Panel installation in attic?

[toyst185]

Hi, all.  This is my first time installing a new system (with wired and wireless sensors) and deciding between Honeywell Vista 21IP and ELK M1.  Any experience or recommendation with regard to installing either panel in the attic.  I live in California so attic is a little hot in the summer but the location I have in mind is close to a gable vent.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Daniel

 

[wuench]

From the Elk manual:
 

A suitable location would be inside a secure dry location where the ambient temperature inside the control box can remain at 32‘ to 120° Fahrenheit (0’ to +49’ Celsius).

 
You may also experience lower battery lifetimes...
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/archive/can_the_lead_acid_battery_compete_in_modern_times
 
 

The optimum operating temperature for the lead-acid battery is 25*C (77*F). Elevated temperature reduces longevity. As a guideline, every 8°C (15°F) rise in temperature cuts the battery life in half.

 
Lastly, I would be  concerned with maintainability.  Once my attic gets 90+ it becomes intolerable to be up there for more  than 10-15minutes.   

 

[TrojanHorse]

I wouldn’t do it. I’d find a way to get it into a conditioned space. Probably a requirement for proper installation. It’s also an issue of humidity I’d guess. Also not sure what your roof is made of but for example replacing asphalt shingles is often a messy process. Lots of junk will get in the attic.

You could wire through the attic and make a wire chase to get all your cables down to a closet somewhere. More work up front but much better long term.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kwschumm]

Regardless of whether the panel is rated for 120 deg or not, higher temperatures always shorten the life of electronics.

 

[pete_c]

I wouldn't put an alarm panel in the attic.
 
I have had now for a few years an RPi2 / Stretch in the attic connected to a ZWave GPIO card, SDR USB stick and 9097 1-wire stick.
 
It is still working and the microSD card has not melted at peaks of 120 F and -20 F.  I am pushing it. 
 
A W800, Gb switch, serial to ethernet server is also up there now.

 

[SterlingDonnelly]

Aside from the attic topic, the decision on Honeywell vs Elk depends on the features you're looking for and the level of monitoring service you're interested in getting (if any).
 
A Honeywell VISTA-21iP would require an AlarmNet account if you wanted to use the IP communicator for monitoring and you'd get that service from an alarm dealer that offers AlarmNet monitoring (most do). You could have it just central station monitored and/or you could get Total Connect 2.0 service so you could have remote access from a smart phone or computer and text/email alerts from the system. You could also add a cellular communicator if you wanted cellular back up on your monitoring service in the event the internet path is unavailable.
 
The 21iP can support 8 wired zones (15 with more complicate zone doubling) right out of the box and with wired and/or wireless expansion modules, you can expand up to 48 total zones (zones 9-48 can be wired or wireless depending on which receiver(s) you use). The Honeywell 5800 Series sensors work with a VISTA-21iP that has an appropriate wireless receiver. A 6160RF is a wired keypad with an integrated wireless receiver that would unlock the full capability to program up to 40 wireless zones as needed. It's a nice option if you planned to use a 6160 keypad and a wireless receiver anyways. There are other receiver options as well.
 
I'm not as familiar with the Elk but most of the people on this forum use an Elk over a VISTA so I'm sure others will chime in.

 

[bucko]

ELk= mo features, mo options, mo expansion...mo money.
 
Go with an Elk

 

[toyst185]

Thanks everyone for the prompt replies.  They all make sense and I will hide the panel inside a closet instead.
 
I am very glad to find such a great responsive community of DIYers and Pros.