Tomographic Sensors

[caudingo]

First time poster, please be kind ;-) I've been reading these forums for a few months and got so much invaluable information. So thanks a lot to all the active members for sharing their knowledge!
 
I haven't found any discussions about tomographic sensors (like Xandem): I'm planning my new house and the technology seems very promising, eliminating the need for open/close or other sensors (or so they claim). Is it something that isn't mature enough for actual installations? Or are there any other considerations?
 
Thanks a lot!
Chris

 

[RAL]

I've only read about the Xandem sensors, and they look interesting for some applications, such as commercial spaces.  Not sure they'd be what I want in a residential setting, though.
 
It looks like it would cost about $1000 to $1500 (retail) to cover a single floor of a typical house.  Using traditional, wired contacts on doors and windows, in new construction you could do it for a lot less.  Even wireless contacts would be less expensive than Xandem.  Note that if you use the Xandem sensors, you still have to run wires for power, so it's not like you would save on the labor effort of installing the wiring as as you would with a wireless system.
 
The Xandem sensors can detect motion anywhere on the entire floor.  That's probably fine when the house is unoccupied, but what about when you are home and would like to arm the alarm system in Stay mode?  It appears to me that you'd have to disable the Xandem sensors when at home, because they'll set off the alarm anytime someone moves. So without the addition of door and window contacts, you'll have no protection.  And if you do have door and window contacts, you still may want the ability to detect motion in some areas in Stay mode, but not in others. 
 
Maybe you can set up multiple single-room Xandem networks, but if you can, it wasn't clear from the documentation.
 
Some of their future products that can determine the location of the motion look much more worthwhile.  They might be good for automation as well as security purposes.
 
One other thing I wonder about is whether they will interfere with WiFi networks, since they operate on the 2.4 GHz band.

 

[caudingo]

Thanks a lot RAL for the extensive answer. You raise very good points indeed! I guess I'll stick to the "traditional" systems.
 
Thanks again!