Opinions on panel located in attached Garage

HighTest

Active Member
I've an Elk M1G setup that I'm wondering about. I'd like to ask your opinions and either leave it where it is or make some changes but at a larger expense.

The home has a fully attached Garage where the hot water, furnace, power panel and home network center all are located. It has two seperate garage doors, a two car door and a single car door (which I've located my shop tools behind). As my Internet, phone and power terminated here, I figured why not the alarm? A successful burglar that gained access to the garage would be able to disable power, phone, internet and more from that location. I also figure that most would smash through my glass french doors or other windows on the first level of the home instead of trying to get through steel garage doors.

Due to all the chases ending here, I'd setup my main alarm panel in this location. I'd also put on a tamper switch to the case and armored NC switches on the Garage doors (one is manually locked and the other is a garage door opener with enhanced code technology). Having it close to the power panel allowed for easy addition of a dedicated circuit for the M1G.

I could go to the extra expense of setting up the main panel on the second floor master bedroom closet, but I'd need to rerun all the connections as the orignal home networking chases all go to the garage. Adding a dedicated circuit that's not off of the bedroom circuit would also be a big expense as well.

What would you do?

Am I just worrying about nothing? I know that "It takes a thief" would likely make a mockery of where it's located however wouldn't most simply do the smash and grab? Boot to the door, smash some windows, etc? At least using "wimax" based internet, cutting my hardline simply ensures an alarm event :D
 
I would probably do the same thing (use the garage) in your shoes. In a high security, highly paranoid, environment, it might make sense to be more subtle & secretive in the panel placement. But for typical DIYers, as long as the garage is a protected/monitored area, I don't see it being significantly lower risk than the most popular choice of master bedroom closet.
 
Sure, the garage is fine. Are you worried about it being secure or looking ugly? You could always run the wire in conduit and put the unit in a locked box...
 
Build a false wall that fits over all the controls, it would just look like a standard wall bump out, put a screw in each side to hold it.

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I always find if you put locks on things, etc, people will be drawn to it. Some simple camouflage and you'd be good.
 
If you really wanted to go stealth, get a regular electric panel cover and door and use it instead of the regular door that came with the can. Even stealthier would be if you could get the breaker insert cover (the inside cover of an electric box) and just leave all the breaker inserts covered up. So if someone opened the box, they would just see a big breaker box with no breakers installed. It should be fairly easy to take the covers off if you needed to service the alarm system.
 
If you really wanted to go stealth, get a regular electric panel cover and door and use it instead of the regular door that came with the can. Even stealthier would be if you could get the breaker insert cover (the inside cover of an electric box) and just leave all the breaker inserts covered up. So if someone opened the box, they would just see a big breaker box with no breakers installed. It should be fairly easy to take the covers off if you needed to service the alarm system.

Since my panel runs more than just security (lights, HVAC, security, etc) I wanted it in a temperature controlled environment. Also to make cable runs easier I wanted it in a more central location. My HAI panel ended up in the MBR closet.
 
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