Here is my shopping list. Comments?

jlokanis

Member
I am nearly ready to pull the trigger on my oder for the house from Automated Outlet. Here is my shopping list. Please let me know if you have any comments or know the answer to the questions below:

ELK-M1G Control + Transformer + Keypad + Battery + Speaker + RJ31X Jack & Cord (NO CASE)
Do I need a separate piezo siren?

Elk-M1KP2. Flush Mount Keypad for M1 controls

M1XSP. Lighting/Thermostat Interface, Serial Port Expander

M1XEP. M1 Ethernet Port Interface

ELK-M1XIN. M1 16 Zone Input Expander
Do I need this? I have 23 window sensors, 8 door sensors, 5 motion, 4 glass break and 11 smoke detectors. Can I get all that to work with the 16 standard zones or do I need this expander to bring it to 32? (Or do I need even more?)

RC-80B. Single Stage Heat/Cool
Will this unit require anything else to hook to my furnace and the Elk?

IR-350. Round Micro IR Sensor

IR-100. 4 Emitter Connecting Block

CAT5E1000. Cat5E Cable, 1000 ft

AW142500. Audio Wire, 14 Gauge, 2 strand, 500 feet

Wire-22-2-500. Wire, 22 Guage, 2 Strand, 500 ft

RG6-Quad-1000. RG6 Quad Shielded Cable, 1000 ft

mini coax cable (5 conductor)
I could not find this on their web site. I'm looking for something like belden 7787A or Canare V5-3CFB.

38Stubby-10. 3/8" Magnetic Stubby Reed Switch
Can I get these in brown instead of white?

1075-N. 3/8" Magnetic Reed Switch

5812-RND. Round Acoustic Glass Break, 25' Radius

BV-300. Wired PIR Motion Sensor

G-IFC-W. F connector with plastic insert (white)

41108-RY5. Yellow Category 5 (CAT5) 8-Conductor Connector RJ-45
41108-RB5. Blue Category 5 (CAT5) 8-Conductor Connector RJ-45

G-4GW. 4-Jack-Gang-Plate-white
Is this the right wall plate for the F and CAT5 connectors?

G-2GW. 2-Jack-Gang-Plate-white

Stereo Speaker wall plate
I could not find this on their web site. I need 4 wall plates with 2 banana jacks each to connect speakers to.

IC802. Round In Ceiling Speaker. 8" - One Pair

IW801. Rectangular In Wall Speaker, 8" - One Pair

OS525. 5.25" Outdoor Speakers

51120-1. Whole House Surge Protector, 2 Phase

J-110-Tool. Tool - 110 Punch - Yellow

300-156. Compression Crimp Tool For F, BNC and RCA connectors installed on to RG6, 59, 58, 8 and 11

2104C. Channel Vision RG6 Compression Fitting
Is this the right connector to terminate the RG6 cables with the compression tool above?

Thanks for the input.

-John
 
ELK-M1G Control + Transformer + Keypad + Battery + Speaker + RJ31X Jack & Cord (NO CASE)
Do I need a separate piezo siren?
Why no case, are you going to wall mount everything? The SYSG4 kit is the best value and is only $15 more for the can which I'm sure you can find some use for. I am using a 50" can for my sister but might use the 14" for power or something. You only need the piezo siren if you want a really annoying high pitch loud siren ;). BSR seems to like them. I guess that is a personal decision.


ELK-M1XIN. M1 16 Zone Input Expander
Do I need this? I have 23 window sensors, 8 door sensors, 5 motion, 4 glass break and 11 smoke detectors. Can I get all that to work with the 16 standard zones or do I need this expander to bring it to 32? (Or do I need even more?)
That all depends on how you wire it. You can have everything strung on a single zone or you could put every sensor on its own. I prefer the granular approach where each sensor wherever possible is its own zone. A popular method is to put say adjacent windows or individual room on its own zone. So, you need to figure out how many sensors on each zone to calculate how many zones you will have. Once you know that, subtract 16 (on board zones), take the remainder and divide by 16 and thats how many XINs you will need. The smokes can get all strung together using 2 wire smokes on Zone 16 or you can do 4 wire smokes and zone them as well, which may be preferred with that many.
 
Admittedly i'm a total newbie and i'm still in the midst of setting up the Elk, but I also preferred the highly granular approach of 1 sensor to a zone so I can determine what the problem is, and have automation rules to determine what to do in response.

I chose to buy 2 cabinets, 1 14" near my HAPC in the media closet and 1 28" in the crawlspace. That way I could string nearly all the sensor wire to the expanders in the crawlspace location, (except temp sensors), and buy a Data Bus Hub and connect that to the Elk. I have 35-45 sensors, and I didn't want that much wire coming into the media closet if I didn't need it.

Finally, I think you may be cramming a lot of wire into that 14" cabinet. If you opt to stick with a single cabinet, you may want the 28" one.
 
Oh, if you're gonna be terminating alot of RJ45's you may want to give serious consideration to the EZ45 tool and connectors. Those let you push the wires all the way thru the connector and they get trimmed when you crimp. Should save you considerable time.

And yes, you did not mention what you are doing for a can but said you are not getting one. You definitely want the big 50" channel vision or 42" Leviton if you are not wall mounting.

And yes, the M!DBH data bus hub will be helpful as well.

Make sure the RG6QS is solid copper core, not copper clad steel.
 
Thanks for the tips. I have an entire closet dedicated to the security and automation. It will have an entire wall for mounting, plus some racks for PCs and gear. I even plan to have a cooling fan.
So, no can needed at this time.

Martin at AO assured me that his RG6QS is solid copper core.

I work for a networking company, so I have access to a good CAT5e crimper.

-John
 
jlokanis said:
I have an entire closet dedicated to the security and automation. It will have an entire wall for mounting, plus some racks for PCs and gear. I even plan to have a cooling fan.
Please provide pics of the work in progress. Our membership likes this sort of info.
 
Martin at AO confirmed that the keypad will ship at the end of May.

I will be happy to post pics as the work gets done. I may even do a full writeup of the project (if I can find the time).

One thing I REALLY need now is some advice on pulling the wire. What do you use to secure the wire in the walls? (clips, tie wraps, etc...) and what tools will I need to do the pulls? (drills, saws, etc...?)

Also, how many people does it usually take to do this job? I have one helper so far.

-John
 
John,

There are multiple ways to hold wire, from D-rings to wire ties, and each works pretty well. For horizontal runs on joists, I usually will hammer a metal staple in almost all the way and use a wire tie to secure the cable to the staple and joist.

As for tools, you will need at lest a 25' fish tape, 1/2 chucked drill with various auger bits (1/2, 3/4, and 1" most common. A larger spade bit for the main run perhaps). A right-angle drill helps tremendously when drilling holes for the wire, but it is not absolutely necessary. Wire cutters of course. Electrical tape, nail plates, and some type of labeling system should round out your tools for new construction. If its a remodel type of situation, then there are some other tools you can get to make the going easier. Drywall saw, push/pull rods, etc. If you are doing the termination, then that’s even more tools :)

Two people work well when pulling wire, so you are set in that department. If you are under a tight deadline, another pair would speed things up, but many more and you start getting in each other's way.

Good luck and keep us posted.

--Jamie
 
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