My mother-in-law is moving into a new (for her) house, and the existing security system is a Moose Z700 (circa 1996).
I have only been in the house twice, but as far as I can tell, all 6 wired zones still work (the red light illuminates on both keypads when the relevant zone is not secure). The system is not used by the current owners and is not monitored so I suspect the current owners don't even know how to arm or disarm the system. They evidently don't have the master or installer code. I have downloaded the 49 page installation/programming manual, and there are factory reset options that might work--but the system would then need to be configured for real time monitoring if that is even possible (since there is no phone line available). She is used to a Honeywell First Alert system (FA148CP I think) in her current home, and she likes that. Plus, I have her current system set up with a cellular communicator on Total Control so I can arm/disarm/etc if necessary.
My only knowledge about the Z700 comes from Google searches and reading (almost) every post on this site about it. I have an Elk M1 system, and was delighted to find out from old threads that the Elk is the descendant (or, at least, an offshoot) of Wade Moose's original system, but an Elk is WAY too much for her.
I'm charged with finding and having installed a security system in her new house. So, what should I looking at? In the past I have tended to skip past posts regarding Vista and DSC systems and products, but are those the types of systems I should do deep dives on? I've done some research on both lines, but would appreciate any hands on pros and cons with either system (or other systems).
I prefer wired whenever possible, so it would be ideal to find something that is wire compatible with the Z700 wiring for the six existing wired zones and two keypads. Expansion capability would be nice, but adding new wired zones might be difficult so I want to make sure we have the capability of adding new wireless zones in the future--most likely for additional motions, key fobs, and/or glass breaks near sliding glass doors. Automation is not really something she is interested in, but I'm always willing to tinker to make things easier for her (high WAF for that). I also need something for her that can handle a cellular communicator because we know we want it monitored.
Any suggestions about products and experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I have only been in the house twice, but as far as I can tell, all 6 wired zones still work (the red light illuminates on both keypads when the relevant zone is not secure). The system is not used by the current owners and is not monitored so I suspect the current owners don't even know how to arm or disarm the system. They evidently don't have the master or installer code. I have downloaded the 49 page installation/programming manual, and there are factory reset options that might work--but the system would then need to be configured for real time monitoring if that is even possible (since there is no phone line available). She is used to a Honeywell First Alert system (FA148CP I think) in her current home, and she likes that. Plus, I have her current system set up with a cellular communicator on Total Control so I can arm/disarm/etc if necessary.
My only knowledge about the Z700 comes from Google searches and reading (almost) every post on this site about it. I have an Elk M1 system, and was delighted to find out from old threads that the Elk is the descendant (or, at least, an offshoot) of Wade Moose's original system, but an Elk is WAY too much for her.
I'm charged with finding and having installed a security system in her new house. So, what should I looking at? In the past I have tended to skip past posts regarding Vista and DSC systems and products, but are those the types of systems I should do deep dives on? I've done some research on both lines, but would appreciate any hands on pros and cons with either system (or other systems).
I prefer wired whenever possible, so it would be ideal to find something that is wire compatible with the Z700 wiring for the six existing wired zones and two keypads. Expansion capability would be nice, but adding new wired zones might be difficult so I want to make sure we have the capability of adding new wireless zones in the future--most likely for additional motions, key fobs, and/or glass breaks near sliding glass doors. Automation is not really something she is interested in, but I'm always willing to tinker to make things easier for her (high WAF for that). I also need something for her that can handle a cellular communicator because we know we want it monitored.
Any suggestions about products and experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!