Re: Caddx NX-8E - RS232 ASCII Codes

["Frank Olson" <feolson@xxxxxxxxxx>]

"wkearney99" <wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:eJadnS5TfOGmqEDfRVn-jA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> They might have a realistic claim in that the more people know about the
>> internals of an alarm system, the easier it will be for them to defeat
>> it.
>
> Oh and now it's the "security through obscurity" excuse?  Even more
> pathetic!


Perhaps not.  Imagine for a moment that the manufacturer *did* provide you
with the protocols.  What would you do with them??  Design your own keypad,
perhaps??  Have the system "talk" to your computer (in real time)??  What
about sending "packets" to the system in return??  Perhaps design a unit
that will "flood" the control or lock it up??  How easy would it be for
someone to enter a premise and connect such a device to the keybus within
the standard entry delay of say 30 seconds??  Not a "big deal" if it's
*your* home, right?  After all, you have insurance.  What if that individual
decided to do the same thing to the CADDX system at your local museum or
library??  It's doubtful they'd be able to walk away with anything of value
if it was a bank after hours (unless of course they could also "crack" the
vault and that employed sensors connected to the same alarm system they've
just disabled).  ELK's M1Gold is a rock solid security system, but it was
never designed to be placed in a high security environment.  It's an HA
system that blows the doors of HAI and several others in a very specific
market niche.

Feel free to continue the "security through obscurity" rant all you wish.
You don't work in the industry and Robert's primary market (even when he
did) was residential.  Robert now "caters" to a small group of people that
happen to enjoy all the modern conveniences and have the time, knowledge,
and the money to tinker (the house with "Jeanie" in it blows even me away).
I have no problem helping individuals that have an interest in installing
and laying out their own security system.  I have no "agenda" that includes
words like "I sell **** so I'm a little biased", or "I sell the **** system
through my online store and here's a link (my site)".  I am in the trade
though (contrary to Robert's frequent misleading comments otherwise), and my
clientelle includes several institutions and businesses that value the
services we provide represented by the choices we've made with respect to
the equipment we sell, install, and service.  The manufacturers whose
equipment we've chosen to represent all have a vested interest in ensuring
the integrity of their systems.  If I won't compromise my customer's
security why should they?