Replacing Alarm with an ELK M1 - Monitoring Garage Door?

[sanders2222]

I am replacing a 30 year old alarm system with the ELK M1 Gold and a newbie to this technology. My panel is located in a central closet location and I plan to relocate my PLM next to the ELK panel. The ELK panel will be mounted to the wallboard where the existing system is and use the wires coming out of the wall, plus install some new wires and cat5 cables as needed. My ISY-99i is located in another centrally located closet and I have purchased the ELK module for the ISY.

1. I have monitored the status of my garage door with an Insteon I/O Linc 2450 through an ISY-99IR. But I understand the ELK can do this to and may be a better security solution. So my question is should I eliminate the I/O Linc and run a hard wire connection to my ELK?
2. I also have a sump pump located just below my ELK panel location. Can I use the ELK to monitor a water overflow switch in the event my sump pump goes out? This would eliminate the need for another I/O Linc and perhaps provide better security.
3. How many electrical outlets should I plan to install next to the ELK panel? Any suggestions are welcomed and pictures of panel installs would be helpful.
4. I understand the ELK will 'talk' to a Russound CAA66 whole home distribution system. Has anyone successfully set this connection up?

 

[gatchel]

1. A hard wired solution for monitoring any perimeter point is better than using Insteon. Not to say that insteon wouldn't work, but you don't see insteon in any burg installs. You could use a GE / Sentrol 2315 or 2505AL for the garage door assuming it is your typical garage door setup. You could repurpose the IOLinc later for something less critical.

2. I absolutely think a water level switch will be beneficial. You could use a winland waterbug or other water sensor that can interface with a zone on the elk.
I use these: http://www.winland.com/waterbugalert.html Specifically the WB-200 units.

3. If you want to hide everything in a SWB-28 can you are limited to 1 duplex outlet unless you use a surge strip. You are probably better adding a decent surge strip inline before the security components anyway. You could install a quad outlet box and run a surge strip off of that. UPS' are also nice to have to protect equipment and hold power during small power outages or generator switch over.

4. I use Sonos for audio. Someone else may have to chime in here...

 

[wuench]

Yeah hardwired is the way to go for your garage door. You would wire a sensor to the door itself and if you run a wire to your garage door openers terminals to an ELK output you can control the door as well. I would hardwire anywhere you can.

I monitor my sump well with a bucket/water level switch connected to the elk http://www.automatedoutlet.com/Home/Water-Sensors/2029W. I didn't use a water sensor in the well because I was worried about splashing setting it off and a water sensor on the floor around the well would trigger too late.

For power at a minimum you will need one outlet for the Elk transformer, one for a transformer for the ELK-M1XEP, possibly one or 2 for the ISY depending on if it is powered form the PLM. The leviton cans allow you to put two single gang outlets in the bottom of the can, (surge protected or regular) but you will only be able to fit 2 transformers in there using those. It is theoretically possible to power the M1XEP from the elk power bus, but it get's you really close to the 1AMP limit very fast. You will need to do a power calc for all of you devices and see (if so you can drop that transformer). If you get over 1 Amp you will also need an external battery backed up power supply. If you use a surge protector on or near the ISY's PLM outlet you may need to add an Insteon noise filter if you have signal issues, YMMV. If you use a dual-band PLM, you will probably be better off but I wouldn't put it in the can it would probably block the wireless signal.

I have pics in my link below of my setup, with an external power supply. There are also a lot of good pics in the CT Gallery. Right now I have an ISY powered by the PLM (non-dual band). I have my M1XEP on the external power supply as well as my router and dsl modem. If I had it to do over again I would mount my M1 on the bottom of the can so that the power lines are all below the M1 and the signal lines are all above. It is best to keep the power (transformer wires and battery wires) separate from the other wires, otherwise I am told you should put a fuse on the battery wires (the transformer has built in overload protection (PTC)).

 

[tmbrown97]

As others have indicated, anything that's a contact closure can easily go into the elk (that's what it's designed to monitor) - and it's pretty cheap all things considered - you can configure the zones to be non-alarm and only used via rules. That can be doorbell, phone ringer, sump float switch, water leak, door, window, glassbreak, etc - you name it. It'll be rock solid in the elk and you can easily act on the rules (even via the ISY now that it has an Elk module).

As for the power in the bottom of the can, since everything is a wall-wart basically, one of these can go a long way.