Where to buy sensors, switches, wire?

JimS

Senior Member
It's been quite a few years since I put in my last system and planning to add a building with expander.  Have the panel and keypad but need wire, door sensors, motions, and maybe glass break.  Lot's of places out there on the net but looking for a few pointers on who is good quality and price.  Before anyone says it - I realize I am not going to get the best quality at the lowest price.  Just looking for good quality and good price.  I can obviously look at ratings on amazon and ebay and have done some of that...
 
Over the years have gone to Amazon for this stuff.  Also use MonoPrice / Ebay.  No specific company or pricing when looking.
 
22/2 and 22/4 wire in bulk is really cheap on Ebay.  (500 foot / 1000 foot bundles).
 
Switched my wired PIR sensors to combo PIR/ Microwave sensors here.  Got a deal on Ebay for "name brand" sensors.
 
BTW here solder and heat shrink my connections using a small portable soldering torch.  
 
Thanks Pete.  One of my reasons for asking is I saw some comments on recessed switches that the conductors were very small and easily broken.  Also some comments about the gap needing to be very small.  Want to avoid those type of issues.  Will just check the details well.  I found direct bury cat5e good pricing at wireandcableyourway.com and they seem reputable.  Used them for some large power conductors as well.
 
They have tiny recessed switches now with tiny terminals.  Personally here used some switches mounted behind the wood frame of a door and tested with provided magnets to work fine.  That said you can also purchase very strong earth magnets these days.  For the orginal sensors mounted on the garage door originally used (and in place today) those steel cabled sensors.  For testing WiFi combo GDO stuff used the tiny externally mounted sensors and they work fine for me mounted on the garage tracks.
 
I have had to revisit one sensor in a door frame which was using stranded wire and the door frame shifted a bit causing the wire to stretch and break over time.
 
Thank you for the reference to wireandcableyourway dot com.
 
Interesting on the sensors behind the door frame.  No holes I guess.
 
And the small ones used on the garage door tracks.  I mounted surface mount switches on the top of my OHD but never hooked them up so not sure how well they work. 
 
Got pictures and specific links/details on the parts?
 
Removed the bottom piece of the door sweep on one door which was too much work.  Next doors removed the door frame molding on one side which was much easier.
 
 
My original set up used wired to the omni pro panel sensors and button.  
 
The new set up which was more for testing added:  (locally added as the sensors are wired to a Tasmota firmware updated WiFi SonOff switch doing MQTT
 
1 - new switches (over the old switches) for a down and up sensor (surface mounted and much more reasonably priced compared to the steel cabled sensors).
Only posted the down position garage door sensor. The top position orginal sensor is same type (bolted to the rail).  The surface mounted sensor is just stuck on to the big one.  I added a small plastic box to use as a junction for the wires.  Got a bit carried away and cut the GD door light beam sensor wires and put them in a PVC tube and soldered the wires later on. (with the reset of the sensor wires over doing it a bit).
 
2 - converting a digital open close button to an analog button (found a digital button cheap)
3 - added a temperature sensor to the WiFi concocation (just added a DSXXX to one GPIO)
 
The pictures are self explanatory.  I used the commercial type garage door sensor with 3 wires instead of 2.  (NO and NC set).  Thinking I purchased the GD sensors at Worthington.   
 
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I tested the switches with a VOM before connecting them in production.  The small surface mounted sensors worked the same as the large commercial style sensors.

Also added a combo PIR sensor (useless) and an IP Camera (28mm lens) to the garage plus the local RFID tags to each of the automobiles. Thinking of switching the camera to using a fish eye lens in the garage.

Also ran a POE cable over the garage for the irrigation box (which ran on a Seagate Dockstar Debian / mono box). (well and a touchscreen over the irrigation box).

A tad over engineered for the garage stuff.
 
BTW Home Depot is doing free deliveries. 
 
Only issue is inventory and communications and long delivery times. (3 weeks last item ordered and one was cancelled due to lack of inventory with no email communications relating to cancellation of order).
 
One thing to wach out for when buying wire and cable is whether it is pure copper or not.  There's a lot of Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA) out there, that is about 1/2 the price of pure copper.   If the label on the box doesn't say pure copper, it is probably CCA.
 
For quality contacts, pick a name brand like Honeywell, GE/Interlogix, GRI or Tane and search for good prices.  I'd stay away from no-name stuff.
 
I've had good luck with purchasing stuff from JMAC Supply.  Never used them for cable, though.  They don't always have the lowest prices, but they seem to be honest and reliable.
 
JMAC has name brand stuff and their prices looked very reasonable.  Got the stuff I needed on order this morning.  Free shipping on some things but ended up paying shipping on other things.
 
Thanks!
 
You may find there is a local supplier in your area. For example, I found out that there is a Norfolkwire branch locally (https://www.norfolkwire.com/default.aspx?Page=Home) and it is great to be able and swing by to pick up last minute supplies.

I'll plug them as well. They take on-line orders too, but it is probably easiest to just call a branch and speak with a sales person.
 
I ordered from JMAC April 21.  On the morning of My 5th I got an email asking to confirm if I got my order.  I waited several days wondering if I got it and just misplaced it or something.  Finally looked up package tracking.  They didn't create a label and ship it until very late the NEXT day, May 6th.  I should get it Monday.  Kind of slow but not a major issue.  My main gripe is they asked me if I had received it THE DAY BEFORE THEY SHIPPED IT! 
 
A little OT but I was looking for diaphragms for sprinkler valves.  Mine are old and stiff (think that's the problem - they don't always shut off) and I need to replace them all.  Not too many places stock them and just want to sell the whole valve.  A search popped up with a Home Depot link but said it was unavailable here or anywhere close, not orderable, but the price was very good.  Punched in an old zip code I had in Oregon and the stores there stock several brands and seem to be fairly available at many of the stores but in store pickup only.  Weird...  Maybe more people have irrigation there?  Ended up ordering them on line but some were twice as much.  Local "commercial" price was even more at the one place that had them.
 
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