Home Alarm with option to access info away from home

[Kneedragger]

First off, sorry Kneedragger, didn't mean to post this in your thread.

No problem I'm not selfish. :thumbsup:

 

[KK]

OK so if I go with

• DSC PowerSeries (1555, 1555 MX, 1575, 5010 (832), 5020 (864), 1616, 1832, 1864)
• Honeywell Vista Panels (Vista20P, 21P, 15P, and 10P)

I can add the EnvisaLink3 http://wwwtest.eyezon.com/?page_id=176 to my system and access it through the internet and get alerts. Seems pretty straight forward.

Anyone have any issues with this setup so far?

Whats your take on brands? Which one is better to go with the Honeywell or DSC hardware?

Thanks

If you happen to go Honeywell, make sure you get an alphanumeric keypad(6160) as the programming is a lot more simple. I haven't done it without the 6160 keypad so I don't know how bad it would be trying it on a non alphanumeric one.

As far as what's better, Honeywell or dcs, I couldn't tell you. I went with Honeywell for the tuxedo keypad with the zwave capabilities and it's compatibility with the eyeZon. I did have an alarm installer come out to our rental property to put in a monitored system for the tenents. I didn't want to do it myself because the cell service sucks at that property and based upon what service was best would have determine the panel brand. Verizon I believe was the Honeywell vista 20p panel rebranded as a first alert 168 panel, and the AT&T based panel would have been a ge panel. Luckily the Honeywell worked fine. As he was installing it, I asked him what was the worst panel. He said dcs, I don't know what reason he had for basing the opinion like that. Only thing I could think why he said that is because his company doesn't install dcs panels but would program them to be monitored, and he probably hadn't much training on it.

 

[KK]

No programming needed for a DSC system. That's the difference. Hook up four wires, connect Ethernet cable. Go to website enter MAC, wait ten minutes and log in at site and finish up.

Have you clicked around at the site much? A lot of things are links that don't look like links. I entered descriptions for all the zones and entered in our names assigned to User Numbers as reported by the alarm. So I know by name who did what.

You didn't have to set your system up for an extra keypad address? That was the one thing I had to do on the Honeywell system along with turning on what type of reports to send to the eyeZon board. There may have been another setting or so, but those were the major ones I remember.

One thing that was mentioned somewhere in the thread was the wireless add on, Honeywell has a 6160rf keypad that will do 16 wireless zones.

Yeah, I've seen that zone naming and user naming menus. I've got about half of the 13 zones we got labeled. I really like the eyeZon so far. SMS seems to work well, and I like being able to see the last time a Zone was trigger or cleared.

 

[boomerang]

You didn't have to set your system up for an extra keypad address? That was the one thing I had to do on the Honeywell system along with turning on what type of reports to send to the eyeZon board. There may have been another setting or so, but those were the major ones I remember.

One thing that was mentioned somewhere in the thread was the wireless add on, Honeywell has a 6160rf keypad that will do 16 wireless zones.

Yeah, I've seen that zone naming and user naming menus. I've got about half of the 13 zones we got labeled. I really like the eyeZon so far. SMS seems to work well, and I like being able to see the last time a Zone was trigger or cleared.

Negative on the keypad address. For whatever reason, compatible DSC systems just recognize it for what it is and let it do its thing.

DSC has wireless keypads that will do that too. This stuff can get a little hairy when planning out a new system or adding on. Right now, I've used up all my zones. I purchased a temperature alarm and neglected to do my homework first - no zone left to integrate it into the system.

I can get a zone expander board that will give me 8 more zones and I will be good to go. However I'm wondering if it just might be time to upgrade to a newer system. I will still need a zone expander but I will pick up some features that I'd like to have with a new system board. We have a lot of power failures here. A lot... My keypads start beeping after a few minutes on battery backup. I can manually press a key to turn off the beeping but it's a real drag in the middle of the night. With a newer version I'll have the option to disable that feature entirely. No beeps ever. The other thing is that my system is hard programmed for DST changes how we used to have them. It can't be changed. The newer systems can be custom tailored. The DST thing is not that big a deal but the backup battery beep feature I would really, really like to have.

