Most external contacts on wireless 2gig sensors

What wireless sensor for 2GIG has the most external contacts? For example, the wireless window/door sensor has an input for an external contact - but just one.

Does any sensor (or wired to wireless panel or whatever gizmo) out there have more than one? In a perfect world a device exists that has 4-6 or 8 inputs, is small and battery powered. But please let me know of any and all that have more than one.

I am thinking of building some custom wall switches that have 4-6 buttons on them that would then send a trigger to the panel. This in turn would use ADC rules and automate z-wave devices. I’ve all but given up using an external z-wave controller - that part of the industry is a train wreck at the moment!

Cheers

The RE201 from Resolution Products has 2 external contacts in addition to the built in magnetic reed switch.

You can use all 3 sensors (loops) at the same time. Other than that takeover modules like the 2GIG super switch have 8 wired contact inputs.

The Resolution Products RE208 wired translator is like the super switch but it can run off battery and doesn’t require a 12V power supply.

http://resolutionproducts.com/Websites/resolutionproducts/files/Content/3751921/RE208_Hardwire_to_Honeywell-Compat_Translator.pdf

Thanks Ryan - I am seriously rethinking this. In picturing the frankenstein like install doing this and all the used zones in the panel that have to be separated from the alarm not a pretty solution.

I noticed that the 2gig now has scenes in the panel. I have a scene for all on or all off for now. Can these scenes be triggered with something like this: http://www.amazon.com/GE-45631-Z-Wave-Wireless-Controller/dp/B003OUWABU

Again and not to beat a dead horse, all I want is some wall switches that trigger zwave devices or scenes - if scenes only I can make a scene that is 1:1 with a device. I have some lamp modules that are less than ideal for turning on/off (on is easy, just flip lamp off and back on - but off is bending over, going behind a couch and tapping the little switch or going to a 2gig panel and tapping lots of onscreen buttons - not ideal).

Somewhat frustrated with this - just not quite enough to go vera route (that whole scene - pardon the pun - is ugly… the different controllers out there all offer different features and no one seems to have it nailed. Sadly the one that did just got swallowed up by google and is not for sale).

Thoughts?

Alarm.com leans toward using their app to control devices. They are releasing scene support soon but they’ve always had individual device control. Why not just put a low cost android device on the wall and use the Alarm.com app? Or just leave it on the coffee table and not even wall mount it?

There are ways to do it with a z-wave wall button panel but it’s easier with the app. Do you prefer the button panel? If so I can explain how.

I like the idea of a cheap tablet… I assume I can create an empower-only user on ADC… would hate to leave that logged in and laying around otherwise!

But yes, I would love to know how to use a z-wave button panel. This way folks who visit don’t have to figure things out - just tap a wall button. Hopefully this is doable with a 4 button wall panel and not just a single, but I’m all ears!

BTW - enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday!

Z-Wave wall panel “scene controllers” with buttons are Z-Wave controllers just like the 2GIG panel is. You can program your Z-Wave switches into the wall button-panel, making it the master controller. Then you can add the 2GIG panel to that master controller as a slave controller. The 2GIG panel will then have access to all the devices in the master controller.

You would program scenes manually into the wall panel (the master controller). A 4-button panel would get you 4 scenes. The 2GIG panel would not have access to those scenes but it can still control the individual devices. You can use Alarm.com to program rules and control the devices remotely. You can use the master scene controller to invoke the scenes you programmed manually into it by pressing the buttons.

It’s not an ideal solution but it’s the best I’m aware of to accomplish what you want.

Excited, excited… suddenly deflated. Aww.

Thanks though for explaining it out. But that’s not elegant at all - to have a 4 button wall switch as a master is silly in this case. Guess vera may be in my future after all. For now though the tip on running the alarm app on tablet/old phone etc - works well. I created an ADC account that was empower only and it’s ok for now…

Again big thanks!

I agree it’s not elegant. The good news is that being a “master” doesn’t mean that commands from the slave have to go through the master or anything like that. It’s just a programming/setup thing. The master is the controller that decides what the home ID of the network will be and the slaves join up and use that same network ID. The slave (the 2GIG panel) would still send it’s commands directly to the devices. The master controller could fail and the slave controllers would still continue to work.

Alarm.com compatible panels have put more of an emphasis on fitting into the Alarm.com ecosystem than they have trying to be a general purpose Z-Wave controller like Vera. I’d like to see that change and I think it will over time now that 2GIG has some serious competition in Qolsys.