Now that I have received all needed equipment, I am getting ready to start the install work to replace an old wired system (Moose Z1100-System I) with a Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus and an IQ Hardwire 16-F translator. My old wired door/window sensors and PIR motion sensor will be reused and a new, wired siren and a 2-wire smoke/heat detector will also be part of the new system, connecting directly to the Hardwire 16-F.
Is there a recommended order to proceed with this type of installation? For example, should I plan to do all the physical part first at the Hardwire unit, then work on installing the Panel and finally do the system setup at the panel interface? Or is there a better way?
Any advice to make this install more efficient and smoother is welcome!
This is just me I would prob start with the replace the new panel on the wall that’s usual the hardest because changing wire if u have to I only say this because u will want the panel set up and working before u starting working on the devices so u know if everything is working right the first time so u don’t have to go back and forth fighting with devices
Sorry, but I am not clear on what you mean. Is “the new panel on the wall” the Hardwire 16-F or the Panel 2 Plus? In my plan, there should not be any wires connecting to the 2 Plus, except for the power cable. All device wires should connect to the Hardwire 16-F. Assuming that I first did all physical connections to the Hardwire 16-F, would it be better to power up the Hardwire 16-F first, and then the Panel 2 Plus, or the other way around?
Sorry about that but I would power up the Iq panel 2 first
Agreed. I would power up the IQ Panel first and get it communicating with Alarm.com. If you’re planning on wall mounting it you don’t necessarily need to do that first. But having the IQ Panel working can make the Hardware 16-F installation easier. In fact, it might be easiest to have the IQ Panel sitting next to you when you install the 16-F. You can enroll each zone on the Hardware 16-F as you wire it up and listen to it chime on the IQ Panel to make sure it’s working properly before you move on to the next zone. It helps isolate problems bc you’ll know right away if a zone isn’t wired correctly.
A professional installer who does Hardwire 16-F installations regularly might wire it all up and then start enrolling to be more time efficient but if it’s your first time then I recommend doing it zone by zone to make it easier to get it right.
OK. So I would prepare all wires leading up to the 16-F and bolt the 16-F inside the old metal enclosure where all wires are collected. Without yet applying power to the 16-F, I would power up the Panel 2 Plus, keeping it close to the 16-F, and make it communicate with Alarm.com. Then power up the 16-F, connect the sensors for each zone, one at a time, and register them on the Panel 2 Plus as I go. Correct?
I assume I can connect each zone without powering down the 16-F. However, should I have to completely power down the 16-F as I work, would any of the previous programming be lost? I assume not. Also, I assume there should be no problem in disconnecting for a short time the Panel 2 Plus from power while I install it on the wall in its final location. Correct?
Thanks so much for the advice.
Correct u should be fine when it comes to connecting power to each device only time u might need to power down the 16f is when u add the siren but that’s about it but having the Iq beside u will help make the transition over easy so that you have everything done right the first time and u won’t have worry about somthing not working right
OK. So I would prepare all wires leading up to the 16-F and bolt the 16-F inside the old metal enclosure where all wires are collected. Without yet applying power to the 16-F, I would power up the Panel 2 Plus, keeping it close to the 16-F, and make it communicate with Alarm.com. Then power up the 16-F, connect the sensors for each zone, one at a time, and register them on the Panel 2 Plus as I go. Correct?
Yes, keep in mind you’ll need to remove any existing resistors and add the 4.7 kohm resistors included with the Hardwire 16f
I assume I can connect each zone without powering down the 16-F. However, should I have to completely power down the 16-F as I work, would any of the previous programming be lost?
Correct, powering down/power cycling the Hardwire 16F will not affect its configuration.
Also, I assume there should be no problem in disconnecting for a short time the Panel 2 Plus from power while I install it on the wall in its final location. Correct?
Correct, you should always have the panel unplugged and completely powered down when physically installing/wiring it up.
Power it off by going to Settings > Advanced Settings > Power Down.
While working on the 16-F install, I wonder if the ground terminal (next to the antenna terminal) should be connected to an Earth Ground wire (that was already there from the old system). The manual does not show anything about it.
Also, I assume that all unused zones should have the 4.7K resistor across their terminals. Correct?
I don’t think that terminal is for Earth Ground, but I will double check with Qolsys.
You don’t need to add the resistor across unused terminals because you learn them into the Hardwire 16 F as you program them into the panel. Only the terminals you learn in will be active on the Hardwire 16 F. There is an active status LED for each zone on the hardwire that turns on when the zone is learned in.
I am attempting to set up my new IQ Panel 2 Plus for the first time. First issue is the instructions provided in the “Welcome to Surety” page do not match the installation wizard in the Panel, so I skipped ahead and reached the main page (System Disarmed) of the Panel.
Then I attempted to set up my Alarm.com account. The second issue is that following the instructions for “Connect My Panel”, the cellular test keeps failing. The Cellular information shows Cellular Connection: No Signal and Cell signal strength: 0 bars. Not sure where to go from here. Please advise
Do you have WiFi set up as well I know I have heard people say disconnect the WiFi and do a system reboot then run a cell test first then once that goes through then reconnect WiFi
Well, that did it! Cell test passed and so did WiFi
They ya go
If you are running into an issue where the cellular radio is having trouble connecting, I would first try a panel reboot. Settings > Advanced Settings > Panel Reboot.
We have noticed that some necessary cellular commands to initiate communication may fail if Wifi is connected, so yes Charlie’s suggestion would be a good step to try (looks like you already did with success!)
The installation wizard built into the panel by Qolsys is intended to walk through local system setup. The first step in activation on our website should tell you to follow the wizard first as needed. Is there a spot in the wizard which conflicts? We can update the process if necessary!
I am no longer sure about the discrepancies, since those may have been due to the issue with cellular and WiFi. The order suggested by the Wizard was to set up WiFi first, but then cellular did not work, until I followed Charlie’s advice (thank you, Charlie!). In any case, it would appear you could recommend setting up the account with Alarm.com before attempting to set up the IQ 2 Plus Panel. At this point, after learning in all sensors, it seems everything is working, but I will do one more pass of the manual, to ensure I addressed all points.
On a different topic, would you recommended to plug the power modules for the IQ Panel 2 Plus and Hardwire 16-F in a surge protector/suppressor, or just a regular wall outlet?
Once you r sure that everything is working correctly I would start setting up alarm.com as u want and I would also recommend placing ur account in test to make sure ur 2 voice is working correctly if you have that enabled and as far the power supply a standard wall is fine because the power supplies that come with each device will protect both panels in the event of a power surge
On a different topic, would you recommended to plug the power modules for the IQ Panel 2 Plus and Hardwire 16-F in a surge protector/suppressor, or just a regular wall outlet?
It never hurts to use a power strip with built in circuit protection, but I would try to dedicate one to security system components and not plug a lot of additional items into it if possible, and make sure the receptacle is not switched.
Almost finished with the install and most items seem to be working fine. However, I am getting very frequent Low Battery notifications from the IQ Hardwire 16-F, followed shortly by an extremely long series of End of Low Battery notifications, sometime lasting for up to 5 minutes (according to the History in the Panel 2 Plus). I measured the 16-F’s battery voltage (while connected to the 16-F) and it is stable at 13.15 Vdc. The battery is a Duracell Ultra AGM 12 Vdc/9Ah, only about 1 year old.
Your thoughts?
Also strange: disconnecting and reconnecting the battery to the 16-F results in no notifications at all. The Hardwire Translator Status remains Normal