Currently 2GIG doesn’t support any Z-Wave sensors. 2GIG uses the Honeywell/Ademco 5800 series 345 MHz wireless security sensor signalling for sensors. Z-Wave is just used to control home automation devices and that one wireless siren, which is essentially a Z-Wave switch - an output device, not a sensor.
I’ll look into whether they intend to support Z-Wave sensors in the future. It would be a big design change for the current Go!Control panel and it poses some risks. 2GIG is a UL listed security system and Z-Wave communication tends to be less reliable than the established wireless security sensor signalling used by the major security panels. I haven’t seen any major security panel manufacturers support Z-Wave sensors yet. I believe Lowes Iris uses Z-Wave sensors but it’s not a UL listed security system. I hope 2GIG adds Z-Wave sensors in the future, even if not for security purposes but for just triggering automation rules.
Hmm… on the contrary to what I wrote above, 2GIG had several Z-Wave security sensors including a door contact and a motion detector on display at ISC West. I asked one of their reps whether they’re supporting Z-Wave security sensors and the guy said “Not yet, but it’s coming”. So apparently they are planning to support Z-Wave sensors? But still no plans for the Aeotec MultiSensor.
I was really just looking for a motion sensor that I could put outdoors that would act more like a perimeter trigger to turn on certain lights in/out of the house.
I was going to put a motion sensor pointing into a window well on the side of my house so that if a “Would be” thief decided to hop in to use it as a point of entry, I would then have the motion sensor trigger not only an outside light shining on the thief, but to also turn on the inside lights in the basement.
It seems the only motion sensors I can find are not meant to be outdoors or they need to be silicone to sustain, then battery replacement becomes an issue.
The Resolution Products outdoor motion detector would work with 2GIG. We’re just waiting on them to release it.
Any wired outdoor motion detector would work if you wired it to a transmitter such as the 2GIG-DW20R-345 or the RE201 but you would need a power supply as well.
I currently use both the Honeywell 5800PIR-OD which pairs directly with the 2GIG panel.
I also use the battery powered Optex HX-40RAM Outdoor Wireless PIR Sensor With Anti-Masking Technology which I has room in the housing to wire and embed a Honeywell Ademco 5816WMWH Transmitter.
These blanket my entire outdoor pool area with motion coverage. From there I use an Alarm.com rule to automate turning on my lights.
I don’t like having to go through Alarm.com for the automation, however the 2Gig panel rules don’t allow you to automate based on a single sensor. I also want to do more automation such as being able to sound an alarm if there is motion in the pool area while a proximity token isn’t present (like an RFID tag). I’m considering adding a Honeywell Panel -> NuTech AD2USB Adapter -> Vera Lite (z-Wave controller) just so I can have extra control over this stuff.
I wish that the new 2Gig panel was launching now and had features that would allow individual sensors to trigger z-wave scenes (especially from other controllers).
I haven’t personally used either of those outdoor motions. Was there a reason you decided to use both? Or did you just want to try them and see which works better for you? Any feedback comparing the two?
What’s the reason for not liking going through Alarm.com for the automation? Rules don’t actually execute on Alarm.com, they’re just programmed through Alarm.com but the rules are downloaded to the 2GIG panel and execute there.
Please let us know what you end up adding to that set up, I’m very intrigued!
The 5800PIR-OD is made to be mounted low (approx 3-4ft) off of the ground. It uses two sensors to detect only humans and is great for my flat pool deck area. One sensor goes straight out perpendicular to the ground, while the other one is angled down. Provides a 40 ft coverage area with a 45 degree radius. It is mounted 4ft off the ground in one corner of the pool area. I may have to add a second for 100% coverage of the pool deck.
The Optex sensor is a 40ft range as well but it is a high mount sensor that allows for coverage on sloping ground. It uses a nice method of coverage that works very well for covering my side yard and multi-level deck area. I have the sensor mounted higher on my house.
I did not realize that the Alarm.com rules don’t actually execute on Alarm.com. I believed that it required a connection to ADC to work. So to test, I can disconnect the GSM module temporarily and my rules should still run?
I really want the ability to have the 2GIG trigger a scene on another zWave controller from the motion detector. I want to use my zWave automation system to control lots of other things.
Essentially I’m trying to build a secure alarmed area for my pool that is separate from the house alarm. I even thought about a second 2GIG system, dedicated for outside without CS monitoring. I have kids and my end goal is that a responsible adult is the only one with access to “open” the pool area.
