howdy from Detroit

greymatter

greymatter

New Member
Hi guys!

Well another new guy here, I just purchased an Elk M1EZ8 and some other needed components and will be installing soon. I chose the Elk after doing some research and finding it as a nice fit for my needs and for the price point. I have to say thanks first off as most of the good links I found kept bringing me back to CT so I thought it was time to join and say hi!

I had originally been planning on going with an Ademco or DSC system but after finding out how closed their web management implementations are I shied away. I didn't want to be tied to using an online service which one, cost me fees and two, I do not manage in-house. After seeing how open the Elk is, I think it will allow me to tie it into my existing network much easier.

I have played around with some HA stuff on the past but my push for this now has been more from a security side, with the current economic situation I cannot sell my home and the neighborhood is on the decline so I need to step things up around here to keep the family and our home safe. So I figured that I might as well add in some HA functions while pulling all those darned wires. ;-) I have a load of old X10 and Insteon stuff laying around as well as some personal electronics projects that will be tied in as I find the time. I do have quite an extensive network setup here as well as various open source HA servers running so it just might get interesting.

so far the Elk setup is like this:

M1EZ8
M1MSI
M1XSP
M1XEP
M1XIN x2
M1DBH
M1KP2

I have a hodge podge of wired sensors already installed from a previous project that I am unsure of quality on and not sure I should be using, may just start from scratch and buy new, more research needed there. I have also been toying with the idea of adding wireless capabilities as I will not be able to break ground while it's frozen to get cabling pulled to my garage and that would keep me covered until I can hardwire it in the spring. I know Elk has both GE and Ademco/Honeywell receivers but am not sure which I would want to go with and the features benefits between each and their associated sensors, etc. Again, more research needed here!!


Thanks for having me folks!

Todd
 
Welcome, Todd.

As far as wireless sensors go, I know many (if not most) of those posting here prefer wired security sensors, but for those of us who have (literally) no way to pull wires to windows and doors in a very old house, the wireless work fine for me.

I went the GE route since it seemed to offer my more options for what I needed, and got a bunch on new ones on eBay at a great price several months ago. I also bought a couple of iON plunger wireless sensors for upstairs windows where I wanted to make sure the windows were closed before I left the house.

Good luck.
 
Thanks guys!

I agree about the hardwire where possible/feasible, however I think inevitably I will want to do some wireless with something and then there's the garage so it will probably happen sooner than later. Just want to find what will suit my needs best, still a lot of research to do in that area.

To start I have identified my need for 4 door, 18 window and 4 motions sensors to get me going. That alone should keep me busy for a bit. So far looks like I will be going with the Bosch blue line for my motions, now just to find some suitable door and window contacts and I can get moving on the fun part, any recommedations in that area?

Todd
 
Hello neighbor I am from Dearborn. I also have an EZ8 and use NX-650 wireless sensors with the M1XRF2G receiver and have not had a single false trigger. Take a look at my blog here for more details on my setup. What part of Detroit area are you in?
 
ahhh sorry guys, no you didn't scare me off, lol, that takes a lot!

again apologies, almost forgot about this thread, I have been on a mission of pulling cables and programming the elk and now playing around with a trial install of CQC too, looks like that's going to be added to the arsenal. It's very cool and right up my ally! just still trying to get my arms around the licensing of it all, makes oracle and microsoft licensing look easy... I started looking at it when I saw a article saying it was going opensource and it really caught my attention, either way so far it's pretty damned cool!

also had load of failure's on some of my network gear so that's gotten a bit of an upgrade as well! I just ordered a cisco srw2048 and have installed a wrt600n(router/ap) and an e3000(ap). So far the wireless is rock solid in every inch of the house so I can't complain.

as of now the elk is up and running with a handful of sensors and have my insteon gear working together with CQC. I still haven't gotten around to getting to the wireless but think I have plenty going on now!

did i mention the SageTV setup i am working on, ughhh... i wish you COULD buy time!
 
In case anyone needs a professional to either start a job or finish one they were too busy to finish, my company Wires Unlimited is also Michigan based. I grew up downriver and we specialize in all aspects of home automation & electrical contracting. We are licensed, insured, & bonded with references. In addition, we have two model homes that are completely automated for your viewing pleasure.
 
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