Only $55 to replace the main board. But...then it all has to be programmed. My system is all hardwired so I can just tag the wires and swap them to the new board. But programming - yuck.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[Kneedragger]

If you happen to go Honeywell, make sure you get an alphanumeric keypad(6160) as the programming is a lot more simple. I haven't done it without the 6160 keypad so I don't know how bad it would be trying it on a non alphanumeric one.

As far as what's better, Honeywell or dcs, I couldn't tell you. I went with Honeywell for the tuxedo keypad with the zwave capabilities and it's compatibility with the eyeZon. I did have an alarm installer come out to our rental property to put in a monitored system for the tenents. I didn't want to do it myself because the cell service sucks at that property and based upon what service was best would have determine the panel brand. Verizon I believe was the Honeywell vista 20p panel rebranded as a first alert 168 panel, and the AT&T based panel would have been a ge panel. Luckily the Honeywell worked fine. As he was installing it, I asked him what was the worst panel. He said dcs, I don't know what reason he had for basing the opinion like that. Only thing I could think why he said that is because his company doesn't install dcs panels but would program them to be monitored, and he probably hadn't much training on it.

Thanks

 

[KK]

Negative on the keypad address. For whatever reason, compatible DSC systems just recognize it for what it is and let it do its thing.

DSC has wireless keypads that will do that too. This stuff can get a little hairy when planning out a new system or adding on. Right now, I've used up all my zones. I purchased a temperature alarm and neglected to do my homework first - no zone left to integrate it into the system.

I can get a zone expander board that will give me 8 more zones and I will be good to go. However I'm wondering if it just might be time to upgrade to a newer system. I will still need a zone expander but I will pick up some features that I'd like to have with a new system board. We have a lot of power failures here. A lot... My keypads start beeping after a few minutes on battery backup. I can manually press a key to turn off the beeping but it's a real drag in the middle of the night. With a newer version I'll have the option to disable that feature entirely. No beeps ever. The other thing is that my system is hard programmed for DST changes how we used to have them. It can't be changed. The newer systems can be custom tailored. The DST thing is not that big a deal but the backup battery beep feature I would really, really like to have.

Only $55 to replace the main board. But...then it all has to be programmed. My system is all hardwired so I can just tag the wires and swap them to the new board. But programming - yuck.

Decisions, decisions.

Yeah, it's all about planning what and how you are going monitor and then fitting the system to match the requirements.

Boomer, how is your system laid out, how many zones? Mine at this house has 13 hard wired zones, no fire zones. 6 of the zones are doubled zoned. I never realized that was a possibilities til I started looking at how the old ge panel we had was laid out. Converting over to the Honeywell pretty much just required a resistor swap out to what the Honeywell required for the double zoning. The only other thing was to get a siren to replace the speaker as the vista did a sound driver.

 

[Kneedragger]

Ok, anyone got experience with Revo, Night Owl or Swann for systems? Found these that seem ok. Looks like they have access to the DVR from outside the network, email or alert notifications and motion detection for recording and alerts.

Any thoughts ?

http://www.revoamerica.com/Products/ProductCatalog/tabid/210/a/View/p/184/R84T6G-1T.aspx

http://www.nightowlsp.com/Products/Special-Bundles/LB-8DVR10-86

http://www.swann.com/s/products/view/?product=1635

I'm wondering which brand has the best setup for accessing content from outside of the network.

Thanks

 

[spacejamz]

Central monitoring is useless as it takes the cops 10 mins to show up, by then, its too late.

WTF?? Exactly what is your expectation of a home alarm system that is monitored?

It takes few minutes for monitoring company to call you to verify if there is a problem once your alarm is triggered. If there is a problem, they need to call the police, which will take probably at least 10 minutes for them to show up.

 

[Kneedragger]

Also it looks like others have better results hooking up PIR motion detectors to the DVR for less false alarms. Anyone doing this? What do I look for in a DVR that supports this?

