1st Question: I’m needing to install a door sensor for our front and back door. Both are metal and are recessed (house was built in the 30s so wood frame comes out 1+ inches from the door.)
I’ve seen things that say recessed door sensors don’t work well with metal doors however I’m not sure what other option we would have and I see multiple people talking about using it with a metal door. Our house is small (1100 sq ft) so I don’t believe signal would be an issue.
Should I choose the Power G sensor over the IQ one because of it’s range or will both likely work about the same? Or do I need to figure out a way to get the standard door sensor (not recessed) to work on a recessed door?
2nd Question: We’re wanting to purchase a new thermostat for our house so that if there were a fire, it would be able to connect to our HVAC to shut it off. We had been looking at the Ecobee 3 lite however in my research I found that although it is compatible, not all compatible thermostats can “do” everything an Alarm.com one can (like the one sold on Surety’s site.) I’m quite confused by how I can figure out what one can do vs another and if any specifically would be limiting in what they’re able to do.
I read this thread but wasn’t totally sure what the turning off in case of fire setting would fall under: ADC T40K-HD vs Others - #2 by tyler
I’m leaning towards just getting an Alarm.com one to be sure I’ll be able to access all the potential features. Is there a big difference between the ADC-T2000-RC vs ADC-T40K-HD? How can I figure out which one will be compatible with our current system (air via HVAC and heat via gas furnace)?
The terminals in our current one are W, RH, RC, G, and Y so it appears the ADC-T40K-HD will work based on these guides however I can’t find anything for the ADC-T2000-RC thus far to confirm. The installation guide does seem to infer it is compatible because it shows images of those terminals in the instructions: https://suretyhome.com/wp-content/uploads/Smart_thermostat_user_guide.pdf
Should I choose the Power G sensor over the IQ one because of it’s range or will both likely work about the same? Or do I need to figure out a way to get the standard door sensor (not recessed) to work on a recessed door?
A metal door will affect any RF signals, both PowerG and IQ would be hit, so range isn’t necessarily a question. Generally speaking, if you can, use a surface contact for a metal door. If you cannot, try using the recessed sensor in the frame and the magnet in the door. Does the sensor close and report reliably?
Fire safety rules are rule based automation triggers which are compatible with Z-wave thermostats. They are not supported on ecobee or Nest.
The terminals in our current one are W, RH, RC, G, and Y so it appears the ADC-T40K-HD will work based on these guides however I can’t find anything for the ADC-T2000-RC thus far to confirm.
Those are standard terminals and would be compatible with either the T40K or T2000. The T40K is a newer model which requires the C wire for 24VAC power. If you do not have a C wire connected you would need to run one to use the T40K.
It is recommended to use one anyway, but the T2000 can operate without it.
I’ve tried with the normal sensors but because it’s more than an inch apart, it thinks the door is always open (even when closed.) I’ve thought about cutting out a hole for the sensor to sit on the door frame but don’t want to mess up the trim lol so that’s why doing one that is recessed would make the most sense aesthetically. Sounds like I’ll have to try with the magnet in the door as you mentioned. Thanks for that insight as it seems like that could end up working.
Great to know! That’s what I was worried about so I’ll definitely plan to buy a Z-wave thermostat.
Thanks for the insight into the compatibility (I’ll research the C wire part and see about adding it to our existing system since I’m not seeing it as I look at our old one.)