Hi all,
After spending time drooling over a friend's M1G, I am finally the proud owner of one myself.
I bought a 1400sf townhouse some eight years ago which came with a wired alarm. After moving in, I realized just how overkill the existing system was, both for the small space and for its time. It was a 1990's DSC PC2550 with three keypads (two swanky LCD600's), two speakers, several proximity sensors, wired telephone line with remote call-in, and a wireless Rokonet hub talking to a glass break sensor. All sensors are normally closed, the entry zones have dual redundant contacts, and there are even contacts on select interior doors.
I wonder if a DSC rep lived here. Or, maybe the owners had been broken into and spared no expense to ensure it would never happen again.
Over time I ended up rewiring most of the system. All of the windows have been replaced, which meant new contacts (replacing the leaky press-fits with interior surface mounts). Then I had hardwood floors installed, so all of the wires which ran under carpet -- six zones, one speaker and two keypads -- needed to be moved.
Finally I have the Elk and ISY-994i! Right now it is just hooked up to the existing zones and two Insteon water leak sensors. My priority is to protect the place against water and natural gas leaks, so the Elk water shutoff valve, a thermostat (freeze alarm), and fire/CO/gas detectors are high on the list. In the meantime, I'll add some wall switches for scene fun.
Many thanks to Spanky for his recommendation* to silence the siren. I live in a dense neighborhood. If an alarm is triggered, I'd rather get eK notifications, and then call my neighbors if needed. The beeping keypads are already good enough to scare off intruders. I'm hoping to learn more tricks here.
(* Can't post links as a newbie.
Cocoontech topic: /7055-elk-m1-siren-volume/ )
This turned into a novel. Sorry. Just excited to start automating!
After spending time drooling over a friend's M1G, I am finally the proud owner of one myself.
I bought a 1400sf townhouse some eight years ago which came with a wired alarm. After moving in, I realized just how overkill the existing system was, both for the small space and for its time. It was a 1990's DSC PC2550 with three keypads (two swanky LCD600's), two speakers, several proximity sensors, wired telephone line with remote call-in, and a wireless Rokonet hub talking to a glass break sensor. All sensors are normally closed, the entry zones have dual redundant contacts, and there are even contacts on select interior doors.
I wonder if a DSC rep lived here. Or, maybe the owners had been broken into and spared no expense to ensure it would never happen again.
Over time I ended up rewiring most of the system. All of the windows have been replaced, which meant new contacts (replacing the leaky press-fits with interior surface mounts). Then I had hardwood floors installed, so all of the wires which ran under carpet -- six zones, one speaker and two keypads -- needed to be moved.
Finally I have the Elk and ISY-994i! Right now it is just hooked up to the existing zones and two Insteon water leak sensors. My priority is to protect the place against water and natural gas leaks, so the Elk water shutoff valve, a thermostat (freeze alarm), and fire/CO/gas detectors are high on the list. In the meantime, I'll add some wall switches for scene fun.
Many thanks to Spanky for his recommendation* to silence the siren. I live in a dense neighborhood. If an alarm is triggered, I'd rather get eK notifications, and then call my neighbors if needed. The beeping keypads are already good enough to scare off intruders. I'm hoping to learn more tricks here.
(* Can't post links as a newbie.
Cocoontech topic: /7055-elk-m1-siren-volume/ ) This turned into a novel. Sorry. Just excited to start automating!
