Moving houses - need to set up security system...

[rockdogz]

Hi all, new to the forum. Looks like lots of great people here, and I'm excited to get into security and HA.

I'm going to be moving to a new house soon (new to me, about 4 years old). It appears that it was not wired at all for a security system, which I'm having trouble believing since it's so much easier to do when the house is being built (obviously) rather than after the fact.

I'm still formulating my general plan for after we move in, but it shaping up to be something like this: Install either an Elk M1G or HAI OmniPro (need help deciding on the panel, still have some research to do), and then get started with some wireless sensors at first just to get some basic security in place until I can figure out if we can wire for sensors or not. I counted the downstairs windows and there are a LOT - something like 19! (3400sf, 2 floors). So, maybe I will just sensor the 4 doors (incl. garage door) wirelessly at first?

What do you think of these admittedly sparse first steps - and if there is indeed no wire in the walls as I fear, is the expense to run wire going to be overwhelming? Unfortunately I'm not going to have a lot of $$ just after jumping into a bigger house, and I have lots of plans down the line including HA (have run X10 for many years and have bought a few Insteon products recently and am researching that and alternatives), cameras, thermostats, etc.

I like to do things myself but don't mind leaving the bigger jobs to the pros where it makes sense (possibly running wire, getting experienced input, etc) but I am really looking forward to the configuration and implementing computer controls since I have been tinkering with PCs for the last 20 years or so.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[IVB]

Wired is obviously better than wireless, but wireless is better than nothing at all.

Hard to give a 100% guarantee about wiring, but costs vary greatly based on where you live. In NorCal, costs are $80/hour. There's a guy i know in kentucky who just paid $35/hour. At $35/hour, you wouldn't be in for a huge issue, but at $80, it very well might be.

 

[rockdogz]

Wired is obviously better than wireless, but wireless is better than nothing at all.

Hard to give a 100% guarantee about wiring, but costs vary greatly based on where you live. In NorCal, costs are $80/hour. There's a guy i know in kentucky who just paid $35/hour. At $35/hour, you wouldn't be in for a huge issue, but at $80, it very well might be.

Thanks - I'm in SoCal, where everything is more expensive... except happiness!

 

[IVB]

yeah, that might cost. What I'd do is to call in a pro and give him the "full" wiring diagram you want to do, then have him price it out. Even if it's $10K or more, it might be well worth it - i'm having a bit of a hassle with wireless sensors at the moment, and the only thing worse than spending $$ is the feeling that you may have just pissed it away on something that won't work for you.

So with that in mind, we should explore what you want to run in which room as your "end game", and you can get that estimated.

 

[rockdogz]

yeah, that might cost. What I'd do is to call in a pro and give him the "full" wiring diagram you want to do, then have him price it out. Even if it's $10K or more, it might be well worth it - i'm having a bit of a hassle with wireless sensors at the moment, and the only thing worse than spending $$ is the feeling that you may have just pissed it away on something that won't work for you.

So with that in mind, we should explore what you want to run in which room as your "end game", and you can get that estimated.

True, I hadn't really thought about all of the wiring... If the walls have to come open then we could pull all kinds of extra wire - glass break sensors, thermostats, cameras, CAT5 (there is already CAT5 and coax pulled to most of the house - at least that was done, although it looks like CAT5 can be used for a lot of HA features as well so I would need more anyway and in different areas). Thanks for the idea.

Is there any software you can recommend to create a clear diagram? Looks like I will ask on the other thread too.

edit: Ahh, I see now - Visio. Cool.

 

[hopndeb]

I don't know if wired is better than wireless if the power should go out!

Try www.WHFSecurity.com for some free home security/safety tips. Stuff about lighting, landscaping, etc. that will enhance your alarm system.

 

[Steve]

I don't know if wired is better than wireless if the power should go out!

Well the assumption is there is a battery backed panel in the loop. Without that a wireless transmitter is worthless as well. Wired is still best, especially for security.

 

[bfisher]

I'm a firm believer in making everything wired if at all possible. Retrofitting a house is possible, but it's time consuming. Having done mine, I know my house MUCH better now than if I wouldn't have. I basically broke everything up into manageable pieces... took a while (most doors or windows or glass breaks/motions took a day a piece to install) but I know how it's done. A pro would have done it quicker, but I'm happy with my results Just takes some creative thinking about how to get wires everywhere you need them.