I have a 2GIG panel servicing my house and I now have a need to install a smoke/heat detector and a few door contact sensors in another building that’s about 150ft away from the house and there’s some trees in between. I’ve seen a few posts where people discussed feasibility of extendiong the range by using z-wave repeaters/extenders and it seems they don’t work reliably in similar use cases. I was going to to try to give the 2GIG‐TAKE‐345 super switch a try since I’m running Cat5/Cat6 cabling in ground from one building to another anyway. This would mean I’d have to use wired sensors at the other house. Can anyone chime in here whether this option will work and recommend smoke/heat and door sensors that will work with the takeover switch? TIA
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the super switch to take over a smoke detector. The super switch only works with normally closed sensors (door sensor, motion detectors, glass breaks, etc.) Smoke detectors are normally open.
The other issue I would be concerned about with that kind of distance is the takeover misreading the resistance on the sensor. It could lead to some false alarms.
You could try using a Signal Repeater to cover that area, but 150ft. may be too far away for it to reach the other building. Especially if there are objects blocking line of sight.
OK. I’m tempted to try a Signal Repeater you suggested. According to product description it does not work with smoke detectors either. These are for indoor use only, correct?
Re: super switch to take over, were you referring to its proximity to the panel or the cable run length?
k
That is correct, they are only for indoor use.
I was specifically referring to the cable run length. I assumed you were going to put the super switch in the building with the panel and run a cable to the other building.