Which security system?

[chewie]

Another question, during the tear out of the house after the storm several of my sensors for my alarm got screwed up and I do not have all the passwords for my existing Concord 4 security system to delete and re add the new ones (Long story, mostly involving getting it setup while I was out of town).

My question is this: Any thoughts on whether I should just get a new Concord panel and rebuild my alarm as it was with some new wireless sensors or is there a significantly better/easier to use and program alarm system that can take advantage of more technology?

Thanks in advance!

[integlikewhoa]

Another question, during the tear out of the house after the storm several of my sensors for my alarm got screwed up and I do not have all the passwords for my existing Concord 4 security system to delete and re add the new ones (Long story, mostly involving getting it setup while I was out of town).

My question is this: Any thoughts on whether I should just get a new Concord panel and rebuild my alarm as it was with some new wireless sensors or is there a significantly better/easier to use and program alarm system that can take advantage of more technology?

Thanks in advance!

I cant tell you which is the easiest to program since I have limited experience, but I use a caddx/GE in two houses and programming wasn't "easy". I'm pretty good with them now but I can't see just anyone programming them.

Things i do like though are no special adpators required to connect a serial to the computer and panel (or a usb to serial is less then 10.00), and the plugin is free.

I'm gonna assume that if your used to one panel its probley just easier to stick with it.

[chewie]

This was a bit of my thinking here. I have never programmed an alarm before, but I do know a bit about how the concord works and have read most of the manuals. I figure that if there is not something significantly better or easier I will just stick with what I have since I know it will tie into homeseer nicely.

[integlikewhoa]

This was a bit of my thinking here. I have never programmed an alarm before, but I do know a bit about how the concord works and have read most of the manuals. I figure that if there is not something significantly better or easier I will just stick with what I have since I know it will tie into homeseer nicely.

I hear you. I never used a Honeywell or DSC which seem to the popular ones. So I don't know if programming is the same as my GE/Caddx or not. I also have never programmed a concord either so I really have nothing to compare too.

I would stick with what you have and know a bit on.

[Mark S.]

I use an ELK M1G - far easier to program than my old Caddx was. I went with the ELK because it could integrate with my RCS thermostats and legacy X-10 lighting. It can do wireless zones and much more. But most importantly there is a very good plugin by Ultra.

ELK does have a very easy web interface for programming, but as you say, sticking with something you know may be easiest of all.

[Pete]

Here a Leviton Omni Pro 2 user for the last 15 years. Never have had any issues.

[tome10]

I have a concord 4, and I guessed 1234 as the installer code which gets me into the menus, but apparently I don't have any 'Programming' keypads, so I can't edit time delays and stuff. I've been thinking about this.. If you take the theory that you have the inside motion sensors for Away (level 2), and the Barrier sensors; Door, Window, Glass Break (Level 1).
1) I don't have a service to monitor the alarm, and I set it off too much when I can't edit the Delays.
2) I have a cat, so I can't set to Away and activate the interior motion sensors.

I'm thinking you can set up relays to pass the wired sensors to HS, and do the programming from a GUI. I know it's frowned upon to have HS handle security, but that's a huge Black area, and the more I look at it the more it looks like Navy Blue.

To be quite honest, I think the 'traditional' Alarm system is 80's tech. Maybe 90's.
The path i'm walking on now is external cameras + Blue Iris with Motion detection with Push Alerts. I watched the UPS guy carry a 200lb box in one arm, and a few smaller packages in the other. How do you beat that?
lol you beat that with interior cameras (Wall Mounted Tablets) feeding Blue Iris with the same motion triggering armed and disarmed via Geofence.
Granted, he can just run over to the Media Closet and disconnect the laptop and I guess he's free to roam around unseen. But, I could put a remote server somewhere and alleviate that scenario. I need to hide HS and the BI Server in the attic or something. Or a freakin GunVault. Umm, I would need fans installed. Armored Comms cabinet? I'll have to work on that.
I'm just saying.. I don't like 'keypads'.

[S-F]

Yes alarm systems are pretty dated technology by many standards, but they are very reliable. HS3 is great. I love it. But it's not reliable. BI is great as well but again, the camera analytics aren't very reliable. For that matter any outdoor motion sensor is unreliable. I have one in my back yard, mostly to turn the outside speakers on when I'm heading out back and music is playing, and that thing triggers when I have clothes on the line and the wind blows.

[Pete]

Yes here my combo Leviton Omni Pro 2 works fine without the internet.

I only utilize one keypad these days and still utilize legacy serial and ethernet connected OmniTouch touch screens.

The old method of utilizing the phone connection can totally control the automation and security sort of like using HomeSeer phone from the early days of Homeseer.

The meat of the OmniPro 2 automation pieces requires no internet or cellular phone to function in controlling X10, UPB, ZWave or Zigbee.

Adding Homeseer connectivity (old was serial) and new Omni Plugin is ethernet (thank you Rob) adds icing to the cake of the combination security and automation panel. It is a UL approved security panel that connects to a alarm monitoring company.

I over do the notifications as while it talks to central services it concurrently notifies our cellphones and family notifications all at the same time. It remains one of two combination security automation panels in existence today (ELK M1 is the other) and there is no other company today that has ventured in to this realm of a combination panel that was built to last a lifetime...

[chewie]

Yes alarm systems are pretty dated technology by many standards, but they are very reliable. HS3 is great. I love it. But it's not reliable.

This is exactly the reason that I want to replace my alarm with something similar. Not looking to do anything super fancy, monitor doors, windows and glass breakage. Then I want it to integrate into HS (My Concord always did this just fine) so that I can either push commands to it from HS or trigger HS events from it.

At this point I think I am just going to go with the Concord, I tried guessing a ton of installer codes but none worked, so I am going to get a new board and wire everything back up to it, set it up and add wireless sensors to it for the areas of the house that had sensors damaged during the flood or in the new doors that do not have wiring run to them.

Thanks for all the input guys, much appreciated!