Help replacing GE Concord with Elk M1

[johnnynine]

I currently have a GE Concord alarm system installed and have a monitoring system agreement that I can not break.

I plan to remove the GE Concord system and replace it with the Elk M1. The monitoring company has agreed to help me with this process but doing so voids my warranty on all the sensor wiring (which likely is no big deal). But in any case I would like to know if it will be possible for me to make the switch without the monitoring company knowing.

The monitoring company has given me the following information:
-My account number
-The monitoring phone number
-The reporting format

1. My current alarm system only has 5 or 6 zones set up with several sensors on each zone. When I install the Elk M1 I will have many more zones with only one sensor per zone. Does the monitoring company have any information on what each of my current zones are. If so then I would be confusing them by not notifying them of the new zones.

2. Is there a way to test the dialer in the Elk M1 after I set it up so that it communicates with the monitoring company but does not indicate that there has been an alarm, but just a test?

3. Does the Elk M1 identify it's brand or any other information that would be inconsistent with their data on file?

4. Is there any other information that I would need to plug into the ElkRP software besides the above? I see the Communicator section has things related to Pulse, Contact-IS, and SIA FSK... can I use the defaults or do these values need altering?

Please keep this thread related to the above questions, and not the details of my monitoring system agreement or the warranty agreement. Thank you.


Thanks,
Johnny

PS: I just reread my post and it sounds a bit suspicious , but I think it's fairly harmless. They were most concerned that I would void the warranty on the GE Concord components... but they will being going to ebay anyways so I don't mind.

 

[rfdesq]

I'll give this one a shot. First of all, what is the reporting format you are currently using? I think that once you set up the M1 the monitoring company will know something is different because, depending on the format, the M1 will tell which zone is violated. However, your monitoring company will not know what zone 16 is, for example, since you have not informed them. They will get an alarm violation format for zone 16 but may not know what to do with it since they have no zone 16 listed. The dialer in the M1 will send a periodic test report either automatically or whenever you want it to. It is only a test signal and not an alarm. The dialer can be tested from the keypad. I don't think the M1 sends a brand name just account number, zone, and data on the type of alarm. I don't think there is a default format, you should match your current panels format with the M1. Contact ID seems to be the favored format. Any of this help?

 

[johnnynine]

Yes I believe it was Contact ID (I have it written down elsewhere.)

So does this mean that when I swap out my alarm system I should at a minimum let them know what all the zones #'s map to? I'm not sure that they even have a list now.

I do see the communicator manual test documentation on page 18 of the elk installation manual (not the user manual).

 

[rfdesq]

So does this mean that when I swap out my alarm system I should at a minimum let them know what all the zones #'s map to? I'm not sure that they even have a list now.

If they don't know the zones and what they are, how do they know how to react? If zone 10 is a water alarm zone, they need to know to call you and not the police, etc. Contact ID will take care of the reporting but the CS needs to know what to do from there.

 

[AnthonyZ]

Man, just relent. Replace the panel. Give it the "oomph" you want and sacrifice the warranty on the sensor wiring. You will be happier with your service (and you should be, you're overcharged and stuck with it) over the long hall if you have the system you want in place. When it comes down to it, what's sensor wiring warranty supposed to cover anyways? ADT's or Brink's "high quality" installs performed by day labor and homeless guys? I mean, it either works or it doesn't.

 

[johnnynine]

So does this mean that when I swap out my alarm system I should at a minimum let them know what all the zones #'s map to? I'm not sure that they even have a list now.

If they don't know the zones and what they are, how do they know how to react? If zone 10 is a water alarm zone, they need to know to call you and not the police, etc. Contact ID will take care of the reporting but the CS needs to know what to do from there.

You're right, I found a copy of the paperwork that list a whopping 6 zones and what action to take for each.

 

[rfdesq]

You're right, I found a copy of the paperwork that list a whopping 6 zones and what action to take for each.

So when you install the new panel, the "jig will be up."

 

[johnnynine]

That's ok... I'll just keep the old alarm system running for a while to make sure the wiring holds.

What about the "I see the Communicator section has things related to Pulse, Contact-IS, and SIA FSK... can I use the defaults [there] or do these values need altering?"

 

[Spanky]

The central station cannot tell what brand of control is transmitting the contact ID. Many central stations use a zone map that the installer tells the central station what each zone is programmed for: ie. zone 1 is burg, zone 2 is fire, zone 3 is medical.... Therefore you will have to call and update the central stations zone map when you make changes.

 

[johnnynine]

Thanks Spanky.

edit: Hey, I just hit over 300 posts, who would of thought.

 

[gizzmo]

Contact ID format tells the central station what the event is and the zone number. So if you have a smoke detector on a new ELK zone 23 they may not know where it is but a E110 Zn023 should be dispatched as a fire signal.

Be careful when you ebay the old panel, if your account number and CS phone number are still in it they will still dispatch to your address, regardless of where the panel is plugged in.