Wired Home Alarm System Recommendations?

[RoccoLeach]

My house is prewired for alarm, but has no system. I'm looking for something simple on the user panels (ie. hit one or 2 buttons to arm), but also, something with smartphone control/notifications?

Internet results proved confusing, like it's a secretive business. does there exists such a thing?

sorry if there's a thread already, search only seemed to return older threads
I have 16 zones, I do not wish to use wireless, and would like one motion sensor.

Also looking for something that can be used with, or without a service contract.
 
Thanks

 

[RAL]

There are many choices that would do the job.   And they can be used with or without a central station monitoring service.  You don't need to be tied down with a service contract, as there are monitoring services that go month by month, and cost as little $9 a month.  Many people here will advise you against doing self monitoring and to go with a monitoring service.  But that doesn't mean you can't still have notifications sent to your cell phone.
 
One thing that will help narrow down the choices of an alarm panel is whether you think you also want to get into any sort of home automation, or whether you just want home security.
 
It sounds like you want to install the alarm system yourself, correct?
 
Do the doors and windows have contacts installed, or is there just a wire buried in the wall nearby? 

 

[RoccoLeach]

I plan on monitor service, but want something standalone if money got tight.. No contacts installed yet. Have a contractor that will install them $10/each and he said based on what I pick he's give me a price to terminate in a system. Does any alarm work with notification ability? I'm not too sure the interface and how it works.

 

[RoccoLeach]

I don't think I'll want my panel to control home automation, but it would be nice to have it be controlled by another system, as I may plan on future upgrade with a wireless controller.

 

[Automate]

A couple of topics that may be helpful
 
http://cocoontech.com/forums/topic/25252-which-security-system-do-i-want
 
http://cocoontech.com/forums/topic/22702-non-integrated-alarm-system-recomendations

 

[RAL]

I plan on monitor service, but want something standalone if money got tight.. No contacts installed yet. Have a contractor that will install them $10/each and he said based on what I pick he's give me a price to terminate in a system. Does any alarm work with notification ability? I'm not too sure the interface and how it works.

 
If you want a good, professional quality security system, here are some brands to consider:
 
- DSC Power Series
- Honeywell/Ademco Vista
- GE NetworX
- Napco Gemini
 
There are various models within each brand, usually supporting different numbers of hardwired and wireless zones and other expansion options.
They all designed to work with central station monitoring.  They will work with both wired and wireless devices, although wireless requires adding a wireless receiver.
 
With the DSC and Honeywell Vista, you can connect an EnvisaLink3 that allows them to be connected to the internet and send notifications to you.
I'm not familiar enough with the GE and Napco systems to say whether there is a similar solution for them.
 
If you think you want to combine security with home automation, then the ELK M1 Gold and Leviton/HAI Omni Pro II are excellent panels to look at.
 
I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it would be nice to have it be controlled by another system, as I may plan on future upgrade with a wireless controller."
 
What other system would you use to control your security panel?  Or are you thinking about having a keyfob that allows you to turn the alarm system on or off wirelessly?
All of these panels allow arming/disarming with a keyfob if you add a compatible wireless receiver.

 

[pete_c]

Welcome to the Cocootech Forum!
 
Here I do a mix of hardware (Leviton / HAI Omni Pro II) and software (Homeseer AKA "The Mothership").
 
http://cocoontech.com/forums/topic/26440-op-ii-and-arduino/?p
 
There are quite a few DIY's here on the forum relating to similiar stuff that you want and want to do.
 
Have a look and keep asking questions. 

 

[RoccoLeach]

Thanks for all the awesome replies!  It's a holiday weekend and i'm working 36 hours over the 3 day span, but when i get some down time i'll look into all this info.
 

If you want a good, professional quality security system, here are some brands to consider:
 
- DSC Power Series
- Honeywell/Ademco Vista
- GE NetworX
- Napco Gemini
 
There are various models within each brand, usually supporting different numbers of hardwired and wireless zones and other expansion options.
They all designed to work with central station monitoring.  They will work with both wired and wireless devices, although wireless requires adding a wireless receiver.
 
With the DSC and Honeywell Vista, you can connect an EnvisaLink3 that allows them to be connected to the internet and send notifications to you.
I'm not familiar enough with the GE and Napco systems to say whether there is a similar solution for them.
 
If you think you want to combine security with home automation, then the ELK M1 Gold and Leviton/HAI Omni Pro II are excellent panels to look at.
 
