Tips for newbie

[dsiroky]

I purchased an Omni Pro & dealer installation kit that is going into my new house.

Is there a good document somewhere with tips on how to do the installation?

I've read the owner & installation manuals, but what's is lacking in the docs is some information on best practices - how many zones to use per room, how to name them, whether to put motion sensors and window/door sensors on the same zone. Whether to wire smoke sensors to individual zones, or interconnect them etc.

Does anyone have a good reference for this type of information? I imagine much of it would be generic / not specific to HAI.

 

[Desert_AIP]

This site is probably the best source.
The best I found prior to doing my install anyway.

I spent quite a bit of time scrolling through threads, making notes and Googling.
I didn't find a whole lot outside of this site by Googling.
Get on the HAI Knowledge Base and read through the stuff there. Some of it is dated, but they are continually adding new items.
HAI has a planning document that is a page or two.

For zones, there are some current threads discussing it right now.

I made every door a separate zone and each bank of windows in a room a separate zone. That way I can tell where a violation occurs.
Each room's smoke detector is a separate one as well.

On the controller I grouped like zones together. So all the windows are consecutive zones, likewise doors, etc.
Some zones are particular to zone types (smokes, temp sensors, Tstats), so plan out your install on paper or on a spreadsheet.
Then review it, reflect on it and make modifications before you drill your first hole.

 

[dsiroky]

So I've mapped everything out in Excel and have some idea of my overall wiring needs. So far I am at 39 zones in total including:

• 4 x fire detectors
• 4 x motion detectors
• 2 x CO detectors
• 2 x omni consoles with speakers/mics
• 2 x 16 port zone expanders
• 1 x Omnistat2
• 1 x weatherproof keypad
• all 5 serial ports in use
• 2 swipe card readers each with a door strike
• 1 x external temperature sensor
• 1 x flashing light
• internal & external sounders
• 2 way voice module

I also have the HiFi2 that I want to hook up to the paging output.

As I lay everything out trying to get it all to fit into a 42" can - I definately have a few questions.

1) Do I need a Power Supply Board (83A00-2) to power all these devices, or will they all just work off the security panel? Which devices need to get wired to the power supply board vs the omnipro board?

2) The HiFi2 on the structured panel didn't come with those black plastic grommet things to mount the plate on the can, (but the OmniPro did. Where do I get those things?

3) Feedback - the ribbon connector on the two way voice module is pretty poor - I've already had 3 leads from the ribbon seperate from the PCB and will need to dig my soldering iron out to reconnect the ribbon. This really should have been designed better (like the connector on the zone expansion board) it also should have come with a propper structured mounting plate, vs some cheap velcro to stick on the side of a can. It turns out it doesn't fit on the side of a 42" leviton can, because the can isn't wide enough.

4) I have the 19a00-1 - 8 relay module, I was going to use it to control my low voltage landscaping lighting, but silly me when I ordered it, I didn't realize it would use up all 8 of my voltage outputs, and it turns out I need 3 voltage outputs for the outside flashing light, omnistat2 & the weatherproof keypad, so I can now only use 5 of the relays. I probably should have ordered the 4 relay module instead of the 8. Too late for that now - but - is there a structured mounting plate for the 19a00-1 ?

5) I got all my gear at Automated Outlet including a Leviton 42" can with a solid door and lock for this to fit in, but I seem to remember reading something about the HiFi2 enclosure having vents on it. I do want to have all this equipment in 1 structured can, vs multiple - but is it ok to put the HiFi2 behind in a can with a solid door, or does it need to be a ventilated door?

 

[Desert_AIP]

You have to add up all the loads.
The sirens are there own circuit, limited to 1A total load MAX. The ATM Piezo sounders are loud and draw very little current.

The 12V circuit is a separate circuit (all three 12VDC, AUX and Switched) limited to 1A max. All your consoles, motion detectors,glass breaks, 12V smokes, voice board, etc., run off that. This is where you may need a backup supply.

The ouputs are their own individual circuits limited to 100mA each zone.

The black grommets are a common part.
Worthington has them, I'd be surprised if AO didn't. They are an HAI or Leviton part. Google them. I think Lowes has them via the OnQ brand.
They break every once in a while so I bought a small bag of replacements (12 I think).

I have my voice board on the top of my Leviton can.

