Compatible alarm panels? Newbie from Malaysia!

Hello to all the C-Bus gurus out there!

This is my first post on the forum.

I'm from Malaysia, it's not easy to obtain C-Bus related advice here.

My parents are building a fairly large home in Kuala Lumpur and we're installing C-Bus mainly for lighting control. Just getting some relays and dimmers and possibly some changeover relays for motorised blinds/curtains.

Now I wanna do a bit more. I want my alarm system integrated to C-Bus. No fancy features are required. I just want want ALL lights to turn on when an intrusion is triggered. Also want to be able to arm the alarm remotely using Wiser app, sometimes we just forget to arm the alarm before leaving the house.

My C-Bus dealer said I can go for any alarm panels that have AUXILIARY outputs, then I'll also need to purchase C-Bus AUXILIARY input units for my idea to work.

After some extensive googling I've across Clipsal & Ness panels. Those panels are C-Bus enabled, does it mean I can connect them to C-Bus directly without purchasing any additional interfacing units?

Interested in Clipsal Homesafe 5400/16CB and Ness D16X panels.

Can anyone enlighten me? I thank you for reading this.

 

Ness system is a good interface to C-Bus, a bit sophisticated if you have not put one together though, it really needs some specialised skill / experience to get it all to go. You order a C-Bus interface for the alarm and once the two systems are connected they can pass group statuses between each other. You can program logic into the alarm, e.g. to take various actions in response to C-Bus groups changing. You can also connect directly into the alarm itself, e.g. for remote arming and disarming. Quite a good and powerful system once you have worked out how to tie it all together and many possibilities as the alarm system itself is highly programmable. Maybe the important thing though is to pick something you can get local support for, and which ties in with your local alarm monitoring / telephone systems - if you want the alarm to call fire/police/ambulance etc - or your chosen security agency

 

Unless it has dissapeared, Clipsal also had an alarm panel with C-Bus integration as well.

HAI claim to be able to control C-Bus as do inner range. Have not heard anything from Inner range for a long time though, not even sure if they are still around.

Mick

 

Inner Range are still around for sure, I'm sitting there right now.

The concept range has a c-bus interface that connects via a PCI.

However I would think it would be overkill both in price and programming learning curve for a domestic installation.

Regards

Rohan

 

Wow, you guys are so efficient!

Impressed!

 

Hi SBL,

16 alarm zones are sufficient for the house so I'm particularly interested in a Ness D16x C-Bus enabled panel. If I purchase this, is there any additional parts I need to buy for the 2 systems to work together?

Having not seen or experienced neither before, is it difficult to hook up the panel to the C-Bus system? How is it connected?

I have some computing background so I guess I will learn to do the programming bit.

I'll getting a Wiser Home Controller for the set up, am I able to arm/disarm the alarm using the iPhone app? I do not wish to dial in to do the same.

I understand it's always best to receive local support for a product. I met up with some alarm installer yesterday and he proposed a fairly simple system that costs twice the price of the Ness panel. The brand is unheard of, nor I'm able to find any resources on the Internet. Don't think the panel is C-Bus enabled but he did show me an interface card that makes the panel talk to C-Bus. However no additional information was given.

I don't need the alarm panel to call any authorities / security company. Instead, can I program it so that I will receive an email when an intrusion is detected? Emails get pushed to my iPhone and I can act immediately.

Well honestly speaking, I only want 2 things:

1. Arm / disarm on iPhone app (Wiser)
2. Trigger a C-Bus scene or turn on all lights during an intrusion or Panic mode.

If I'm getting a panel that is NOT C-Bus enabled, how do I get it to work with C-Bus? My C-Bus installer added this AUXILIARY INPUT to the order list but I'm not sure of its relevance.

Thank you for reading this.


Confused C-Bus noob.

 

Clipsal HomeSafe is not officially present in Malaysia so there won't be any local support for it.

HAI automation is marketed here but not the alarm panels.

