Will this keypad wire work?

[Ira]

When I pre-wired my home (20 years ago), it looks like I ran two 22/4's (solid core, not twisted at all) to each keypad location. They are all home-run back to the location I originally planned on locating the box (at the time, a Moose security controller). I have a M1DBH that I plan on using to terminate two remote boxes and I would like to use it for my keypads, too. It looks like the existing wires to the keypads are stapled in the walls so I doubt I can use them as pull strings to pull new cat5 wire. Can I use the existing wire for the keypads, or will it cause problems because it is untwisted? I've decided to put the M1G in a different location than originally planned, so I will need to extend the existing keypad wires. I'm thinking I should cut the existing wires as close to the keypads as possible and splice in cat5e to home-run to the new M1G location. Will that work okay?

Thanks,
Ira

 

[WayneW]

The M1DBHR (r=retrofit) will work fine with 4C wire for the keypads.

 

[Ira]

The M1DBHR (r=retrofit) will work fine with 4C wire for the keypads.

But I already have the M1DBH and a bunch of open spaces in it. The question is will it work if I splice on cat5e to replace all of the keypad home-run wire I can get to (90% of the total run), put RJ45 connectors on the end, and plug them into the M!DBH? Will up to ten feet of non-cat5e (the part that is not twisted) or the splices cause a problem? Will the RS-485 data bus be negatively affected by this?

Ira

 

[WayneW]

Will up to ten feet of non-cat5e (the part that is not twisted) or the splices cause a problem?

The M1 shouldn't care about the lack of twisting or the splices, but it likely will care about the 10 foot of unterminated 4C wire. The M1DBH requires 6C wire. I would hate to see you have intermittent problems down the road when there is a solution that doesn't require hacks, splices or re-wiring.

 

[Ira]

Will up to ten feet of non-cat5e (the part that is not twisted) or the splices cause a problem?

The M1 shouldn't care about the lack of twisting or the splices, but it likely will care about the 10 foot of unterminated 4C wire. The M1DBH requires 6C wire. I would hate to see you have intermittent problems down the road when there is a solution that doesn't require hacks, splices or re-wiring.

My plan (if it wil work) is to mark one of the 4C wires behind the keypad as "striped" and connect one to each of the four "white striped" conductors in the cat5e in the attic above the keypad location. The other/unmarked 4C wire will be connected to the "solid color" cat5e conductors using the same color scheme (the 22/4 wires don't have the same color conductors as the cat5e).

Also, I will use a sharpee pen or a label to indicate on the keypad mounting plate what I've done in the attic above the keypad (for the next guy that come alongs).

Ira

 

[Digger]

Ira,

I understand what you are trying to do and it will be fine (as long as your splices are secure). You are providing all of the necessary conductors to wire it correctly. You do not need to buy the retrofit hub, however, you could have and just used 4 of the 8 conductors going to those locations and used the remaining wires for other things.

Six of one or half dozen of another.

So you know some inspectors (some not all) do not like Cat 5 for alarm systems. I personally dont use it but many people do and its fine. I would NOT use it for Smoke detector zones etc where the code is pretty clear on 18 awg etc.

 

[WayneW]

I understand what you are trying to do and it will be fine (as long as your splices are secure). You are providing all of the necessary conductors to wire it correctly.

I stand by my opinion that it MAY work, but it is not correctly terminated. The signal is supposed to make a U-turn AT THE keypad, not 10 feet before it. I would be very nervous with a 10 foot stub length casting ghosts on the network.

 

[Ira]

Thanks Digger. I will make sure I get good, secure connections.

Wayne...the u-turn will be at the keypad, not in the attic above it. Read my previous post again. The two 22/4's at the keypad will both be spliced into the cat5e conductors in the attic above the keypad (there will be eight individual splices). All eight cat5e conductors will continue to the keypad via the two 22/4 wires and wired the way it says to in the manual. They will just be untwisted and a "different" color scheme at the keypad itself.

Ira

 

[WayneW]

Ahh, sorry, I missed that you said you had TWO 22/4 to each keypad. So ignore all the comments I made about 4C wiring. You have 8C wiring. Yes, it will work.