarm is set and we're in the house) - it still feeds the movement to my HVPro.  I guess it just depends on the capabilities of the hardware you choose...

I will be buying the ELK M1 Gold. I haven't read the manual yet so I don't know if this equipment supports that kind of feature.

Anyways, I drew another plan for the motion sensor in the family room since I'm confused as to where it should really be. I placed labels beside the 2 icons, labels A and B. Which is ideal location for the motion sensor in family room, A or B?

I have also added another motion sensor in the closet in the hallway towards laundry. And lastly, I have included the distance of my room since that might be helpful in deciding which motion sensor to install.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!

EDIT:
1.) Do I need gang-box for motion sensor, glass break sensor, keypads, and other sensors?

2.) I went to my friend a while ago. I saw his controller, and noticed that it's connected to a 110 outlet but via an power adapter. I think I don't have that wiring in all my diagrams. What wire should I install from the ELK M1 controller to the power outlet?

3.) I have a staple gun here but worried that I might destroy the wire. What tool should I buy in order to staple the wires to the stud safely without pinching the wire too much?

 

[IVB]

Here's my answers, of course I have all of 2 months experience in this arena and a still not-yet-fully-functional system, so other opinions are also good to have.

EDIT:
1.) Do I need gang-box for motion sensor, glass break sensor, keypads, and other sensors?

No. They mount directly on the wall, with only a 1/8" hole needed to push wire through.

2.) I went to my friend a while ago. I saw his controller, and noticed that it's connected to a 110 outlet but via an power adapter. I think I don't have that wiring in all my diagrams. What wire should I install from the ELK M1 controller to the power outlet?

Any 3-wire that can carry High Voltage AC is fine.

3.) I have a staple gun here but worried that I might destroy the wire. What tool should I buy in order to staple the wires to the stud safely without pinching the wire too much?

I've been using regular arched staples with my generic Archer staple gun that are wider than my wire, haven't had any issues yet.

 

[rfdesq]

2.) I went to my friend a while ago. I saw his controller, and noticed that it's connected to a 110 outlet but via an power adapter. I think I don't have that wiring in all my diagrams. What wire should I install from the ELK M1 controller to the power outlet?

Any 3-wire that can carry High Voltage AC is fine.
FYI, the input to the panel is 16.5 volts AC two wire. On page six of the M1 manual it states 18 gauge minimum. It is best to be as close to the unswitched AC outlet that the transformer plugs into. There is a wealth of information in the M1 manual that is only a download away at www.elkproducts.com.

 

[v1rtu0s1ty]

IVB, can you please look at my diagram above? What do you think is the best location for the motion sensor in the family room? Is it A or B? Please see diagram to reference the A&B labels.

Thanks!

 

[IVB]

Honestly, this is what i've used toymaster for - giving me the proper placement advice for my stuff. That said, my novice opinion is that if you're only going to do 1, i'd pick B so you can cover a wider area.

I still personally prefer putting one in every room which means 2 for you, one for A, one in the kitchen on the identical but opposite side of the house. I have this sneaking suspicion that i'm going to find a use for motion sensors in a non-security manner [ie lighting, general "where are my kids"], and i'd want to differentiate between those 2 rooms.

I'd also personally opt to put one in the Den, potentially in the laundry as well.

and, btw, rfdesq was right - it's only 2-wire for the Elk. I've been doing so much wiring lately, i must be confused with something else.

 

[v1rtu0s1ty]

Honestly, this is what i've used toymaster for - giving me the proper placement advice for my stuff. That said, my novice opinion is that if you're only going to do 1, i'd pick B so you can cover a wider area.

I still personally prefer putting one in every room which means 2 for you, one for A, one in the kitchen on the identical but opposite side of the house. I have this sneaking suspicion that i'm going to find a use for motion sensors in a non-security manner [ie lighting, general "where are my kids"], and i'd want to differentiate between those 2 rooms.

I'd also personally opt to put one in the Den, potentially in the laundry as well.

and, btw, rfdesq was right - it's only 2-wire for the Elk. I've been doing so much wiring lately, i must be confused with something else.

Ok. Motion sensors should not pick up movements outside the house right? It's because, motion sensor B is pointing towards the patio door and familyr room. I really don't have experience with this kind of stuff so I can't tell. The reason I ask this so I can finalize my wiring.

Thanks!

 

[IVB]

Ok. Motion sensors should not pick up movements outside the house right? It's because, motion sensor B is pointing towards the patio door and familyr room. I really don't have experience with this kind of stuff so I can't tell. The reason I ask this so I can finalize my wiring.

Eh, help from anyone else? Do they? Mine don't actually point out the window, so I honestly don't know.

 

[rfdesq]

Eh, help from anyone else? Do they? Mine don't actually point out the window, so I honestly don't know.

By motion sensors do you mean Passive Infrared (PIR), Microwave, or a combination of both?

 

[v1rtu0s1ty]

Eh, help from anyone else? Do they? Mine don't actually point out the window, so I honestly don't know.

By motion sensors do you mean Passive Infrared (PIR), Microwave, or a combination of both?

I think, what I would be putting there in the family room would be PIR based.

 

[IVB]

I didn't know there were multiple types. What's the difference between PIR and microwave?

 

[rfdesq]

I didn't know there were multiple types. What's the difference between PIR and microwave?

Here is a good link http://www.optexamerica.com/indexes/pisi_index.cfm. A PIR alone will detect the sun coming through a window, a heat register putting out heat, and basic background changes in temperature. A microwave detector will see through walls and may interfere with other detectors. Combine them both, get a pet immune detector, set your pulse count, shape the microwave detector distance and you reduce false alarms. Many years ago people didn't like putting huge microwave detectors in living areas. I think those days are over.

 

[v1rtu0s1ty]

I didn't know there were multiple types. What's the difference between PIR and microwave?

Here is a good link http://www.optexamerica.com/indexes/pisi_index.cfm. A PIR alone will detect the sun coming through a window, a heat register putting out heat, and basic background changes in temperature. A microwave detector will see through walls and may interfere with other detectors. Combine them both, get a pet immune detector, set your pulse count, shape the microwave detector distance and you reduce false alarms. Many years ago people didn't like putting huge microwave detectors in living areas. I think those days are over.

hi rfdesq, how do you plan to implement a residential security while making it cost effective and reliable? What type of sensors, in first floor in this case, are you thinking of recommending?

Thanks!