DSC Upgrade Adivce

Truth_in_adv · September 22, 2021, 3:17pm

Planning on becoming a DIY / Surety users.

Here is my current setup

3 DSC keypads
4 Hard Wired doors (as 2 zones)
1 Wireless Door
4 Wired windows as 1 zone
1 Wireless Motion
7 Wireless smoke detectors that are 9 years old

Home Automation

2 Nest Thermostats
2 Honeywell WiFi thermostats
Zwave lights (Samnsung smart things hub)
Arlo Pro cameras

Intercom

Traditional hard wired intercom throughout house and at front door

Questions

(1) System

Which panel should I use? (2GIG Edge / IQ2+
Should I wait for IQ4

(2) System Power’

How do I power the system?
My DSC system has the main panel in my master bedroom closet and I have 3 keypads thoughout the house. Can I use the exisitng wiring where the 3 panels are and run power through the control panel in the master bedroom?

If I need to supply new power, how to I hide the wires as there is no outlet nearby where I want to place the new system on the wall

(3) Which smokes and why?
Do I really need to replace smoke detectors if 9 years old? How do I know they need to be replaced other than age?

The IQ smokes are less money than the POWER G…also some have 10 year batteries and others are 3 year…

(4) Existing Wired Doors and Windows

Do I replace wires with wireless or use a hardwire kit? And why?
If i replace with wireless, how well do the recessed door sensors work compared to regular sensors (mine are recessed now and I like the clean look)
Do I use the IQ Recessed or PowerG? Power G always seems to cost more money, is it worth it?

(5) Front Door Camera / Doorbell
My current wired doorbell goes through my whole house intercom…old tech. Based on all my reading, I can’t use the intercom wires to power a door cam. As such, I installed an Arlo Pro which works very well. I get few false alarms and alerts when someone drops a package by the door or comes near the front door. It’s wireless and runs on a battery that lasts about 3 months per charge. Only complaint is how long it takes to pull up the live video feed. Would love a solution that is literally REAL TIME, but dont want to run wires. Any thoughts. Or is my Arlo as good as I’m going to get?
I want a clean install but also want to minimize new wiring.

Any more advice on what to do is also appreciated.

Thanks

jwcsurety · September 22, 2021, 5:33pm

(1) System

We recommend and sell Qolsys panels. The IQ Panel 2+ is the panel model in our system bundles.

The IQ Panel 4 is in a soft launch period right now, but I anticipate this would become the new system we sell. It is very similar to the IQ Panel 2+, with the same interface and overall look, with noticeably improved audio, and an optional sub/desktop stand for louder audio.

I don’t have an ETA for the IQ Panel 4 yet for our store, but I imagine shortly after Qolsys ramps up production it would be sold.

Here is a thread regarding the Edge panel.

If you have wireless DSC sensors (likely DSC 433Mhz, but we would need to know you sensor models to confirm) they could be used with the 433 Mhz version of the IQ Panel.

(2) System Power

Panels come with a plug in power supply. You can typically reuse the keypad wiring in the wall with the new power supply. You cannot power the panel off of the old alarm panel in the metal can. Only use the included plug in power supply.

Wiring instruction can be found on page 11 of the manual.

Whether you can reuse wiring will be based on the length of the cable and the gauge of the wiring, but it is very rare and would need a very long cable run for there to be no options. You can also double up wires to effectively increase the size of the cable.

(4) Existing Wired Doors and Windows

If you wish to reuse wired sensors, you can do so with a hardwired translator. Using the translator or replacing the sensors is a judgment call largely based on how much you like the existing sensors and how many you have. If you have a lot of wired sensors there is significant cost savings in reusing them. It also limits the number of future battery replacements, but that is probably a small concern.

Recessed wireless sensors will have some signaling impact from metal doors. If your doors are metal, I would recommend a surface contact, or reuse wired sensors.

IQ S-line and PowerG are two separate wireless transmission protocols. Here is another thread describing them.

Short answer, PowerG has a larger range and is more secure. Both IQ S-line and PowerG are encrypted but PowerG also uses Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping for security.

(5) Front Door Camera / Doorbell

Surety is an Alarm.com dealer. Arlo is not a compatible line of cameras and I cannot provide advice for that.

Alarm.com compatible doorbell cameras are the Skybell VDB101/102, 105/106, and the ADC-VDB770, which is the newest model and the one I recommend.

It will not work with an intercom system, it is powered via a standard doorbell circuit transformer however, which you may have if you have a mechanical chime still.

