I have set up an IQ panel 4 but I am noticing a weird behavior. Using the stock power supply and a cable run of around 50 to 60ft. The panel sees 7.2 V when running the voltage test and flags it as “Good”. However the battery is draining slowly over a period of 24 hours. The icon on the status bar shows charging but the battery is really draining slowly even though the supply reads 7.2 v. Eventually the battery dies in 24 hours and the panel goes dark with even a notification.
After than it does not start unless the battery has some acceptable levels of charge.
My question is do I have a bad power supply, a bad battery or bad panel ? I find it weird that
7.2 V shows good when its not
Battery shows charging when its not
Battery is getting depleted while on power
Unit powers down without a power trouble notification
What gauge wire are you using? When using 18 Gauge Wire you can get up to 98.5ft. When using 22 gauge wire, you can get up to 25 feet.
Can you run a battery test? You can do this by swiping down from the top > Settings > Advanced Settings > Installer code > System Test > Panel Test > Battery
I am not sure about the gauge i have to measure. Did the panel battery test and came back as Pass (good).
So 7.2 V is ok but it may be the case that the amp is not expected due to the gauge ? I am surprised that the firmware does not show something as deficiency and all appear green pass.
Let me ask. If its tricky to replace wire or alter installation, is there a power supply that can help with wire gauge issues such as this.
Yes. If the gauge is too small, the amperage doesn’t flow freely enough from the transformer to the keypad. If you have a four conductor wire from an existing system, I would recommend doubling up on wires.
Example… Red and Yellow together for positive - Black and green together for the negative wire
It is not recommended that you use another power source as it could void warranty for the keypad if you run into any panel failures in the near future
You could connect it to a plug that’s closer to the IQ4 Panel if its on the other side of the wall, below it, or possibly in the attic.
Does connecting the IQ4 panel using the short cable provided give you the same issue? If it doesn’t, it is most likely the wire.
Gotcha. I took it off the wall and used the stock power supply and the stock cable in box. The battery started charging again. It took a few hours to fully charge but the panel eventually became available again.
I noticed a weird behavior though. When the panel shut down from depleting battery when on the wall with the house cable, it would not come back online for some time on the charger. Was blinking red and blue. Eventually after sometime it came back up, but the wifi was red and not functioning. It took many hours and until the battery completelly charged to 100% for the wifi to turn green again. I attempted multiple reboots in the meantime but wifi was just red. It looked connected to access point but internet was down and wifi tests failing. Is that even normal or a bad panel.
This is normal as the IQ Panel 4 battery need to have a charge in order to be able to power up. I believe the issue you are having is based off the existing wiring. Were you doubling up on the wires before? What kind of wire do you currently have?
I havent doubled up the wires yet to test again. Will try it over the weekend and hopefully it will work out. House has a 4 conductor wire. Two for power and two for siren. I was only using the two before. I have to hijack the siren wires I guess for a test.
Regarding the wifi I am confident its not the access point, because its right next to it (7 or 8 feet). I tried multiple options (travel access points) in close proximity and also phone hotspot and everything was failing consistently. I couldnt explain. It was only wifi, bluetooth was green along the way. It took a few hours and multiple reboots expecting a change. When the battery fully charged internet started working again.
I am most certain doubling up wires will help the power issue because of the 50-60ft distance. Keypads wires are usually ran 22 gauge 4 conductor. 22 Gauge has a maximum of 25ft distance for the IQ Panel 4. The IQ Panel 4 does has its own built in siren as well.
Yeah, power, wire gauge and distance is a big thing with these panels. If not, you could get some odd behaviors. The thing about the Wi-Fi issue you had was that it was getting the correct voltage when it happened. It could have been caused by the battery but let us know if the Wi-Fi trouble returns. I’m glad we got it working.
Thanks for the tips. One more question when those units are out of power and run on battery do the disable wifi and Bluetooth immediately? This is something that i noticed when i unplug the power supply. Both of those radios go red in status screen.
