Help the newbie select an alarm panel - la la laa laa la

[impact]

Yep its newbie time... so go easy... Yes I've searched here and google and basically what I find is around 2 years old.. Nothing much of recent times - so either nothing has happened or it really is a dull scene...

The house I am renovating is full of c-bus stuff, lights will dim and turn on, sensors galore - all the usual stuff to show off... (and to make life more comfortable)

Its now time to research the alarm panels...

My requirements - 16 zones or less / 2 keypads / integration to c-bus / 2 * proximity card reader.

For the c-bus integration, I want c-bus to arm the panel, and if an alarm event occurs to tell c-bus so it can turn lights on / off etc. (simple stuff if its programmed correctly)

I want 2* proximity sensors, so that as I approach the external doors, with a handful of groceries, I can have the door unlock, I can enter without fumbling for keys, put the groceries down and disarm the alarm... (I originally thought the rf should disarm the alarm as well - might do it that way, but Im just being over cautious at present! and I did have a logical scenario / reason for not doing it - just cant think of it now!)

So what to get ?

The Ness M1G looks good. I like the cbus integration, I like the extra's like monitoring, voice and all the bells and whistles... However it appears the only thing missing is that the proximity card reader is mounted inside the alarm keyboard panel ? I have not found an external one for it !!! I definately want the proximity card reader to be mounted externally, and the keyboard internally at the rear of the house!

A lot of info on the web dates back a number of years, but nothing recent... It appears the ELK M1G is exactly the same as the Ness M1G (Just branded differently? Same functionality?)

Ness also appears to have a new panel - D16x - which while info at the ness site is low... appears from some reading to be cbus compatible. While the flashiness of the M1G is not there with functioanlity like the voice modules - it does appear to support external proximity card readers ?

(Is the ness X series the new gold/platinum of the range????)

Then there is the clipsal 5400... which appears to be popular here... A couple of 'cbus experts' I know - installer types swear by the concept - but I think thats out of my price range...

Oh the migraine of it all... I just wanted to blurt out my feelings after spending far too many hours on the web researching... So if you do have any thoughts I am interested...

Thanks for letting me rave.

[ICS-GS]

for what it's worth i have the clipsal unit, works fine for me.

Keep in mind there is a limit to the amount of integration to c-bus (from memory it is about 16 group addresses), for this unit, but i am by no means a security guru, hopefully a couple of the other guys who frequent the forum might swing by and give there valued oppinions.

But from what you seem to be asking the clipsal unit should do the job. However i do not have the prox readers at the moment, but when i save up enough pocket money...maybe:p


Good luck

Grant

[Mr Mark]

Hello impact.

The NESS D16X panel and the Clipsal 16 zone panel are pretty much the same thing...
The keypads for the NESS M1 system have provision for the proximity card readers, and they can be seperate from the keypad ie: loop out of the keypad (mounted internally) to the card reader (mounted externally). I haven't done one for a long time - maybe drop a line to fleetz?

See how you go,

Mark

[znelbok]

Yes, the M1 has the reader outside the keypad as indicated and can do everything you want based on your list.

[NickD]

I have the Clipsal Homesafe 5400/16CB. I'm pretty sure it will do everything you need, although you might want to check whether it can do *2* prox card readers.

Nick

[ashleigh]

I'm pretty sure the Homesafe / Ness D16 does 2 prox readers, but its worth checking.

[slychiu]

The Comfort system www.cytech.biz is a C-Bus enabled Alarm and home automation system which has full integration with C-Bus.
You can arm and disarm from C-Bus via the touchscreen as well as see the state of all the security sensors as the state of the alarm (armed to Away, Night, Day, in alarm)
Any C-Bus switch can also control an appliance controlled by IR from Comfort like an aircondtioner and also reflect the status of the device.
Telephone control is standard - a full voice menu allows you to control any C-Bus group address AND lets you hear the state of any device.
Voicemail is also included

[impact]

Thanks for the help...

The problem I have with items like M1G / Comfort and the like is that they try to be an all one stop solution - giving home automation, alarms etc... Well I already have the automation stuff thru c-bus - as much as these can and will talk to the c-bus interface, in my mind I am paying for it again - why do I need another product with the claim of being able to send IR or turn lights on and off etc...

The 5400 (after some checking) does support up to 3 card readers, and the limited info I have seen, it appears they can be detected through the c-bus interface...

So it looks like my dream of caryying the groceries from car, going to the back door, sensors turning lights on automatically, swiping a card, and the door unlocks, with room lights turning on - can be achieved.

At present I am leaning towards the clipsal 5400 route - its cheaper than a M1G or others... it gives me the basic functionality and of course my favorite thing ..... One vendor - if I cant get it to work, I dont end up making phone calls back and forth with 2 vendors each complaining its the other vendors problem.

Unless I find something else in the next week or so - thats the direction (I think)

[ICS-GS]

5400 was a breeze to connect to c-bus!

Enjoy

Grant

[impact]

5400 was a breeze to connect to c-bus!

Enjoy

Grant

Thanks everyone... I've decided to go the 5400 way - comments and further thinking regarding it comes from clipsal so it should work well (integrating to cbus) - decision made...

Ill be ordering one in the next couple of weeks - once the builder moves out and before my plasterer moves in - lol.

[hoofie]

Thanks everyone... I've decided to go the 5400 way - comments and further thinking regarding it comes from clipsal so it should work well (integrating to cbus) - decision made...

Ill be ordering one in the next couple of weeks - once the builder moves out and before my plasterer moves in - lol.

I just put one of these in at the weekend to replace a twenty-year old panel. Installation was dead-easy and it's ready to connect to my CBUS network [which will be a bit more organic].

The only warning I will give is the manual - its quite long-winded and some of the instructions jump about a bit so sit down and read it once or twice just to be sure.