mod220 Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Two years ago I had my house remodeled and wired for surround sound, internet, and was planning on getting C4. I've since gone the SmartThings route which I'm pleased with, but a bit confused on my alarm. The installer installed a Omnipro II, which wasn't cheap, and I did not know was a "automation system" on its own. Since we were planning to do Control4, I'm confused why I would want an alarm that can do lights, thermostats, etc., when we were going to have the C4 brain do all that? So curious what C4 users are running for their home alarms in parallel with their C4 units? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Vista panel is my recommendation always for alarms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I use DSC. Some panels have basic zwave or zigbee radios to do basic control of lights or a door lock or hvac with very limited hardware compatibility. I believe Honeywell offers that kind of product as does Elk but don’t quote me on those brands. They don’t touch audio or video or many other products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Leeds UK Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 We use Texecom ELITE https://www.texe.com/int2/?setcookie=1 full IP Control via Lan or WIFI Works brilliantly Driver is free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeA Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Vista Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mod220 Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share Posted January 6, 2019 what does you alarm do independent of Control4? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 They tie together. Water sensors hooked to alarm panel. Senses water and tells c4 which talks to water cop to turn off the water to my house. That’s one example Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhyPhy Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 Vista and DSC are the most common brands. I think upgrading to an ELK is worth the extra cost because it is fully user-configurable through the free ELK Windows-based software and there is a free IP-based C4 driver. But with flexibility come complexity, so that may not be worth it to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmonty2 Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 Vista Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mod220 Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share Posted January 6, 2019 I have the OmniPro II but the power plug (which is huge” says Elk on it, does Leviton own Elk as well? are you running automation through your alarms or just basic sensors and alarm functions? Hate knowing I spent $2k on an alarm that appears to offer no more than a $59 SmartThings hub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sturama Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Elk is independent. The installer likely just used any compatible transformer/ac adapter that would work. Now, to add to what WhyPhy said... I myself had an Elk M1 alarm installed when first getting into HA ages back- because, it can do a fair amount of that (decent lights/motion/relays, rudimentary/clunky audio integration, no video to speak of), similar to the OmniPro. I quickly moved onto C4. Back in the stone age (pre-cloud), these two panels were where a fair amount of DIY HA action occurred, and the cocoontech forum was a treasure trove of info. OmniPro was/is more spendy because of more integrated functionality (i.e., built-in Ethernet). Elk is cheaper initially and then purchase incremental capabilities. I don't know if/how SmartThings integrates w/ the OmniPro, but I sometimes integrate some motions/relays with my alarm rather than C4-specific ones: they're cheaper, work well, have a wide selection, and I can easily enroll them in my panel by myself. And the Elk/OmniPro panels work well with C4, so imho my investment was not wasted. People who are just wanting to get a solid alarm panel and have non-alarm peripherals (motions, lights, etc.), would likely be better served with one of the other 'simpler' ones mentioned (Vista/Honeywell, DSC). YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I have a customer that has the Omnipro2. He has all the security aspects, lighting and thermostats tied to the panel. Therms and lights use UPB for control/feedback back to the panel. using the paid for, HAI driver, everything is fully accessible and controlled through C4. The lighting I believe is a little cheaper than C4s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhyPhy Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 I had Leviton HAI Omni IIe in my last house. It's a very solid system that does security well and builds out from there. Unfortunately, it's starting to show it's age. Leviton hasn't done anything with it since the acquired HAI a few years ago. The e-mail notifier board is the only upgrade they released. For everything except security, C4 is better (lights, keypads, thermo, music, A/V, etc.). And for security only, ELK has a more capable and modular product offering. And I had to use several ELK adapters/accessories to get my Omni to do certain things. For the price, and due to the complete lack of updates, I had to move on from Omni despite being extremely programming and configuring the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poisenoire Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 Elk M1 here and have found ability to run third party wireless as well as Elk 2-way wireless very useful. I also like voice announcement capability on Elk. Use C4 for all automation functionsSent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitali Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 we do DSC power with C4. easy integration. Not Neo, but power, for few reasons. We as well install Alarm.com, so neo can't work with both (C4 and ADC) power works very well and some additional stuff, but that is main reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandre Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 I have a GE Concord 4. Integrates fine. I probably paid too much because I don't like the keypads and I rarely use it for much. No "value added". In other words, I just use arm/disarm and no other features of the security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adidaswood Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 I use the DSC Neo. it has integrated fine for my needs. It is also flexible so that I can used wired or wireless sensors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LollerAgent Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 7 hours ago, vitali said: we do DSC power with C4. easy integration. Not Neo, but power, for few reasons. We as well install Alarm.com, so neo can't work with both (C4 and ADC) power works very well and some additional stuff, but that is main reason. What are the reasons you don't use Neo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitali Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 14 hours ago, LollerAgent said: What are the reasons you don't use Neo? it is easier to make it working with Power and it-100 as well as I mentioned we install alarm.com, so it is impossible to have both systems with NEO (both use PC-link 2 for connection) With power you use keybus. for both connections, I found (it is my opinion only) it is slightly easier to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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