I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it would be nice to have it be controlled by another system, as I may plan on future upgrade with a wireless controller."
 
What other system would you use to control your security panel?  Or are you thinking about having a keyfob that allows you to turn the alarm system on or off wirelessly?
All of these panels allow arming/disarming with a keyfob if you add a compatible wireless receiver.

 
 
 
what i mean is: i already have home automation that works together with all sorts of devices.
 
http://www.plumlife.com/  is one, i pledged for a 20 pack of these
also have http://www.securifi.com/almondplus on order
 
so when i get them in and installed, i wonder if there would be an alarm i can say arm from these automation controllers?
 
and RAL, those are my initials, kinda thought the post of your was my own when checking on my smartphone the last post.

 

[pete_c]

Yup here playing with the Almond Plus.  Progress is moving along.  Its been working fine with all of the little Zigbee and Z-Wave trinkets.
 
Here is just a quickie browser view of the Almond Plus (WIndows 8.1 running on nada - fully featured W81 on a tiny PC)
 

i wonder if there would be an alarm i can say arm from these automation controllers?

 
I can say "arm" to the tabletop touchscreen.  I am currently utilizing the new Windows SAPI and Neospeech Voice fonts with it.  (mostly Neospeech in the house mixed in with a bit of AT&T and some other stuff).  VR is included; but use it rarely.
 
Side note - thinking of converting all my tablet top touchscreens over to WIndows 8.1; I like it; its appetizing.
 

 
Here is the web page (in internetlandia).
 

 
Almond Plus internal web page
 

 
Almond Plus OpenWRT Page
 

 

I have 16 zones, I do not wish to use wireless, and would like one motion sensor.
Also looking for something that can be used with, or without a service contract.

 
Well both the plum and Almond Plus are wireless devices and both talk to the cloud.  That said there is / will be an optional "cloudless" feature for the Almond Plus.
 
The two aforementioned combo alarm and automation panels can work with wireless or wired sensors.

 

[RoccoLeach]

When I say not wireless, I'm talking about the sensors. I wish to use the wired sensors.

 

[pete_c]

Then you can do a mixture of the two and it depends on how much you want to integrate or purchase "off the shelf" or keep separate.
 
This is much my opinion plus stuff learned over the years.  
 
This forum is a DIYer tinkering forum made up of folks that have software, hardware, professional automation / security and DIY automation and security backgrounds. 
 
In all of these little worlds here you have folks that do take it to the XX level relating to hardware and software. 
 
While searching here for your personal needs; look and read what other folks have done.
 
Some of it will be an easy read; while some of it will not be.
 
Many of the folks here breath, sleep and eat technologies in an engineering and software development sense; sometimes well beyond the average person that just uses the technology whether that is a telephone PDA or a tablet or a laptop or desktop computer.  Their comprehension of said technologies is way different than many folks looking to utilize said technologies. 
 
Personally many folks do state its plug n play and it can be plug n play depending on the understanding of said security or automation or both technologies and software/firmware or OS's utilized.
 
1 -Security Only
 
Existing wires and stuff can be connected to mentioned below security panels.  You can DIY these installations and purchase central station station monitoring reasonably these days. These guys were always in the security business but never integrated automation with security. They basically offered the most cost effective means to access their leased/purchased equipment to you which was a keypad. 
 
That was all you got.  You could turn on and turn off the alarm.  That was it.
 
"Cost effective" or "most profitable" or "best return of monies invested" was/is for the provider of said equipment or service. 
 
Yesterday and today they use a the great selling point of how much per month are you willing to pay for security and peace of mind.  Truly those technically not inclined to be familiar with what is being utilized hardware and software wise will pay whatever it takes for that "peace of mind".
 
You can self monitor or use central station monitoring and or have an alarm company install said stuff and pay them a monthly fee.  Its up to you what you want to do. 
 
The "language" to talk to these panels has been reverse engineered or distributed by said mfg's such that you can today talk with proprietary written software provided that the transport medium is there whatever it may be (serial, network wired or wireless to name a few). 
 
Many of these companies see the market now but are waiting for someone else to do the software development rather than them invest any resources in said stuff.  It is much less cost prohibitive means of R & D.  I personally looked at security and automation integration with companies like Honeywell and Tyco in the late 2000's for multiple building management for one gas and oil company.  I saw much vaporware.  They didn't have anything I wanted at the time and all they could offer up was what technologies they did have which were legacy at best (20 year old technology "dressed" up to look new but very primitive).  I said (in a literal sense) to them "show me" and actually laughed at their power point presentations of what they even were thinking of doing.
 