C-Bus installations are rare here, let alone alarm integration

 

Overkill indeed.

 

Maybe look at MinderPro

http://www.cbusforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6807

 

Personally familiar with the NESS M1G. The system is quite modular with various expansion devices used depending on what functionality - wireless keyfobs etc - so you do need to check which bits you are ordering.
Both C-Bus or the NESS system are potentially capable of sending an email, so that would be possible. Be prepared to work through a fair bit of configuration - and probably a fair bit of reading to make it all work.
You could use your wiser / IPhone to dial in and disarm the alarm, although it is not as secure as using the alarms own dial in / remote arming disarming systems - which of course are security rated and much harder to hack into than a C-Bus system.
If you have a programming background you will probably like the NESS and what you can do with it, but be prepared for a few technical challenges along the way - as with any sophisticated system
The auxiliary input can be used to connect to an alarm systems relay outputs. For what is known as a low level interface. Although there is nothing wrong with a low level interface, it is not as powerful as high level interfacing - proper digital coms in both directions. Good luck

 

Go check www.comfortforums.com. MinderPro/Comfort is dicussed there and the manufacturers are in Malaysia if I remember correctly.

 

Yes, some security system dealer did mention MinderPro and Comfort, but I have no idea how much it will cost me. Will find out when they get back to me with an appointment.

I want to do this:

-arm/disarm on the internet
-turn on ALL lights during an intrusion
-turn on some lights to welcome me home when I disarm after certain time in the evening.
-turn off all indoor lights as I arm the alarm.

I hope the solution is not too difficult for me.

 

I know I can't go wrong with a Ness panel for the integration, but it is not officially marketed here so there won't be any local support for it - deal breaker.

"The auxiliary input can be used to connect to an alarm systems relay outputs. For what is known as a low level interface. Although there is nothing wrong with a low level interface, it is not as powerful as high level interfacing - proper digital coms in both directions. "

Care to elaborate further on the low level interface that you mentioned? The C-Bus Auxiliary Input my dealer proposed already costs more than a Ness panel.

Thank you.

 

Yes MinderPro is marketed by Schneider here. Just hope the price is not exorbitant.

 

Check with Cytech.Biz. I bought a MinderPro from Clipsal and then a second unit direct from Cytech. The units are identical, it just depends what is being marketed in your country.

Ingo

 

They told me I need to purchase a C-Bus interface if I want to integrate MinderPro to C-Bus. Is that true?

A Ness panel is all I need but it's not available here.

 

Correct. It integrates to more than just C-Bus. You get Z-Wave, KNX and lots of other modules so you aren't limited to one technology. I bought a Comfort II Ultra system, one Cbus Interface and one Ethernet interface.

 

C-Bus + Paradox alarm panel

After much reading & thinking, I think I'm happy to go with a Paradox panel.

http://www.paradox.ca/Products/default.asp?PID=48

Other C-Bus enabled panels are a lot more expensive and can be quite tricky to program. The Paradox SP7000 panel I'm interested in can be integrated to C-Bus using an optional interface card, PRT3.

http://www.paradox.ca/Products/default.asp?PID=218

PRT3 only has Parallel + Serial port so a Serial to Ethernet adapter is required.

Just wondering if anyone here has experience with a similar setup? Not sure how to configure it to work with C-Bus.

If C-Bus integration is too much hassle, I can always use a Paradox Internet Module so I can control the alarm system with an iPhone app.

Thank you for reading.

 

Hi. I install Paradox Alarm systems along with Cbus and they are fairly simple to integrate. Just connect the the PRT3 module with a Cbus PC Interface via a Null Modem Cable.

Then its a matter of Programming the PRT3 to activate/deactivate particular Cbus Group Addresses when certain parameters are met (Activate a Group Address when the Alarm is triggered, Activate another group when the Alarm system is Armed which can trigger a "Goodbye" Scene, turning all your lights off, or trigger a "Welcome" Scene when the Alarm is disarmed).

Let me know if I can help any more.
Robbo