Yes Alarm.com rules should work when the GSM is disconnected. I can’t say I’ve ever tested that myself but I’m sure that rules are executed on the panel and not in the cloud. There would be too big a delay and a reliability problem if rules relied on Alarm.com’s servers to execute.
Depending on how long you’re willing to wait, Alarm.com does have scenes on the road map so you might not need another Z-Wave controller. You’re definitely pushing the limit on what 2GIG and Alarm.com can do today but I like to see that. I’ll make sure others see your posts so they know what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s good to give product development specific use cases to think about.
Kevin,
I wanted to confirm what I told you about 2GIG rules being executed on the panel and, surprisingly, I’ve just been told that Alarm.com rules execute in the cloud with 2GIG panels. I’m very sorry for the misinformation. I had been trained that Alarm.com rules execute on the panel, not in the cloud, but it turns out that’s only the case for Interlogix panels, not 2GIG panels. With Interlogix panels the rules are stored in and execute on the cell module which is where the Z-Wave controller resides. With 2GIG panels the rules only execute on the panel if you disable Alarm.com rules and use 2GIG local rules (Q79 = 2). If you use Alarm.com rules on 2GIG (Q79 = 3) then the rules are executed in the cloud.
I’m disappointed, and embarrassed, to hear this. It explains a lot though because we have been dealing with reliability problems running Alarm.com rules on the 2GIG panel. I’ve been under the impression that it was a problem with the stored rules getting corrupted in the 2GIG panel when new rules are being saved. If the rules actually have to go through the cell connection to execute, that’s the weak link in the chain.
I will say that with the new 2GIG IP bridge this issue will be mitigated because rules will be sent through both cellular and broadband simultaneously and whichever message arrives first is used. That will improve the situation but obviously executing the rules locally would be better and more reliable.
OK, forget my last post. Alarm.com rules ARE stored and executed on the 2GIG panel, not in the cloud. I was given bad information this morning when I tried to confirm that for you. This is how I’ve always understood it, and when I heard otherwise this morning I honestly thought I had gone insane. They run pretty quickly for me and I was confused how they would have been going through a cell connection. So yes, your Alarm.com rules should work even when the cellular module isn’t communicating. Given all this confusion, I’m going to run some tests to verify this.
Sorry again but I’m very glad to be told it’s the way I thought it was.
Fun stuff Ryan - I’m on the fence about how it’s actually working based on some behaviors I’m seeing right now. I kind of think it may be a little of both happening (running in cloud and running on panel)
For instance - Alarm.com Motion Sensor monitoring keeps motion sensors on Alarm.com in Activated status if they’ve detected motion in the past 60 minutes. My z-Wave rule which is set to turn OFF the lights after no motion for 10 minutes turns off my lights after no motion for an hour and 10 minutes. This leads me to believe the time-out/turn-off portion of the rule is being executed by Alarm.com. If it was being executed on the panel - the panel has a live feed of the motion sensor to work with…
Actually - I stand corrected tonight. My rule to turn OFF the lights after 10 minutes of inactivity didn’t work at all. Two hours later (motion sensor on Alarm.com shows idle) and the lights are still on
I created a rule on Alarm.com that a lamp would turn on when a motion detector was triggered. As soon as I tripped the sensor, the lights came on.
I then unplugged the antenna from the 2GIG panel and ran the same test with the rule I previously created on Alarm.com. The light came on when I tripped the sensor.
Seems like the rules are created from Alarm.com and are then downloaded to the panel. Depending on signal strength of your panel, the amount of time this takes can vary. Especially if you’re trying to create multiple rules at the same time.
Interesting. I can certainly see how that might depend on Alarm.com. The “turn back off” part of the rule might have been a feature added by Alarm.com after the fact and not involve 2GIG. We’ll give it a shot on Monday and let you know if we get the same results.
I created a rule for the lights to turn on when motion is triggered and for them to turn off after 5 min.
The lights turned off and on based on the rule parameters with both the antenna plugged in and unplugged.
Here’s the neat thing I did find out though. If the motion detector triggers motion in the middle of the rule (say 2 min. into the 5 min. timer), the rule will reset and the lights will turn off 5 min. after the second motion. I was able to do this with the antenna plugged in and unplugged.
I did run into a snag once where the lights would not turn off after 5 min., but I don’t know what could have made it screw up. I was unable to replicate the issue after repeated attempts.
Alright Jay. Now I’m curious and in troubleshooting mode. Does make me wonder if your panel still had enough signal to contact ADC with the antenna unplugged
