I have decided to update my 2Gig GC2 old and outdated system instead of purchasing a 4G LTE Verizon cellular module and being charged $250 for this by my Installer.
I have decided I would like to migrate to Qolsys and after further review, eventually the IQ4 once it is available in 345 Mhz.
Internet research commonly finds the opinion that this is NOT difficult for DIYers and the above Surety Forum link was successful for that person.
My major concern that this will not be as easy for me as others is that:
I have wires going into my GC2 Terminal Block 1,2,3,4,7, and 8.
A. I know 1, 2 are connected to wires that are connected to a Transformer in a closet with the Builder installed DSC system.
B. However, I have no idea what terminals 3,4,7,8 are connected to and I looked at the Qolsys installation manual and there is no Terminal Block with corresponding descriptions for me to plug these wires into.
C. Also in the closet attached to the DSC system is the 2GIG Takeover Module TAKE-1. There are 6 wires going into the block out of the 8 (plus the +/-). I assume 4 wires are for 4 hardwired doors and 2 wires for previous hardwired motion sensors. There are NO other hardwired switches in the house that would be connected to the 2GIG system that I can think of.
Does the above situation make it too difficult to try switching to Qolsys? I see the 2GIG Edge installation manual shows this terminal block is still present and thus would likely be a very easy switch.
Does someone have any idea what those wires are connected to the 2GIG Terminal Block?
A. Am I able to look that information up on the 2GIG Toolbox screen?
B. How would I connect those wires to a Qolsys system?
I have no idea what terminals 3,4,7,8 are connected to and I looked at the Qolsys installation manual and there is no Terminal Block with corresponding descriptions for me to plug these wires into.
7 and 8 are hardwired sensor zones. the other end of the circuits would be connected to 3, GND.
4 is the open collector terminal. This one I can’t tell you what it is, it is used for various purposes but only rarely. You might want to ask your installation company what it is being used for.
Does the above situation make it too difficult to try switching to Qolsys? I see the 2GIG Edge installation manual shows this terminal block is still present and thus would likely be a very easy switch.
I don’t think there are going to be any on-board terminals on the IQ Panel 4. You would need to reroute the hardwired zones to the takeover module if those are indeed sensor zones.
For the IQ Panel 2+, there are hardwired zone terminals inside, but there is no Open Collector programmable terminal on the Qolsys panel. You would need to know what it is being used for on your system before determining if it is even important. Usually if it is used, it is to trigger a status LED or something when armed, but it has various programmable uses.
The 2GIG Edge is also an Alarm.com compatible panel and can be used with our service.
Am I able to look that information up on the 2GIG Toolbox screen?
You can check for how the hardwired zones are programmed and how the open collector is programmed, that might help narrow down what they are, at least for the sensors since they are presumably named.
In system configuration press skip to go the hardwired zones section and you can view those zone names and zone types.
Q78 shows the open collector programming, this indicates when it is closed to GND. So for example, if it is (01) Activated When Armed then that means terminal 4 and GND are internally connected when the panel is armed.
I have spent over 2 weekend days trying to figure out the wiring.
This was difficult as it appears my MultiMeter/Continuity meter wasn’t working for some reason with the wiring behind the walls as a leg of wiring.
I also found several errors in some wiring (one old non-working wired sensor was not hooked up at all which explains why it wasn’t working, the secondary 2Gig keypad panel was not drawing power from the additional AC Transformer but rather from power to the TAKE-345, and the 2nd keypad AC transformer power wires were not attached to anything, and the Terminal block 4 and 1 wires were just connected together as you can see below).
Nonetheless, what I have elucidated:
On the 2Gig Toolbox screen:
A. Wired Sensor #1 is listed as Heat Detector
B. Wired Sensor #2 is listed as Fire Alert/Water Tamper
C. Question 78 output: (06) activated on burglary alarm.
Wiring:
A. Terminal block 8 wire and corresponding Terminal block 3 GND. I have located the wires from the 2Gig panel panel that travels back to the old DSC panel in a different area. Unfortunately the wires are then connected to another set of wires that go behind the wall and to who knows where or what. The wires from the 2Gig panel are not connected to the old DSC panel.
