Elk M1G based home automation system....

[TNhunter]

I'm going to soon be closing on my new house and have had it prewired for some home automation and security. The main things I'm going to be doing is using this system to control the Elk water valve. I have pre-wired all the locations in my house where water will be delivered. I'll also be using the system as my security system with sensors at all the doors, motion detectors, fire detectors, and glass break detectors. Here is my laundry list of components so far - am I missing anything?


Elk ELK-M1GSYS4S - M1 Gold Control Package + Transformer + M1KP2 Low-Profile Keypad +
Battery + Speaker + RJ31X Jack & Cord. Includes 14" x 14" Metal Enclosure with Lock

Elk ELK-M1KP2 - Low-profile M1 LCD Keypad (second keypad - one in kitchen and one in master bedroom)

ELK-M1XEP M1 Ethernet Interface

Elk ELK-WSV - Water Shutoff Valve

Elk ELK-44 - 30 Watt Speaker

Elk ELK-WK1 - Wall Mount Kit for ELK-SL1 Strobe Light

ELK ELK-SL1R - Strobe Light Indoor/Outdoor - Red (SL1-R)

Elk ELK-P412 - Power Supply & Battery Charger In Can 4 Amp 12VDC

Elk ELK-SWNS1 - Nylon Standoffs for Circuit Boards

What motion detectors, glass break sensors, and smoke detectors?

GRI 2800 water sensors (normally open for open loop circuit)

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Just some things off the top of my head:

Flow meter (if water use is that important to you)
Larger Can/Box
Power Distribution Unit
Zone Expander
Speakers all through the house?

 

[TNhunter]

Not concerned with water usage - but concerned with a flood. Lived through a 4 month restore of my house when the refrigerator filter sprung a leak while we were out of town and had about 3000 gallons of water leak out on our first floor. I never want to go through that again :-D. Instead of the GRI water sensors I could use a flow meter and for flow of X over a sustained period of Y - assume there is a leak and cut off the water - correct?

I already have a 48" box mounted in the wall in my wire management closet (all the wiring comes into this box from the top or bottom). This is actually the place I was going to mount the M1G controller.

I have speaker wires/volume control wires roughed in in the master bedroom, master bath, kitchen, dining room, back porch, and 7.1 surround roughed in in my bonus/media room.

 

[JayH]

Adding to BSR's list:
I second the comment on larger can/box. The 14" has no room for anything additional.
Relay board for WSV?
PDU is mandatory if more than just a external devices need power
Recessed boxes for keypads

You also need to do your power draw calculations for what you are going to put on the main panel power bus to make sure you have the minimum hold time for fire.

Jay

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Instead of the GRI water sensors I could use a flow meter and for flow of X over a sustained period of Y - assume there is a leak and cut off the water - correct?

I have speaker wires/volume control wires roughed in in the master bedroom, master bath, kitchen, dining room, back porch, and 7.1 surround roughed in in my bonus/media room.

Well, I was actually thinking about using both methods of leak detection since you were concerned about it.

Also, have you given thought as to how you will interface the Elk's voice announcements with your existing sound systems?

 

[AceCannon]

Also, have you given thought as to how you will interface the Elk's voice announcements with your existing sound systems?

I'd like to echo BSR's advice about the Elk voice announcements. I rec you strategically scatter 8 of the Elk SP12 speakers throughout your house for the Elk voice announcements. It has worked great for me, and my Nuvo system never has to click off or music be interrupted by an announcement. The M1G main board can drive 8 of these wired in parallel (32 ohms each). Each fits into a 1-gang box.

My implementation is a single cat5e run to each location. Doubled up conductors for the speaker, the other 4 conductors go to the motion.

 

[wuench]

• Extra push pins (the black ones for mounting to the enclosure, they break)
• Brass motherboard standoffs (in lieu of the crappy nylon ones)
• Cable raceway or other form of wire management
• Generic mounting plate for the XEP NOT THE ELK ONE(I used leviton security strips, but there are cheaper alternatives)
• Terminal strips - to break out power/speaker connections.
• Some way to mount the terminal strips (again I used security strips)
• A labeler and labels (I highly recommend heat shrink labels).
• +1 on the SP12, good to mount behind your KP2's

Look at the pics at the link in my signature to see what I did...