Hi! I just moved into a new home with an existing DSC 1616 panel. Yesterday, I received the Qolsys IQ2 and Hardwire 16 that I ordered, and began the install process.
On the existing system, all 6 zones are being utilized across approximately 34 window / door sensors and one Motion detector. You can imagine what a nest that has created in the box, so I am trying to be very careful about what / how I disconnect the existing wires as the system is functioning. I was able to determine via the old keypads which sensors are on which zones, thankfully. However, I am not sure which wires from the old panel should be plugged into the Hardwire 16 zone inputs. Currently on the 1616, I have 1 wire going into each zone (so those obviously get used), but 2 wires are going into each COM - where do these go? There are no resistors on the old panel inputs. Any advice here is greatly appreciated!
Currently on the 1616, I have 1 wire going into each zone (so those obviously get used), but 2 wires are going into each COM – where do these go? There are no resistors on the old panel inputs. Any advice here is greatly appreciated!
Happy to help! On the DSC 1616 that would be normal. COM (common) terminals are all connected to GND. They are not separate terminals.
On the Hardwire 16 on the other hand, each Zone has its own pair of terminals and each zone measures the specific resistance of that zone upon learning it in, which is then what the device considers a closed state. Deviation from that resistance leads to tampers.
Each circuit for sensors will have one wire connected to a Z terminal and one connected to a COM terminal. You would need to match these up. If it is not obvious, as in they do not come from the same sheath, then you would want to test via a multimeter.
The board will be set up like this: Z1 - COM - Z2 - Z3 - COM - Z4 - Z5 - COM - Z6
Typically, the installer would connect the other wire for the Zone inputs to the COM terminal directly adjacent to the Z terminal. So Z1 and 2 in the first COM, and so forth. You can reasonably start from there when testing.
With the zone closed, you would see low resistance. With one of the sensors on that zone open, you should see extremely high or infinite resistance (whatever your meter shows when the leads are held out not touching anything)
By the way, resistance between 1Kohm and 10kohm must be used for the Hardwire 16 zones, so if the closed circuit resistance is below 1kohm, you’ll need to add resistors.
Thanks for this info. Through my detective work, I’ve been able to tell which wire in the COM corresponds to the appropriate zone for zone 1. In this instance:
Where on the Hardwire 16 would the appropriate Zone and COM wire go?
Assuming I should just be able to move that wire to the Hardwire 16 without undoing the Daisy chain of other wires from that zone?
Which wire should get the resistor? The one from Zone or the one from COM?
1. Where on the Hardwire 16 would the appropriate Zone and COM wire go?
Each zone has two terminals on the Hardwire 16. The Z and COM wires for Zone 1 should be inserted into the terminals for Zone 1. Polarity is not important. This video shows installation steps.
2. Assuming I should just be able to move that wire to the Hardwire 16 without undoing the Daisy chain of other wires from that zone?
Yes, that chain is simply a connection of the various sensors on that zone in series.
3. Which wire should get the resistor? The one from Zone or the one from COM?
It does not matter, it just needs to be wired in series. It is commonly ordered arbitrarily and placed on the original COM wire.
Resistors are commonly added at the box, but could be found anywhere on the line. You can confirm with a multimeter what the resistance is on the circuit. Simply close all sensors on the circuit and test between the wires. If under 1kohm, you would need to add resistors.
It is extremely unlikely to be over 10 (or even approaching it, common system resistance values are 2-3kohm.)
I got it all working. Thanks so much for your help. One issue that I noticed though after taking the system off of test mode, I accidently pressed the test button on the Carbon Monoxide detector while installing it. Central Station called and I informed them that it was a false alarm and that all was OK. They put me on hold for about a minute then came back and said that protocol was that the fire department must still be dispatched. Is this accurate? What about with a smoke alarm? I could see my local FD getting pretty annoyed and start billing me if the call can’t be canceled every time my wife or I burn something.
Yes, with CO detectors, as there is no way a user can actually confirm or deny Carbon Monoxide levels in the home, operators cannot disregard CO detector alarms. They will still call to notify, of course.
This hard limitation is unique to CO. You can confirm or deny the presence of a fire.
Be sure to not test CO detectors unless your system is placed on test mode with central station operators.
This should also apply to fire detectors, to be safe, because by default only the premise phone number or two way voice is contacted prior to dispatch. If you only have cell phone contacts on your account (which are not guaranteed to be home to be able to confirm) dispatch would by default occur first. Cancellation of dispatch after the fact may or may not be possible for fire based on your responding authority.
Should you need to make any changes on your account you can submit them via our secure message tool.
Thanks so much for the info. That raises another question. Is two-way Voice Enabled on the system? During my testing, I did not encounter this, although the system was on test mode at the central station at the time.
Is two-way Voice Enabled on the system? During my testing, I did not encounter this, although the system was on test mode at the central station at the time.
Two Way Voice is an optional feature for all Gold Interactive users with compatible panels. I can confirm it is enabled on the account you are referencing.
Two way voice will not activate while your system is on standard test mode with the Central Station. This is to avoid excessive response to testing.
You can however request to place your account in Two Way Test Mode, which is functionally identical to standard test mode and will not result in dispatch, but will result in operator response to Two Way.
Response time during Two Way Test Mode may be slightly longer as test signals are lower priority response.