Re: DIY'er Questions - Any Help Appreciated

["Vacu Flo" <sodom@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm just a homeowner.  We moved into a house with an existing system, no
monitoring company.  We decided to keep it that way, and added an
auto-dialer.  We programmed it to call us at work and leave a message, and
also page us.  So far it's worked like a champ.  Here's the one we bought.
I believe we also had to purchase and install a relay.  They can provide you
with the tech support you need.  It wasn't difficult.

http://norcoalarms.com/detail_pages/ad2001.htm


<nafhsuramai@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1119101563.362737.207870@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I am in the planning stages of installing my own home alarm system and
> have some questions I am hoping some of the professionals in this group
> can help me with.
>
> 1. An alarm technician my company does business with spoke highly of
> Ademco.  From reading this group I know many of you use Ademco as well.
>  Of all the current model Ademco's which one would be most highly
> recommended or conversely generally have the least problems associated
> with it.  I am currently researching the Vista 10, 15 & 20 but I
> don't understand the main differences between them.  From what I have
> learned I would need an Ademco 6139 or 6160 keypad to program any of
> these panels.  What are the main differences between these keypads?  I
> am more interested in whichever is easier to read and less confusing
> for my wife to be able to understand.
>
> 2. If not Ademco I am open to any suggestions regarding other systems.
> My goal is to keep this system as simple as possible.  I don't plan
> to have the system monitored.  I am basically looking to know if
> someone has broken in when I am home so I can be ready to defend myself
> and my family.  If I am not home I'd imagine the alarm would likely
> scare most burglars away and I have plenty of neighbors who are almost
> always home who I would hope would make the call for me.  I would
> however like the system to have the capability to dial my cell phone so
> I would know it had been tripped.  Is this something most panels would
> already have or something I'd need to add on.
>
> 3. In keeping with my intention not to have this system monitored, once
> the alarm is tripped how long is the typical cutoff time for the system
> to sound until?  If memory serves me correct when my neighbor's alarm
> has gone off when he was not home his alarm sounded for around five
> minutes.  After this period of time is the system inactive, active and
> able to detect a different zone other than the one that was tripped or
> are all zones active again including the one that was tripped?
>
> 4. Which systems (or which Ademco systems if any) have a voice alarm
> where when the alarm is tripped the system announces something such as
> "the police have been notified" or something similar.  I would
> suspect this is an effective feature and I would think in the middle of
> the night it would be better to be woken up to that rather than an
> ear-piercing siren.
>
> 5. How do security systems differentiate a security alarm signal from a
> fire alarm    signal?  Is the same "audible tone" generated when
> either is activated or are they distinct?
>
> 6. The house is a cape style home with two finished levels and a full
> basement.  The basement is wide open, measures 24' x 34' and the
> only entrance points are two small ground level windows and a steel
> bulkhead all along the same wall.  I am wondering if the approach
> should be switches on all three, a beam sensor across all three or
> simply one motion for the whole basement and maybe reinforce the
> entrance points (i.e. bars on inside of windows.)  My focus on this and
> really all parts of the system is highest reliability and on minimizing
> false alarms.
>
> 7. While it would be great if I had the time and money required to
> alarm every window in the house I unfortunately have neither.  I have a
> rear sliding patio door I believe would be a likely point of entry for
> a thief and I'd like to protect that with a glass-break detector for
> the door and a motion detector for that room as a back-up to the
> glass-break detector.  Assuming I use a motion in that room I would
> want it armed at night.  If I were to go in that room at night however
> I would set it off.  Is it possible however to use a dual-technology
> peripheral for this one room and wire/program the system so that the
> glass-break detector is on a 24 hour zone and the motion detector is on
> an "away" zone or would I need to use two different peripherals for
> this?
>
> As some general information I will be installing the system myself and
> I will be using 80% hardwired devices and limiting my wireless devices
> to those areas where running wire to them is either impractical or
> impossible.  I plan to purchase the equipment from ADI through a
> neighbor who has an account there.  I am asking these questions here
> rather than of him since he deals with ADI through his work as a
> commercial surveillance system technician and has very little knowledge
> of security alarm systems.
>
> As professionals I value your opinion and appreciate your input.  I
> will check this thread for replies but if you would rather e-mail a
> reply please feel free to do so.
>
> Thanks again.
>
> -Steve
>