Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - zones

Looking at purchaseing and installing a security system. At the planning stage now, Is there some kind of criteria as to how many zones you should have and how many places to protect on a single zone? Thanks Al

A lot depends on how many openings and sensors you are trying to track. The _ideal_ would be one opening/sensor per zone. This is seldom practical (although most wireless systems work this way by default), with a wired system; so a common method is to have entry/exit door, some logical grouping of exterior windows as zones, and motion detectors as individual zones (otherwise isolating motion detector faults can be a real headache).

Most recently I set up an office with north, south, east and west windows as 4 zones of 3-6 windows each, 2 entry doors as a zone, several acoustic glass breaks on a common zone, and two motions as individual zones, with the 8th zone being used for smoke detectors.

I have 4 exterior doors, would you group them together as a zone then take maybe the back wall of the house(9 windows), then the north side, south side, etc and finally the basement and make them zones with a motion in the basement and one guarding the first floor? Keeping the motion sensors on their own zone, the way I understand you saying. Am I on the right track with my thinking? Also what brand would you recommend useing an all hard wire system? Thanks Al

The exterior doors that you enter and leave through (and have a keypad near) need to be on a seperate zone than exterior doors that are just part of the perimeter. Otherwise all 4 doors would activate the time delay. The perimeter doors can simply be part of the same zone as the windows of the room that they are in (although I favor giving patio/deck doors their own zone for a number of reasons).

Otherwise, you have got the basic concept.

The ITI Concord units are pretty popular, and are a bit easier to cope with for set-up and programming. You can also get the advantage of built-in wireless for things like keyfobs, and sensors for really hard to wire places.

I have a personal bias for the caddx/networx systems, but they are not as diy friendly.

Another consideration I like to take when grouping windows in a house is to group the bedrooms windows together and the living room/dining room/kitchen kind of areas together - this way you can bypass the bedroom windows at night, if you want to leave them vented during the Fall/Spring - but still have the other areas protected.

Just keep in mind that most security systems have 6 hardwire zones standard (some have 8), but, if that's not enough, you can always add a hardwire expansion (usually 8 zones) for under $50 easily.

Good luck!

Safewatch what would you suggest for a system? Am I correct that I would need 2 keypads one programable and one not. Magnets for all windows and recessed for the doors. Looking at the concord which one not sure, I can hardwire all my points to protect them. also would like to have the x-10 support. thanks al

I personally like the Concord Express - it's very easy to install, program and use. If you get a programming keypad, you can use it as a regular keypad also.

The only problem witht the Concord Express is that there is no X-10 support at all - even as add-on. You'll have to step-up to the Concord Hybrid/RF Integrated line to get X-10 support. I have a Concord RF 16 Integrated system myself - with a 2x20 LCD keypad. I use mostly wireless devices in my condo - too much trouble to run wires. It's an excellent system.

If you want something similar, you could try the Ademco Vista series (15P or 20P is what I would recommend) or the DSC Power series. Either of these options will give you X-10 support, but you'll have to add a wireless receiver to them to support any kind of wireless devices.

Hope that helps.

Good luck!

Safewatch, I have checked out the different systems but to be truthful I cannot tell the differance in them except some are also wireless capable. I need a system that has about 8 hardwire zone I have 4 entrance doors including the one going to the garage. We use the garage and front entrance and the one out the back the most when leaving the house. That i figured 1zone , south wall is the master bedroom and bathzone 2, rear of home zone 3,north wallzone 4 and west wall zone 5, zone 6 2 motion detectors one on the first floor 1 in basement,zone 6 glass detectors for rear of home I consider this the best place for someone to enter, rear entry door and lots of windows off deck What would be best for me to use? I would like to have the x 10 support and pageing support. tHanks again Al

Both the Caddx NX-8 models and DSC 5010 (Power 832) have the zones and pager output as standard options.

The Caddx has a couple of add in boards that will give you the x-10 (probably the best choice is the nx-540 which also gives one the means to access and control the alarm system through telephones).

DSC has a similar add in board. The two are really equivalent systems.

To get wireless with either takes another add on. (These are modular systems, which makes them flexible, but a little more work).

Both are tougher to program and set up than the ITI systems, but they both program from the standard system keyboards. Go with the LCD keypads, though. There isn't a large price difference, and they are easier both to use and program.