All Alarm.com cameras require power application. There are no battery only models.

jwcsurety · September 22, 2021, 5:41pm

(3) Which smokes and why?

All smoke detectors have an expiration date. The sensing element breaks down over time and becomes less sensitive.

Age of the sensor is enough, if it is at or beyond the expiration date it should be replaced, no question.

Most smoke detectors have a 10 year expiration, I’ve seen some with 15.

This isn’t the date after installation, it is after manufacturing. Always check the date on the detector label itself. It will have either a manufacture date or the actual replace by date on it.

Same general response regarding PowerG vs IQ S-Line (or if you get a DSC433 version of the panel, a DSC433 smoke detector)

I would generally recommend PowerG, it is objectively a better format with a wider range, adaptive battery power, better security.

Truth_in_adv · September 22, 2021, 6:42pm

Thank you for the information.

The thread about 2GIG makes it sound like their products are not a good choice at this time.

I looked at my wireless smokes and they are model #WS4916

Makes sense to use the Hardwire kit

Attached image of my panel

Lots of wires…at least they are labelled

Is there a video or thread that explains the DSC wires and what I need to use?

Are the RED and BLK terminals the ‘power’ for my three keypads…and one of these is what i’d connect the Qolsys transformer to? I think the wire distance is about 35ft-45ft. How will I know if the distance is too long to work? If I had to pair up wires, would it be a from the YEL and GRN terminals?
The DSC panel appears to only have 6 zones…i guess that is why on my doors (Door A, Door B, Door C) all come up as Zone 3…I assume I have 3 separate pairs of wires and that when I use the Hardwire Kit I can set each door up as a separate zone?
The same applies to my windows - 4 windows are set up to one zone…but on the Hardwire kit, I can separate to 4 individual zones.
If I need a 433Mhz panel, how do I get one? I did not see a Q2+ listed in the online store with 433Mhz. Is the pricing the same? Are the same starter bundles available? Will the Q4 also need a special version of the panel to do 433Mhz too?
Regarding the IQ4…when you say that you imagine it will be the new system you sell, does this mean you believe you will discontinue the IQ2+ and replace it with the IQ4?
I understand you dont have an ETA on IQ4. Do you have an idea of price?

Thanks

jwcsurety · September 22, 2021, 8:11pm

Are the RED and BLK terminals the ‘power’ for my three keypads…and one of these is what i’d connect the Qolsys transformer to? I think the wire distance is about 35ft-45ft

Red and BLK are the + and - terminals for the keypads, yes, however you will also remove the data wires. You can then double up the wires and use two for + two for - on the new transformer and IQ Panel. It doesn’t matter which color, so long as the same two are grouped together at both ends.

As long as the wires are doubled up, 35-45ft should be ok.

I assume I have 3 separate pairs of wires and that when I use the Hardwire Kit I can set each door up as a separate zone?

Most of the time this is true. If the sensors are wired in series at the panel like that, yes, it is easy to split them apart and connect them as individual zones if desired.

If they are in series in the wall, as in each individual sensor does not have wires running back to the panel, there is no good way to do that.

I can’t tell from your image which is true, you would want to check if multiple wires are spliced in series for those zone circuits in or near the panel housing.

The same applies to my windows - 4 windows are set up to one zone…but on the Hardwire kit, I can separate to 4 individual zones.

Yep, same as above.

If I need a 433Mhz panel, how do I get one? I did not see a Q2+ listed in the online store with 433Mhz. Is the pricing the same? Are the same starter bundles available? Will the Q4 also need a special version of the panel to do 433Mhz too?

You can use the product filters on our store to view only products for the 433 Mhz version of the IQ Panel. You can find the 433 Mhz panel here.

Pricing is different and the same bundles are not available. The standard 319.5 model is a little less expensive than the other two.

I can’t speak to IQ Panel 4 pricing, but yes I believe it has the same setup as the IQ Panel 2+ regarding radios, with PowerG plus support for one of the legacy radios depending on the model.

Regarding the IQ4…when you say that you imagine it will be the new system you sell, does this mean you believe you will discontinue the IQ2+ and replace it with the IQ4?

I can’t answer this definitively at this time. If Qolsys stops production of the IQ Panel 2+ for the 4 then yes, likely.

I understand you dont have an ETA on IQ4. Do you have an idea of price?

I don’t have pricing information at this time, but I believe it is similar to the 2+. We won’t have pricing until it is available for sale in the store.