Elk for Main house and guest house

[goldband]

I am planning to install Elk M1 in a new home that includes a main house and detached guest house (distance about 100' away). I am planning to rent the GH about 9 months each year and use it for my own guests for the other months. I would like to use
the Elk to protect both-- but it needs to be able to be controlled centrally by me when my guests are there, and controlled by the renters when the GH is rented. Any ideas about the best way to do this?

 

[gatchel]

Look into the Areas function of the Elk configuration. I believe this will get you what you need. You can have an area that is the main area and other areas that are common to the main area.
 
You would probably have to change a setting in Elk RP to make the 2nd area common or not common to area 1.
 
I don't use this function much so others may have to help a bit. I could be wrong.

 

[jpmargis]

I think you are going to need an ELK M1G for the main house, an ELK M1EZ for the guest house, and doubled up sensors in the guest house.  Read about "areas" in the ELK M1G manual and you will see why this capability will not work in your case.
 
Edit: I'm going to qualify this a bit.  If you don't mind maintaining two ELK RP2 accounts for your installation, you can use areas and have one that is configured with Area 1 and Area 2 and a second one that is configured with just Area 1.  When your renters leave, load the latter.

 

[gatchel]

There are also other threads that may help with the forum search function:
 
http://cocoontech.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=search&section=search&do=search&fromsearch=1
 
 
Enter the works "elk area" and select the "Only search in titles" function. There's a bunch.

 

[Del91574]

Areas will work....you would simply use the "log in" to other areas on the master keypad and then limit the guest house access to the main house via keypad. Admin codes, etc. via RP as needed.
 
Single panel, single account. No common areas or redundant devices. Only item that would need to be separated would be announcements or siren, very doable.
 
If you wanted to ease usage at your house for arming, etc. that could be attached to rules and F-keys.

 

[jpmargis]

You can avoid the multiple accounts by having a guest house user code(s) and two sets of main house user codes.  One set of main house codes does not include the guest house area.  These are used when guests are present.  The other set of main house codes includes the guest house area.
 
How likely is it that you will remember which set of codes to use?  Personally, I'd opt for the duplicate sensors.

 

[Del91574]

Actually, all you need to do is simply have a system master or enable codes for the specific area, 1,2 or both....you personally don't need to know or remember any more codes than the system wide master. This application is a textbook reason to partition a system vs. install 2 independent systems.
 
You provide your guests one code and you provide the tennants with one code. Done. Your code works all times. You can even restrict use based on who armed it last if you really wanted.  If need be, you can check status from the global view of the keypad or program F key events to arm and provide arm status...I've done this at a property up the street from me with 5 independent areas and 4 buildings and further refined with boolean to logically arm areas if not already armed based on which areas are armed or not, not to mention a single fob that can control all the areas independently or use the logic to arm.
 
If you're going to go the (IMHO) more difficult route, then I'd purchase SPDT or DPDT contacts and then it's going to make wiring the application more difficult as it's going to be as much work as installing 2 independent systems rather than a more elegant software solution that already exists and doesn't require any more equipment.

 

[jpmargis]

Your code works all times.

 
I think this conflicts with one of the OP's requirements.

 

[Del91574]

I am planning to rent the GH about 9 months each year and use it for my own guests for the other months. I would like to use
the Elk to protect both-- but it needs to be able to be controlled centrally by me when my guests are there, and controlled by the renters when the GH is rented. Any ideas about the best way to do this?

JP, I'm sure you know this, but it's really not that difficult, the hardest part for the end user is not having 1 fully automatic system based based on 1 condition and 2 independent system based on another conditional event. I think you're confusing my stating the system master code will always work in all areas with a single entry of this code arming/disarming 2 areas at the same time based on certain criteria rather than requiring a couple more keypresses to get to different areas or view all of the system's areas.
 
Acually, I just went to verify how "difficult" it was to view and then log on to my partitions on my own system and it's really not that painful.
 
It boils down to user heirarchy, and in commercial system terms, a system master, partition master or manager and user. The system master can control the entire system, change codes, etc. Partition master can only do such in their assigned areas, and in the M1's case, can be further limited by not allowing certain menu items or options. A user can only arm/disarm (or even be further limited by options) in their assigned partitions. I haven't had to try it on an M1, most other equipment, you may have a "manager" in one area that can do everything, but is simply a user in another, I'd wager that you could reuse a code and just give it different attributes in different areas and it would work in this method.
 
In the OP's case, both areas always controllable by single end user, just variation of using the keypad to login to a second area IMHO, basic ELK key menu option, could be finessed using F-keys and rules, even arm modes (vacation, nite stay, etc.) The renters code only affects a single area, which I'm sure the OP is going to maintain good code hygiene and delete once the space is no longer rented. I can't see the OP giving a full on training for their guests other than arm/disarm, if at all. Most of the locations I deal with that have guest spaces, the end user is primarily concerned when nobody (or renters in this case) are there and not when guests are present, so as to not burden them...but the OP would need to further clarify their requirements.

 

[jpmargis]

IM(NS)HO the brute force simple solution beats the elegant solution (even those suggested by me) when it comes to DIYers as they do not have onsite security staff or ready access to professional support when changes are required or something breaks.  Yes, the material costs are higher, but the increase in installation effort is very small.
 
Let's let the OP pick from the several excellent options!