Hello all,
New to the forum, lots of great info on here!
Currently a Vivint subscriber - yup, got roped into that one. I have a second home that I want to add a similar system to. Wanted opinions on the hardware that’s offered.
Control Panel - I have the 2GIG Go!Control currently. I’m considering purchasing the so I wouldn’t have to learn two panels. What are the major differences between the Go!Control and the GC3? Am I going to miss out on features that the GC3 has? I’m looking at 4 doors, 8 windows, 1 garage door, and likely 2 motion detectors. Wouldn’t mind throwing a camera in there too…
Thermostat - I have the CT100. Very basic thermostat. I’ve got a heat pump forced air system. Recommendations out there for other thermostats?
Door locks - I have the Kwikset 910. I hate them. They eat batteries left and right, I’ve modified them so the batteries make a better connection, still not great. Needless to say, I’m looking for an alternate. Heard good things about the Yale’s that are on the Surety website from my research.
How many devices does Surety allow for automation? I’ve reached my limit on my Vivint account, at 2-3 light switches… Just don’t want to purchase a bunch if I can only do 1-2.
What are the major differences between the Go!Control and the GC3?
Until further firmware releases enable certain features and compatibility with Z-wave devices, much of the difference between the GC3 and Go!Control is in the Go!Control’s favor.
GC3 has a much better capacitive touchscreen, supports more wireless sensor zones (though the 60 zone limit of the Go!Control v 1.14 and up is hard to breach usually), and it has better sound.
Recommendations out there for other thermostats?
Alarm.com is spending most development effort on the ADC-T2000.
Door locks – I have the Kwikset 910. I hate them. They eat batteries left and right, I’ve modified them so the batteries make a better connection, still not great. Needless to say, I’m looking for an alternate. Heard good things about the Yale’s that are on the Surety website from my research
Schlage seem to have the fewest battery concerns, but you have to make sure your panel has an appropriate firmware version. Schlage was notorious with older 2GIG versions for breaking compatibility. 1.13+ should see Schlage models functioning well. Yales have great quality but are affected by battery drain unless the Z-wave network quality is solid. In general, consider adding a couple repeating devices for each door lock used.
How many devices does Surety allow for automation? I’ve reached my limit on my Vivint account, at 2-3 light switches…. Just don’t want to purchase a bunch if I can only do 1-2.
On a 2GIG panel there is no Z-wave limit other than the natural network limit which is I believe 232 devices.
I was about to post about door locks until I read this post.
“Schlage seem to have the fewest battery concerns, but you have to make sure your panel has an appropriate firmware version. Schlage was notorious with older 2GIG versions for breaking compatibility. 1.13+ should see Schlage models functioning well. Yales have great quality but are affected by battery drain unless the Z-wave network quality is solid. In general, consider adding a couple repeating devices for each door lock used.”
Given that I have the GC3 should I hold off on making a lock purchase?
Given that I have the GC3 should I hold off on making a lock purchase?
While we have heard a mixture of success and failure with other models depending on the lock, currently, the only Z-wave locks that are officially supported and tested by 2GIG for the GC3 are made by Kwikset.
Ok, I’ll hold off since people are having battery issues with them
Battery issues are on an install basis. Usually they are due to Z-wave network weakness or physical exertion by the lock. This is often caused by strike plates which are misaligned to the bolt, which is exceedingly common as it isn’t viewed as too detrimental of an effect on a non-motorized lock, and over time through wear and seasonal change the door and frame may swell or misalign further, causing the bolt to scrape against the edge of the plate when trying to lock or unlock.
The best ways to ensure no battery issues are to add a couple repeating devices for each lock, make sure the lock has been learned in within a few feet from the panel, and ensure that the bolt freely enters the strike plate cut-out with no friction.
Thanks for the follow up Jason. I’ll make sure I do everything that you mentioned in your post. Are you overall happy with the Kwikset locks in comparison to the competition? What ZWave repeater would you recommend? The lock would be about 50 feet from the panel.
I should say this, I’m disappointed with the Kwikset locks in the sense that I wouldn’t buy them again. However, I’ve done some modifications to them and have been much happier. I added a screw that keeps the battery pack from sliding too far down (the contacts then misalign and it signals low battery) and I’ve also used only Energizer Lithium batteries. I’m seeing battery life of about 6 months on a heavily used lock (2-3 times a day most days). Would I buy another one? Not likely unless I was stuck to it like it appears you are using the GC3. I’m not sure I would let it hold me back if I was in you situation.
One thing I did was purchased a multi-meter to test batteries before throwing them away. Each AA should read 1.5v minimum. The Energizer lithium’s will read +1.6 out of the box. Most times I can get buy with replacing just 1-2 batteries that have drained below 1.25v and keep the lock operational. At one point I was using Duracell Quantum batteries and throwing all 4 away every two weeks. The bad connection of the battery pack plus one battery draining low cost me a lot of headache and money before I figured out what was going on.
What ZWave repeater would you recommend? The lock would be about 50 feet from the panel.
Any AC powered Z-wave device like light switches, plug-in switches (appliance modules), thermostats learned on AC, etc. would be fine.
Generally I would say as a rule of thumb it is good practice to add one repeating device for every 25 feet between the controller and battery operated devices like locks. There is a bit of trial and error required to build the best network with the fewest devices. In general the more AC powered devices, the stronger the network.
Dedicated repeaters like the Aeon Z-wave Repeater would also work, but it is usually nicer to add a device with its own functionality.