Re: How to get DSC alarm system to communicate with my PC? (hacks/mods ?)

[Security Guy <Security@xxxxxxx>]

Mark Leuck wrote:

> You ripped out a 4010 and replaced it with a 1550?

New building we bought had a 4010 panel in the telephone room and some
small expansion panel in a second floor closet.

Total number of sensors is:

(6) motion sensors (5 are IR, 1 is IR/Microwave combo unit)
(2) entry/exit doors
(2) seldom used/emergency doors
(2) heat sensors
(2) horns
(2) keypads

First thing we did was check the internet for instructions on how to
reset the 4010 to it's factory master and installer codes.  We did
that, and downloaded pages and pages of manuals and work-sheets for
the thing, and then thought this was crazy.  We found a spare 1550
unit (with keypad) sitting in a storage room, and we ripped out our
own 1550 from our old building before we left.

So I ripped out the 4010 and the expansion panel and re-wired
everything:

Zone 1:  Main door
Zone 2:  Secondary door
Zone 3:  3 motion sensors wired in series
Zone 4:  3 motion sensors wired in series
Zone 5:  2 seldom used/emerg exit doors wired in series
Zone 6:  not used (might hook one of the heat sensors to it)

Replaced the two 1410 keypads with the two 1550 ones.  Hooked up only
1 horn.  ->Didn't have to run any new wire<-

Programmed the 1550 in about 15 minutes.  Set the master, 2'nd master,
and installer codes to numbers of our own choosing.  Set the usual
arming/disarming code to what we had before.

The previous owners must have really been hosed with the installation
of the 1410 and the expansion panel (1408?).  What a scam.

Anyways, I'm going to poke around the 1550 panel and see if I can pull
some signals off it it (like armed/disarmed status, sensor activity,
etc) and see if I can do some neat control things (like turn on the
juice to the electric water heater only when the system is dis-armed,
or activate a web-cam to take timed pictures when the system is armed,
etc).

> Like trading in a Cadillac for a Chevette

Practically speaking - not really.

The 1410 was over-kill (for us, for this building) although I suspect
that a "professional" alarm installer would not agree.

It's been my experience that installers seem to insist that every
sensor be connected to it's own separate zone.  The bigger the
building, the more zones, the deeper the pockets of the customer, the
bigger the panel, the more $$$ the installer makes.