The 19A00-1 fits in the small HAI can srewing in some standoffs. I don't think I've seen a plate for it.
You could probably put it on one of the Leviton brackets.

Remember
The Tstats take one zone and one output, but they all go on just those two.
Every Temperature sensor needs it's own zone, and a humidity sensor takes another zone.
If you want to trip on a single temperature for some reason then you will probably need to daisy chain the temperature sensor outpu to another zone to do that.

 

[dsiroky]

It sure would be nice if all the HAI loads were listed in one place for quick reference.

I did notice that the two way voice module alone claims to draw up to 500mA, so that's half of my 1A limit right there just on that one module.

500mA - 2 way voice module
80mA - 2 x hard wire expanders (40mA each)
15mA - temperature sensor
25mA - weatherproof keypad
300mA - 2 card readers (150mA each + strike)
??? - 8 zone LV relay

This alone would seem to push me over the edge, and that's without considering how much power the actual door strike uses (450mA each), and without hooking up any smoke/fire/motion sensors, so it seems I'll need the power board.

I'll get AO to ship me some of those black grommets

 

[Desert_AIP]

The specs for the voice module are 500mA max, but I haven't seen that. That may be max while attached to two 4 Ohm speakers. I think it's closer to 200mA, and only when it is speaking. Most of the time it is probably less than 50mA.

The hardwire expanders are powered off the board bus and don't count toward your 1A limits.

The relays each have their own output. Each one of those zones can supply 100mA. I believe the relay contacts are something like 20mA. So they don't count toward the 12VDC limit.

The strikes, like the voice module, only take power when operating.

Are the card readers pulling 150mA sitting idle?

You may need an aux power supply to run the card readers and strikes. Everything else can run off the Omni.

 

[jdk972003]

Quick suggestion...remove those layout plans from the thread.

Although it does help for us understanding your design; it also happens to be a perfect map for some jerk to defeat everything your putting in to protect your family. Its too detailed to share online. PM it around if you need to although I would even be careful with that. If you are going through the trouble of installing a great system like this, do not share the exact details; and as my step brother (an installer) once said,

"Don't trust people with your security information online, and if you can see them face to face, trust them less."

I always took that to mean being paranoid when dealing with your security system is the only way to insure it retains its value.

As for your plan, you have no video coverage of the garage windows on the left side or of the front of the house (Office, Kitchen, WIP). I do like your plans though, fairly concise and thought out. You might consider running wire/sensors for ALL doors including closets etc. A lot of people on here automate closet/room lights and such with doors opening and closing.

Otherwise looks like you have a lot of fun coming up!

 

[electron]

Thanks for the report Bal. I removed the link since it contained too much personal info. dsiroky, if you need help sharing this info without the personal details, send me a PM, and I can help. I also recommend you rename/delete the existing file, in case a search engine already indexed it.

 

[dsiroky]

Thanks Bal for looking out for me - it was definately a mistake on my part - I have a version of the plans that has all my personal info removed. I import them into powerpoint and then use powerpoint to mark them up. I must have used an old file and accidentally posted my address. I really appreciate you flagging it and getting the link removed. I'll post an updated file once I've had a chance to sanitize it.

From a planning perspective, I don't have video coverage or window sensors on the garage because the windows are fixed. I do have a motion sensor behind the windows - it seemed to me to make more sense than a glass break sensor, but that was mainly for familiarity - I don't know how reliable glass break sensors are.

I might think about repositioning one of the rear cameras to provide some additional coverage on the front of the house.

Good to know that many of those devices don't count to the 1A limit. It seems the only real issue I'm likely to have is possibly with the door strikes, and knowing whether I can run 2 HAI card readers and 2 HAI door strikes from the omnipro. The instructions from them claim the card readers draw 150mA each, but I haven't measured it personally. I also don't know how much the strikes use, but I would assume they would not be operating at the same time, so I probably wouldn't need to double up the door strike load. If that's the case I might be able to get away without an additional power supply.

 

[tmbrown97]

I generally suggest glassbreak and motion sensors; the advantage of the glassbreak is triggering the alarm the second they make contact with the glass, not after they're already inside. Once they're in and the alarm is going off, they're still likely to grab what fits in their hands and run out - probably leaving one of your garage doors open in the process.