B. Same thing with Terminal 7 and Terminal 3. They are attached to wires at the DSC panel that goes behind the wall but are not connected to the old DSC panel.
C. The Terminal 4 wire and corresponding Terminal 1 wire very confusingly go the the old DSC panel area and then are wired together. There is NOTHING these wires are wired to except each other. Essentially it would be placing a jumper wire straight between Terminal 4 and 1 right at the 2Gig panel.
Given the above
A. Does the 2Gig panel actually appear to have a correct functioning fire alarm wiring and heat detector wiring?
1) Is it common to use these two terminals for such sensors?
2) Is there a way to connect these wires to some sort of takeover module at the DSC panel location?
B. Does the current wiring set-up exclude the ability to switch out the 2GIG panel for IQ4?
C. I am assuming the Open Collector connection is doing nothing at all given the wiring described above.
I’m going to do these out of order a bit, first one is important:
I am assuming the Open Collector connection is doing nothing at all given the wiring described above
If it is connected as you describe, with (1) +12 VDC just looped into the (4) Open Collector, I would power down the panel and disconnect that circuit from the 2GIG panel now.
With that description, the circuit is essentially a resistive heating element whenever the panel is in a burglary alarm state.
It’s possible it was hooked up to a siren or LED indicator previously or something, but it should not be wired like you describe.
Are you 100% certain that the wires you looked at in the DSC can are the correct open collector wires?
Wires can be spliced in the wall/behind the panel and matching wires is not always easy especially if there were a couple prior systems. I would triple check in this case.
If you disconnect those wires from the 2GIG Panel, then pull apart the wires you identified them as at the DSC panel, then run a resistance test.
Put the multimeter leads one on each wire at one end, then check the other. Is resistance infinite? (the meter reads what it would say when completely open) Then twist closed the wires at the open end, and check the meter again. Is it now closed? (0/near 0 resistance)
Does the 2Gig panel actually appear to have a correct functioning fire alarm wiring and heat detector wiring?
No. The GC2 hardwired terminals cannot even be used for Smoke/Heat/Fire/CO detectors.
Is it common to use these two terminals for such sensors?
No. You can’t even select Fire zone types for hardwired zones in programming.
A. Wired Sensor #1 is listed as Heat Detector
B. Wired Sensor #2 is listed as Fire Alert/Water Tamper
I am assuming you are just referencing the names, however the 2GIG GC2 uses preset words for zone descriptors. “Fire Alert/Water Tamper” wouldn’t be an option, at least not with the slash in there. So I can best assist, can you post a photo of how those zones appear on the panel?
Is there a way to connect these wires to some sort of takeover module at the DSC panel location?
If those go to functional sensors, yes, you could use the PowerG hardwire and connect them, however you would want to verify what sensors those zones actually connect to. The names prompt questions in this case.
It could be that those zones are just programmed as a no-response type contact and just used for notification purposes, but I’m trying to make it make sense. You would need to view all the programming for those zones to know.
If you go to the Hardwired Zones in programming one at a time and then use the down arrow once, what is the Zone type selected for those two zones?
Does the current wiring set-up exclude the ability to switch out the 2GIG panel for IQ4?
Yes, I actually had already disconnected it at the 2GIG panel because it didn’t make sense. (I simply didn’t reinsert the Blue & Blue/White Open Connector wires back into the terminal block 4 & 1).
Well I’m waiting for a new MultiMeter given my current one was not working as described in prior post. However, I’m pretty certain (>90%) that the wires from the 2 Gig panel next to an entry door going to the DSC panel in a closet are the same without any intervening splicing behind the wall because:
A. This is an 8 conductor wire thus all wires individually sheathed (Blue, Blue/white, Orange, Orange/white, Brown, Brown/white, Green, Green/white) and then sheathed by another PVC sheath (white). This is the same appearance at the 2 GIG panel and at the DSC panel. The house was a new build and no other prior alarm systems.
