Qolsys not loud enough for a large house

So I have a minor dilemma with my new Qolsys system. Everything is setup and running. However, the panel itself is not loud enough. My home is about 4000 Sq Ft with a basement and two stories. The panel is currently located in the kitchen which is the most central part of the house. We normally enter through the basement since the garage is downstairs. However, when we enter through the basement, you can’t hear the panel counting down. Is there an accessory that will repeat the voice and chimes? Will a keypad accomplish this? I am concerned that if a burglar breaks in, they won’t hear the countdown until they are probably upstairs. I want the burglar to know right away that if they don’t get out soon, the alarm will go off.

I was looking at the Simon XTI keypad model 60-924-rf-ts because I think it works with the Qolsys. However, I am not sure if this is going to accomplish what I need. My plan was to put the panel near my basement entrance so anyone who walks in will hear the chimes. Also, I was wondering if the Simon 60-924-3-XT would also work. I would prefer the cheaper version because I will probably end up buying two (one for my room as well). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Edgar

My underatanding is you may be SOL on a secondary keypad for Qolsys

This was previously discussed:
http://suretydiy.com/forums/topic/qolsys-compatible-key-pad/

We’ll have to wait until tomorrow and check with Qolsys on this. There’s probably a solution that would work but I haven’t dealt with this problem directly before.

What makes you think those Simon keypads work with Qolsys? I haven’t heard that they do and I’d be surprised if they do.

A solution I’ve used with 2GIG is to connect a Resolution Products RE116-U and program it to chirp when the panel beeps during entry delay.

The Qolsys panel has a buzzer output on the terminal block in the back of the control panel. The question would be whether that buzzer output activates during entry delay. I’m not sure.

We’ll get back to you tomorrow about this.

I’m told by Qolsys that the output of the buzzer terminals cannot be programmed and only follows the internal siren.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that there is a secondary keypad in the works that is close to completion. Expect it Q1 or 2 of 2015.

Apparently, there is a secondary Qolsys keypad available right now and you can attach to walls wherever you need a keppad. I think there is an indicator light that is red or green depending on arming state.

See: http://suretydiy.com/forums/topic/qolsys-compatible-key-pad/#post-13068

True. We are referring to audible alerts during entry delay. I don’t have a lot of details, but a more fully functioning keypad is in the works apparently.

The IQ2 keypad is starting to ship in limited supply at the end of Jan, full rollout in Feb

I was given a time table of 6 weeks from now so that sounds right, although I always assume some sort of delay.

The indicator light on the RE152 PINpad just indicates that an arm or disarm command was successfully sent. It doesn’t indicate whether the panel is armed. It’s a 1-way communication device. Think of it like a key fob but you have to enter a 4 digit code to send commands with it so it’s more secure than a key fob. The 4 digit code isn’t even a user code in the panel, it’s a single local code that you manually program into the PINpad. The light lets you know that you entered the code correctly and your arm/disarm command was successfully transmitted.

Thanks everyone for looking into this. I guess I’ll be patient and wait for the new Keypad to be released.

Any idea on when the IQ2 keypad will ship and when/where it can be purchased and the cost? LOVE the new panel but I need a secondary panel in another location of the house.

No ship date yet. I will ask for an update when Qolsys opens.

Any updates on a ship date and price?

No specific ship date or cost yet. I’ve been told they plan to have units on shelves by sometime in March.

Any update to the ship date?

I’ve been making some inquiries. It seems they are shipping, but I’m not sure how organized it is, nor how many initial units were shipped. We have yet to see any. We will update the forum as soon as we have price and availability.

Perhaps I am wrong here, but the IQ2 panel looks eerie like the back side of a 7" tablet…

Opps…“eerily” I meant… The IQ2 secondary panel looks eerily similar to the backside of a 7" android tablet…