 

[boomerang]

Yeah, it's all about planning what and how you are going monitor and then fitting the system to match the requirements.

Boomer, how is your system laid out, how many zones? Mine at this house has 13 hard wired zones, no fire zones. 6 of the zones are doubled zoned. I never realized that was a possibilities til I started looking at how the old ge panel we had was laid out. Converting over to the Honeywell pretty much just required a resistor swap out to what the Honeywell required for the double zoning. The only other thing was to get a siren to replace the speaker as the vista did a sound driver.

I have a ranch style home with an attached garage and a basement.

Eight zones. Several are combined.

Front door and the door from the garage to house are on one zone with a disarm delay. One keypad by door from garage to house.

Service door in garage with a glass break detector on the window are on one zone - instant.

Motion in hallway leading to bedrooms - instant.

Motion in dining area - instant.

Two bedrooms have glass break detectors on windows, 3 windows total, on one zone - instant.

Master bedroom has glass break detectors on both windows, one zone - instant. Second keypad in bedroom.

Four basement windows have wires stretched across the openings, one zone - instant. 18 gage wires with a snap in connector on one end. If they try to come through one of those windows, there is no way they can without breaking the circuit.

Sliding door from dining to deck - instant.

I have a smoke detector in the hallway leading to the bedrooms and a rate of rise heat detector in the unfinished basement close to the furnace each on a PGM zone. There are two PGM zones on the panel. My understanding is that they can only be used for fire related sensors. I'm a little sketchy on this.

The siren I have is actually a speaker with a separate driver in the alarm box. That thing is so friggin' loud it will practically make your ears bleed. It is mounted in the basement rafters pointing up the stairway.

 

[boomerang]

WTF?? Exactly what is your expectation of a home alarm system that is monitored?

It takes few minutes for monitoring company to call you to verify if there is a problem once your alarm is triggered. If there is a problem, they need to call the police, which will take probably at least 10 minutes for them to show up.

I think what he's saying is that the bad guys will be gone before the cops arrive so why pay for monitoring.

 

[spacejamz]

I think what he's saying is that the bad guys will be gone before the cops arrive so why pay for monitoring.

So that you know within 10 minutes that the cops will be on the way instead of coming home from work and finding out all of your shit is gone? I would rather that the thieves only have 10 minutes inside my house instead of 20 or 30 minutes or longer...

 

[boomerang]

So that you know within 10 minutes that the cops will be on the way instead of coming home from work and finding out all of your shit is gone? I would rather that the thieves only have 10 minutes inside my house instead of 20 or 30 minutes or longer...

Well, you're making some assumptions.

For the sake of argument assume you're the burglar.

You break in. The siren is going off. It's really loud. Is the alarm monitored or not?

If you think it is, what do you do?

If you think not, what do you do?

If you're unsure, what do you do?

 

[spacejamz]

Well, you're making some assumptions.

For the sake of argument assume you're the burglar.

You break in. The siren is going off. It's really loud. Is the alarm monitored or not?

If you think it is, what do you do?

If you think not, what do you do?

If you're unsure, what do you do?

If a burglar is stupid enough to hang around my place for more than 10 - 15 minutes, they deserve to be caught...

 

[gerard143]

Reviving an old thread here but I saw a few of you use a honeywell vista panel with the eyezon envisilink card. I had a specific question..... The tuxedo touch has a pretty slick web server interface accessible from devices with no subscription required. The problem is I want sms alerts and I don't wanna pay for total connect. So if I go with this eyezon card am I stuck with their kind of crappy web interface or can I use that just for alerts and still somehow access the cool tuxedo web server that mocks the touch panel

 

[Adul]

Try any of the companies that use Alarm.com. I have one and its been great. I even have some locks tied into the alarm system.

Costco sells one that works with this service if you want to self install.

 

[gerard143]

Were u replying to my post or someone else's?

I am confused by the reply as it isn't really relevant to anything I was asking