Relating to fire and safety issues; personally I lean towards central station monitoring.  There are many legitimate low cost central station monitoring for the DIY person out there providing services at a reasonable cost; if you know what you are doing.
 
These systems were made for alarm company installation, they are not DIY friendly and historically communications to them has been cryptic and proprietary at best for a reason.  The DIY / self install / self monitoring  was never promoted with these. The market didn't exist.
 
RAL mentioned:
 
- DSC Power Series
- Honeywell/Ademco Vista
- GE NetworX
- Napco Gemini
 
2 - Security and Automation I (old school - grandpappy's of integration) - These two companies integrated the two way before anyone else.  Funny that many folks purchased these for the purpose of security and automation integration but never got past the security pieces.
 
- Elk
- Leviton / HAI
 
These companies utilized lighting automation technologies that started in the late 1970's (X10) plus other wired proprietary technologies. Home computers started to get popular and said computers started to talk to these technologies.  Personally here I did play with computers like the Commodore, Apple, Radio Shack, IBM and did in fact talk to my then lighting stuff using X10.  The mixture though was mostly only automation.  That said though I did purchase a test panel in the 1980's which integrated security, voice stuff and X10.  It was very primitive and worked fine though.  Around the late 1990's- 2000's Automation Software companies figured out how to talk to these two aforementioned panels and wrote software to control and manage these panels.  Homeseer, Main Lobby, Haiku, et al.  These companies figured out the "language" that the panels utilized and created software to talk to the panels.  That said you were able to get the best of both worlds here.  The controller was was a device that could manage multiple pieces of hardware.  The software only spoke to one hardware controller (or more). This did provide a low cost 3rd methodology to talk to these panels as the proprietary software / touch interfaces provided by said companies were expensive.
 
3 - Automation II (new old school) - Over the years many companies did do high end proprietary embedded automation controllers.  That said these were at a cost much too high for the average tinkerer and they really touched security keeping it separate. (Crestron, Control 4 et al). The over 50K spend here for a greater than 500K or more home well out of the reach of most homeowners. These companies while promoting their proprietary automation never really did venture into the security pieces and left those mostly to the above mentioned companies with no integration.
 
4 - Lighting Automation II (new school) - Everybody now starts to play - Initially in their autonomous worlds each saying their way is better.  In 10 short years lighting automation technologies go from X10 to X10/Insteon + Insteon + Z-Wave + Zigbee + Wired techologies (mixing HV and LV).  It is promoted as a DIY for HV lighting integration.  The only thing is that most homeowners are not electricians and many homeowners stick to the external lighting modules and appliance modules because its mostly easy and very cost reasonable to do.  Automation for the masses is now present.  Folks carry around little portable computers. These little computers all talk to the internet 24/7.  The "cloud" is invented.  It was always there though and spoken about but difficult to utilize without a 24/7 connection or pipe in the 2000's.  Companies though did promote the push of data to and from the cloud back then; but it wasn't prevalent and not everyone was connected to the cloud with their telephones back then.
 
5 - Lighting and Security Automation II (new school) - Evolving and moving towards a partial DIY and by the month thing.  The non engineer / computer type lay person none technical person will be purchasing automation / security stuff which talks to the cloud but you will not really own it; but rather pay for it by the month.  It is today a tiered level of a montly payment and will be priced accordingly.  IE: how much security or automation do you want and willing to pay for by the month.  Note that I am being a bit cynical here mostly because the methodologies are working.
 
To be continued.....

 

[RoccoLeach]

Wow, thanks for your reply, I'm highly technically capable, but have only worked in commercial and industrial systems. I've done simplex programming, and work with all sorts of industrial automation (Siemens, controllogix, motion control, etc). I came here asking some product recommendations, as the literature is scarse. With my home automation, and ube systems, with your help, I'm leaning torwards the m1.

 

[RoccoLeach]

The Elk M1 seems sufficient.  Any recommendations on where to purchase it?

 

[206]

The Elk M1 seems sufficient.  Any recommendations on where to purchase it?

I went through all this recently. Got my M1 from Automated Outlet. They are on Elk's list of approved retailers so Elk will honor their warranty if purchased through AO. I talked to a very knowledgable rep at AO. I haven't needed any support help, but AO seems to have a good reputation for support.

Good luck!