I currently have old Honeywell 5816 door/window sensors with 5150-W shock sensors on the glass. I’m used to the door/window sensors being mounted via 3M tape on the vinyl part of the sliding window (the stile/sash), the 5150-W mounted to the glass with tape (wired to the 5816), and the magnet on the fixed portion of the window frame (the jamb).
I am considering upgrading to an IQ Pro and replacing the 5816’s with PG9935’s that should do away with the need for the separate 5150-W’s. However, I’m a little confused by the mounting instructions, which seem to suggest mounting it opposite of the above. The sensor on the jamb (which is part of the frame, not even the vinyl part of the window itself) and the magnet on the sash (the vinyl part of the window that holds the glass).
With a single PG9935 attached to the jamb (the stationary part of the frame), assuming it is within 3 to 4 feet of all parts of the window, can it really detect the vibrations of a glass break from either window given the vibration has to travel from the glass through the sash and then into and through the jamb?
I have 11 panes of glass currently covered by shock sensors so I don’t want to spring for new sensors and then discover they don’t work the way I interpreted the installation guide.
Thank you.
Mike
Yes, the installation manual here specifies mounting the magnet on the moveable part of the window/door and the sensor to the frame.
Below is a section describing dimensions of the door/window from the specifications list in the manual.
One other downside to consider is that the PG9935 manual recommends installation using screws. Double sided tape will dampen the vibration detection.
Some individuals avoid the installation with screws out of concern that it may void warranty on vinyl windows.
The 5150-W is still one of the most reliable and effective shock sensors. I still use a couple of those myself. If upgrading the panel capabilities is the main desire, the 345Mhz version of the IQ Pro would be compatible with 5816 Honeywell sensors.
Unless you really wanted to replace those sensors it shouldn’t be necessary.
Thanks for confirming Jason. It had just seemed extraordinary that a glass break on the moving pane could be felt enough in the window frame to set it off.
We’ll only be replacing a couple of the sensors initially because they have been giving us false alarms (one of them is likely the 5816 itself or RF interference or something since we’re getting simultaneous false alarms for both the reed switch and the wired loop with the 5150-W on it - the other one is less clear because it is protecting a stationary pane of glass with just the 5150-W in use).
Over the following year or two we’d likely replace the remaining sensors though. Most of these are 15 years old, so I feel like we’ve gotten decent mileage to them. Wanted to move to encrypted sensors and like PowerG’s use of FHSS to make them more interference resistant. It does mean I’m locked into the Qolsys/DSC ecosphere after that, but since there’s no open standard for encryption then that’s going to be true with any platform if I use encrypted sensors.
We also considered Honeywell’s new Vista H3, but I don’t want to be stuck with AN360 and their crummy app. Plus as near as I can tell the PROSiX sensors use the same 2.4GHz bands as 2.4 GHz WiFi (just a couple channels don’t overlap) and Bluetooth, which are incredibly noisy over here. And 2Gig is out of the question because the Edge has extremely limited cross-zone support.
Obviously please let me know if I’m wrong about any of that, but that’s my understanding of the current state of things.
Thanks again.
You’ve researched well, and yes we do recommend PowerG as generally the best overall option for wireless sensors. Range, encryption, FHSS, adaptive battery are all great benefits of PowerG.
If you go with the 345Mhz version of the panel you could replace those as needed in a staggered fashion.
