Noob out in So Cal!

A

ares5000

New Member
Wow! I just stumbled here from a random Google search and hot damn theres a lot of info here!

I just moved into my first house in Hermosa Beach, CA and I'm looking for security with a bit of automation would be nice too. It's a little 2 story beach house with a detached garage about a block away from the beach. I've heard good things about the Elk and the HAI systems so it'll probably be one or the other. I've used X10 in the past with fairly good results but I'm no engineer for sure! I've had a bit of C++ and Java coding though..

Anyway, my main priority is to secure the fort as well as the garage (9 zones w/ 22 windows & 6 doors in total) and some motion detecting and/or cameras for the garage would be nice too.

I was looking at the Spykee robot and thought he'd be fun to have cruising around the house as well for a camera.
Spykee

Thats enough ramblings for now, I'm back off to the forums for research...

-Justin

Oh I'm going to try to have it be as wireless as possible because I'm not all to ready to start hardwiring everything just yet...
 
Oy, I spent many a hedonistic weekend in Hermosa back in my single & pre-kid days. At least I think I did, I only have the vaguest recollections of those days. My friend had these huge margarita parties at her house on the Strand every Saturday, I'm pretty sure the rest of the night was spent somewhere near there, or maybe later at Paisano's...

I'm not sure whether to welcome you here, or ask when the beach party is for us to join you there.
 
hahah sounds about right. I'm a block up on pier. there will be a party as soon as it gets nice and warm and i get everything wired up. if youre in the area let me know!

on that note i'm leaning towards the Elk system! it seems to do it all even if you have to get your hands a little dirty and do most of it yourself.
 
haha ya I started with just wanting a nice little system. But now I'm pricing out expansions and sockets and web cams oh my! I'm just a little worried about how user-friendly the elk is. But it sounds easy enough to learn after a while...

Is it possible to go completely wireless with an Elk system? well except for power and the keypad and siren???
 
ares5000 said:
I'm just a little worried about how user-friendly the elk is. But it sounds easy enough to learn after a while...

Is it possible to go completely wireless with an Elk system? well except for power and the keypad and siren???
Click to expand...
While I don't recommend it for somebody with absolutely no basic knowledge or understanding of basic wiring and alarm concepts, it is probably about the easiest system out there.

Yes, all of your zones can be wireless using Caddx/ITI wireless devices. You would need either the Caddx or Elk (recommended) receivers.
 
Here's the shopping list from AutomatedOutlet so far:

-ELK-M1GSYS4 (still torn between this & the M1EX8. It sure would help with keeping close to budget)
-ELK-M1XEP (ethernet)
-W800RF32 (X10 reciever)
-DS10A's (wireless door/window)
-NX-488 (wireless glass break)
-NX-480 (motion sensors)


Any recommendations for cameras? I'm looking for 2 or 3 and still trying to decide what software package to go with everything...
 
wired or wireless cameras? Desired Price point? Covert or Overt cameras? Low-light or can you have motion-based lighting in those areas?
 
ares5000 said:
Here's the shopping list from AutomatedOutlet so far:

-ELK-M1GSYS4 (still torn between this & the M1EX8. It sure would help with keeping close to budget)
-ELK-M1XEP (ethernet)
-W800RF32 (X10 reciever)
-DS10A's (wireless door/window)
-NX-488 (wireless glass break)
-NX-480 (motion sensors)


Any recommendations for cameras? I'm looking for 2 or 3 and still trying to decide what software package to go with everything...
Click to expand...
You also need a GE or Elk wireless receiver to use the NX series wireless. IMHO I would skip the W800 and DS10's and use NX series contacts for doors/windows. The DS10's may be cheap and good for automation, but I would not use them for security. That's kind of like putting cheap retreads on a BMW.
 
Wow you guys are fast to respond!

Cameras: I've got motion sensor lights going into the camera monitored areas. (front door, garage, back) I don't really care about covert or overt. Wired would probably be cheaper so I'm fine running cable there. Does $200 per camera sound about right?

I figured the DS10 route would be the cheapest to start and then upgrade to NX in a year or so. I'm already over budget and trying to cut corners. I agree it would be like retreads, but I figured it would be a start. Better to go over budget now and save on having to rework everything down the road.

Again I was going with the cheap DS10 route because of price. I've also used them before and Caddx is foreign to me. So I'd need the M1XRF2G receiver and use only GE wireless sensors?

Thanks for the speedy replies! I'm off to research Caddx.
 
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