Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - Concord 4 alarm - want unit to beep when door/window opens

Hello everyone.

I'm brand new here and wanted to see if anyone could give me some direction on a GE Concord 4 security system. This was installed in the new construction house we purchased. Our kids are now old enough to know how to open the exterior door and unlock the door. So we want the unit to beep when a door is opened in case they would get up in the middle of the night and exit the house. Thankfully, they are under 5 and not teenagers yet.

The system has never been activated and I have the 60-820 SuperBus 2000 Fixed English display touchpad. I'm wondering if I can set up the system myself without having an installer come to the house.

We don't want the system monitored. Instead, all we want is the unit to beep if the door or window would be opened.

If there is a way to do the programming myself since it's fully installed and ready to go.

Thanks,
John

This is the chime feature. Press 7 then 1 to turn on.

Thanks for the info. I figured that part out after posting my question. However, it brings up a couple of other questions.

1. I need a second keypad in the bedroom. Will the alpha-numeric tell me which door or window is open or is it not working going with that keypad and instead sticking with another of the same that came installed with the house?

2. Is it difficult to connect the keypad? The one in the laundry room had 4 wires on the back. Will the alpha-numeric have the same 4 wires and connect the same way?

3. Are there any retailers where I can buy these keypads at? I've found them online and at alarm companies, but I'd like a store where I can ask questions and the alarm co are way overpriced.

4. I have a few alarm sensors that are not working at all. How difficult is it to trouble shoot that problem? The current keypad does not beep when I open the window or door. I am wondering if the sensor is bad or if the zones are not turned on for some reason.

5. Is there a master reset that will set the alarm back to factory settings? i've been pushing keys and fumbling my way through the system but I have no idea if I changed anything or not in the other settings.

Thanks,
John

The alpha keypad will give you detailed descriptions, but all of those descriptors have to be programmed into the system.

Yes, that same 4-wire connection is used for all keypads. If the house was prewired at construction, it's probable that you have extra keypad drops in the house, the trick is _finding_ them.

Buy them online, most alarm companies mark up over the counter sales to DIY customers substantially. For details on the concord system and it's components go to the GE website: http://www.gesecurity.com/portal/site/GESecurity/menuitem.f76d98ccce4cabed5efa421766030730?selectedID=327&seriesyn=false&t=prod


If it's a hardwired door/window contact, try giving the contact a sharp rap with the handle of a screwdriver. Sometimes they fail stuck closed. Eventually, the ones that stick will need replacement. Wireless contacts generally work until the battery in the transmitter fails.

If you don't have the installer code, Concord family panels are notoriously difficult to get access to the programming. There is _no_ hardware default on one of these things.

Websearch using the phrase: "Concord 4 installer manual"

Thanks for the information MrRonFL. I did purchase the keypad but I found a person here in my area who had a price close to what it would cost me online after shipping. So it should be here by the weekend I hope.

I know where the wire is in my bedroom for the second keypad. The installer did a great job of leaving the one wire for the keypad hanging right in the front of the box. i checked it and it's just dangling there and ready to be hooked up.

I'm not sure what's wrong still with a couple of sensors. I've got a new construction home and will probably have the builder send the installer back so they can look at the ones that are not working correctly. Can I buy these sensors are radio shack or do I have to go to a specialty retailer or company?

The big problem I have is not knowing what the zones are. When the front door opens or the entry door from the garage, they both say zone 01. I believe my unit can have 8 zones because I'm currently getting errors on two zones, 03 and 07. So that tells me I should have up to zone 08. How do people set up zones in the system? Is it easy to do and what's the best practice for that?

I'd like to have the master as one zone, the kids room as one zone, the office as a zone, the front door as a zone, the back door as a zone, etc. I want to be able to have the display tell me exactly which door is open and from what I was told by an installer, that means it has to be it's own zone. But he could be feeding me a line to get me to pay him $150 to come do the programing for me.

Hopefully i can make some headway this weekend.

Your front door and garage door are on one zone. You may need to do some leg work to determine which devices are on what zones. Perhaps the zones that are not working, were not contacted, do not have magnets, or were not connected to the panel...not uncommon when a builder subcontracts the installation, because the alarm company wants you to have to call them, that way they can get you to subscribe to monitoring.