B. I ended up testing continuity for each wire by disconnecting the Orange wire which was original (+) wire to the Transformer in the closet and substituting each of the other colored wires one by one for the Orange wire. With no wire connection the 2Gig panel had an X through the plug. As soon as I connected each of the other wires in place of the Orange wire (Bl, Bl/W, Br, Br/W, G, G/W) the Plug was showing normal power (no X).
C. I can run further testing as you have recommended once I get a new MultiMeter I have ordered.
That is possible. I have an outside Siren/LED that never quite worked and had them look into it when the system was installed 8-9 years ago but it never really worked. They may have just given up and disconnected the Open Collector (Blue, Blue/White) wires off that connection and incorrectly patched them together at the DSC panel. However, I have not yet been able to identify which or how the wiring at the outside LED/siren runs to the DSC panel.
Yes I recall reading that somewhere in the 2 Gig install manual and I was suspicious.
Another reason I was suspicious is that the wires were not connected to the DSC PC1616 in the closet but to these other wires which I presume go directly to the 1 Heat Detector unit or the Wired-together Smoke Detector system in the house.
I have attached the Summary on the 2GIG screen for the two Hardwire connections. You are correct about the “/” … I put that there.
I would say that I was surprised to see that both have “normal state: open.” I thought it would have been closed because when I DISCONNECTED the Brown & brown/white wires at the DSC panel from the wires they were connected to, the fire alert water tamper alarm/notification on the 2GIG immediately went off. Same with the Green & Green/white wires → Heat detector alarm/notification on the 2GIG immediately went off.
If I were to purchase a IQ Power G Hardwire module, wouldn’t that essentially be SIMILAR to the 2 GIG Take-345 module?
I could then attach the existing FOUR wired door sensors to the Power G Hardwire module instead of the Take-345, lose the investment in the Two 2GIG PIR motion sensors I have, but then could purchase the IQ4 319.5 MHZ which appears to be the only Model available at present time.
I would then either purchase TWO Wired PIR motion sensors (now that I’ve figured out the wiring) into the Power G Hardwire module OR purchase TWO new IQ 319.5 PIR motion sensors, OR purchase TWO new Power G PIR motion sensors?
Essentially, I would NO longer be transitioning from 2GIG GC2 and reusing any existing 2GIG specific components but rather just switching completely to IQ4 and connecting a new system.
However, I’m pretty certain (>90%) that the wires from the 2 Gig panel next to an entry door going to the DSC panel in a closet are the same without any intervening splicing behind the wall because
Gotcha, yeah no worries, I am not questioning your testing, more so why the wires would ever be connected that way.
I have attached the Summary on the 2GIG screen for the two Hardwire connections. You are correct about the “/” … I put that there.
I would say that I was surprised to see that both have “normal state: open.” I thought it would have been closed because when I DISCONNECTED the Brown & brown/white wires at the DSC panel from the wires they were connected to, the fire alert water tamper alarm/notification on the 2GIG immediately went off. Same with the Green & Green/white wires → Heat detector alarm/notification on the 2GIG immediately went off.
Those zones are programmed as burglary panic zones which would, by default, be Police Response.
There are any number of custom rules and situations an installer may have set up to work around that, but whether it’s an error or some work-around those zones are as non-standard as it gets. Hard to really say what is going on there.
If I were to purchase a IQ Power G Hardwire module, wouldn’t that essentially be SIMILAR to the 2 GIG Take-345 module?
Yes, it is the exact same concept with a different RF, however the PowerG hardwire is larger and can fully replace the old panel.
Essentially, I would NO longer be transitioning from 2GIG GC2 and reusing any existing 2GIG specific components but rather just switching completely to IQ4 and connecting a new system.
Yes, all that would be possible. Yep, if you go with the IQ Panel 4 in our bundles that would be compatible with 319.5Mhz GE and Qolsys S-Line sensors, as well as PowerG for additional or replacement sensors. Compatible sensors can be purchased from any source and used with your system.
