thanks, looks like an upgrade to IQ2+ is inevitable for me. Thankfully the IQ2+ is backwards compatible to the 319.5 MHz line sensors so i don’t loose them all when I do eventually upgrade.
Yes, the standard IQ Panel 2+ with 319.5 radio is compatible with regular 319.5, S-Line, and Power G.
Qolsys confirmed that the solution for this would be the PG9905, but that would require the IQ Panel 2+
I haven’t tried it with an IQ Panel but if you don’t have PowerG, what about using an IQ DW Extended? I think you could use the magnet for sensing whether the door is open and also connect the wired input to something like a GRI T8005 to sense if the temperature gets too high. The only problem I see is that the T8005 is normally open but the wired input is normally closed. You could throw a relay in the middle to invert it. There might even refrigerator temp sensors out there that are normally closed out of the box. Not sure.
Thanks for this info!
Sorry for the late chime in. I think the best solution for you would be the PG9905 with the additional probe. You could drill a hole into the fridge and insert the probe. I tested it with the IQ2+ and you can indeed set you high and low alerts. You can set it to get a notification for a high or low of your set point and it will notify you if the compressor fails. I tested it to trigger an outlet which I wasnt able to do.
Thank you all for your thoughts! I went ahead with the PG9905. However, at this time I have not purchased the temperature probe. I’d definitely like to avoid drilling a hole in the freezer, if possible.
Is there really a compelling need for the external probe for this particular application (freezer temp monitoring)? Placing the PG9905 itself inside the freezer yields a solid signal to the panel, and the indoor operating temperature of the device itself is rated -4 degrees F to 122 degrees F. I would think that the probe would be meant more for outdoor applications, no? I understand that putting it in the freezer may result in diminished battery life, but are there other considerations I’m not thinking of?
The probe is meant to be used in applications like observing the temp of a freezer. Per the instructions, when using the temperature probe, the sensor needs to be mounted outside of the freezer.
Placing the sensor in the freezer is likely going to build up condensation/ice on the sensor which will likely damage the unit in addition to affecting signal strength and battery life.
Instead of drilling, you may be able to place the probe between the freezer door seal and the freezer itself. Depending on the seal this may work as an alternative to drilling into the freezer.
Thank you, Tyler, great points. I’ll play around to see if I can manage to run the probe past the seal without compromising the seal integrity. If I can strip off the leads’ insulation jacket around where the freezer seal will close, this may work even better.
Another issue: I have not been able to get temperature events to generate any kind of ADC notification. I get these events reported to the panel, but not via ADC. The sensor is in Group 51, and my IQ Panel 2 Plus has firmware version 2.4.2 installed. Per the firmware 2.4.0 release notes: “…High/Low threshold reporting for Group 51 now supported by Alarm.com”.
I have tried setting up the notifications two different ways, and neither of these works despite repeated attempts:
- New Notification | Temperature | Temperature Alert | When the device detects a temperature: Above [TEMPERATURE] | For the selected devices: [Freezer Temperature]
- New Notification | Standard | Alarm | When Alarm Type Audible [CHECKED], Silent [CHECKED] | Is reported by Specific Sensor: [Freezer Temperature]
I’m thinking that the former approach is the correct one, as the second one is premised on an alarm condition, and since Group 51 is “non-reporting”, I gather that this does not qualify as an “alarm”. Right?
coo30, it seems you were able to get this to work, per your post here. Does it read to you like I’m doing anything differently…?
Out of curiosity, did you already have 2.4.2 installed or did you add the PG9905 and then upgrade the firmware?
If it was the latter, could you try removing and reprogramming the PG9905?
I’m not seeing any events in Alarm.com for that sensor, other than a tamper alert. This suggests that the panel is simply not sending the data to ADC.
What is the date and time on the activations in panel history? Could you post a photo of one of those?
The panel was definitely at 2.4.2 prior to adding the sensor. I added the sensor on Wednesday, January 29, and have been intermittently testing with it every day between this day and as recently as Saturday, February 1 (maybe even Sunday, February 2).
I’ll be in a better position to repeat these tests and take requested pics either later tonight or tomorrow.
Ok, I retested last night with no different results, so as to supply screenshots depicting configuration and timestamps (this is Eastern). If it helps, the corresponding notification rule I am testing with and expecting to trigger is named “_Freezer Temperature Alert (40-45 dF)”.
Thank you for the photos. I can confirm that there is no related event in Alarm.com history, so it is not an issue with notification, rather with reporting.
I am sending this info to Qolsys to see if we can get it replicated and resolved. It is likely a reporting difference between what the panel is sending and what ADC expects.
It appears to me that you have everything set up properly. I can confirm when I installed the sensor/probe, that I was receiving notifications via the app and an email from a notification I set up. The main reason I am not still using it is because there was no way of checking the current temperature. Only high or low notifications.
I am actually being told by Qolsys now that the support for group 51 reporting was anticipated and added to the technical service bulletin for the firmware version, but didn’t actually make it into the software patch, so says their response. It is supposed to be headed to version 2.5 when that drops.
According to reply from Qolsys, 51 support is not fully implemented at this time. It sounds like it may have been reported working at one point though, so either it was never fully available or it was accidentally removed after 2.4.
coo30, were you able to actually generate a notification through testing, or just create one in ADC?
I updated to 2.5.0, but still have the same problem with getting Group 51 ADC notifications to work. Notifications to the panel work perfectly fine (as before), but no ADC notifications make it out.
I saw that various changes were made to this in 2.5.0. One of these was to add support for Sensor Group 25 (also Non-reporting), which supposedly can be used for ADC notifications, per the release notes. However, I understand that this is for a freeze sensor application, and so would only have a low temperature threshold. I’m trying to use the PG9905 to monitor for freezer failures, and so am looking to use only a high temperature threshold. For this same reason, I don’t think using Sensor Group 53 (Reporting) would be a good fit for this application.
Hmm, I am seeing the same response from the panel, where only the freeze zone type allows Senor Group 25, not Temperature for high alerts.
I’ll check with Qolsys on this and report back here. In their release notes they say Group 25 was added for Temperature and Freeze types.
Jason, have heard back from Qolsys on this?
Yes, actually, sorry it also required some verification with Alarm.com. Unfortunately it looks like this is still in development. The Group 25 option is not available for the PG9905, because it cannot be set as a High Temperature only device type.
It can only report both high and low thresholds using the Temperature device type (which is distinct from High Temperature, it is a bit convoluted with regard to naming, evidenced by the Qolsys technical service bulletin mislabeling what was supported). The Temperature device type uses sensor group 51, not 25.
Alarm.com needs to implement sensor group 51 reports compatibility. The PG9905 is intended to use 51.
I am told this functionality is actually in beta stages now at Alarm.com, so it shouldn’t be too long until it is available!