Security

[Jeffm93]

Any recomended securty systems to use with C4?

[thecodeman]

http://www.c4forums.com/viewtopic.php?id=2808

[Mav-Jason]

GE Concord 4 is the best way to go.

[Jeffm93]

Thanks, that's the system I'm having qouted...so you just gave me a boost of confidence.

[Jeffm93]

I want sensors on all windows and doors but where would you put motion dectors at?

[RyanE]

I put them in corners of rooms where people would cross across the sensor when entering and/or exiting the room.

RyanE

[thefred]

Initially, I had not thought of integrating the C4 system with my security system but just had the keypads changed to Ademco 6160V becuase the old keypads were worn out. Basically, my undertanding is that the C4 system will be able to arm or disarm the system, but to get more functionality, there is a a more significant upgrade to change out the panel/control board. My question is if I decide to change the panel later to integrate more into C4, will I need to change the keypads again too?

[RyanE]

The Control4 system does not care what keypads you are using with your security system.

The Control4 system interfaces typically with either the security panel's main board (if it has a serial port), or with a serial interface which ties into the main board somehow.

If you have to replace your main board with something else to communicate with Control4, if that new board will interface with your new keypads, then you won't have to replace your keypads. If you replace it with something incompatible with your keypads, you obviously will have to change out your keypads.

As far as functionality available through a serial interface, every panel has it's own serial protocol. Control4 will typically *always* allow you to get zone feedback from a panel, as well as arm / disarm the panel with a virtual keypad. I don't know of any drivers for security panels that allow you to do the virtual keypad to arm / disarm that don't also send zone feedback to Control4.

RyanE

[Jeffm93]

RyanE

So how do you use those sensors in practical living using C4. Security, alerts, lighting?

[lippavisual]

RyanE

So how do you use those sensors in practical living using C4. Security, alerts, lighting?

You kind of answered your own question. One example is, I have a large closet in my master bedroom. I put 2 door contacts on the sliding doors and 1 C4 dimmer on the lights. Now anytime I open either closet door, the lights will go on and when I shut them, they go off.

Plenty of good solutions that you can come up with.

[Jeffm93]

You gave me an example of a door sensor. Could you give me an example(s) of a room motion dector. Thanks

[lippavisual]

Throw one in the bathroom. Anytime someone walks in, lights turn on and it counts down a timer to shut them off. Obviously, there is more programming than that, but I think you could get the jist of it.

[RyanE]

Yeah, I use motion sensors for 'walkaround' lighting at night. After a certain time of night, a boolean variable gets set to true ('AutoLights').

Whenever motion is sensed on a set of sensors, and AutoLights is true, it ramps the lights up to a predefined level, and resets the light timer.

When the light timer expires (no motion has been sensed from *any* of the 'area' sensors), it turns the lights off if they were not changed from the predefined level.

That way, I can adjust any lights off of the 'magic' level, and they'll stay on.

I can also toggle the 'AutoLights' from any of my 6-button keypads, if I want to walk around in the dark.

I do the same thing in the master bedroom, but only ramp up the master bathroom lights, not the actual bedroom lights.

RyanE

[RyanE]

Oh yeah, I forgot, I also ramp up my porch lights when someone steps up to the porch, and when my garage door opens at night, it turns on a path from the garage, through the mud room, up to the stairs.

Last but not least, sensors on the garage doors are setup so that when either door closes, the programming checks that both doors are closed, and if they are, it turns on the porch carriage lights to 100%, and then tells them to ramp down over 5 minutes.

My garage doors are on the side of the house, I can't see them from the front, but I can glance back and see if the carriage lights are on. If so, both my garage doors have closed properly, and I can drive away. I hate leaving the garage door open.

RyanE

[Mav-Jason]

Wow, great scenes. I'll try a few of those on clients.

[mgoliath]

I have a GE Networx NX 8E alarm system which is integrated into my C4 installation and generally it works well ... i would like to know if its possible to program the individual zones ... right now i am able to set the pre-programmed alarm scenes via C4, i.e. HOME, AWAY, etc ... of course the HOME, AWAY, etc. scenes are programmed on the alarm system itself and i memerely have access to this via C4 by addressing the HOME, AWAY buttons, etc. ... what i really want to do is program/arm different combinations of sensors depending on where i am in the house, i.e. upstairs, on the patio, etc.

[K&J]

I have a GE Networx NX 8E alarm system which is integrated into my C4 installation and generally it works well ... i would like to know if its possible to program the individual zones ... right now i am able to set the pre-programmed alarm scenes via C4, i.e. HOME, AWAY, etc ... of course the HOME, AWAY, etc. scenes are programmed on the alarm system itself and i memerely have access to this via C4 by addressing the HOME, AWAY buttons, etc. ... what i really want to do is program/arm different combinations of sensors depending on where i am in the house, i.e. upstairs, on the patio, etc.

Sure is possible..

My Store

Ex:

North Side Door is opened

Music that is playing is muted

Announcement Agent comes on and Welcomes you to K&J Entertainment

Lights Flash in Theater Room

Music continues to play after announcement and 20 secs

Good Luck and Have Fun

[mgoliath]

THANKS K&J ... now i'm really keen to learn how to program it? can you offer any advice / help with this? please?

[K&J]

If you have Composer HE you can create just about any scene you want.

Use your imagination and work on Trial and Error.. You are not going to break anything. Just insure you are backing up your original project and you can always go back to it.

Some examples:

MB - While between the hours of 12am - 4am motion is detected turn lights on to 15%. You can follow that up with additional rooms like the bathroom. Have the timer count to 30secs and turn lights off.

We have had a run of thefts in our town were someone is getting on flat roofs and actually cutting a hole through the roof and stealing merchandise.

Our Store - Motion Sensor in Front, Rear, Theater Room.. While alarm system is armed "Away" if motion is detected turns on sequence of events. Lights in all zones including our street sign, building sign and interior all continue to toggle on and off until alarm system is turn off. System is programmed to go to "Police Panic" and individual is caught on our camera system. Even if the intruder cuts our phone lines we have cellular back for dialing out.. Our store is right on the main street in our city.. If a home or business lights are flashing and the alarm siren is blaring this Will get noticed..

Look at RyanE's examples..

I challenge my customers to use their imaginations.

Please do not ask me what the C4 system can do, What do you want your home to do?

With pressure sensors from card access and multiple other items now available it's so easy to create scenes.

Good Luck and Have Fun with your system!!

[mgoliath]

Hi perhaps i did not make myself clear enough ... the alarm system / c4 driver does not expose the BYPASS button on my alarm panel inside of the COMPOSER application ... do i need to ask my dealer to modify the driver? if i have access to the BYPASS button through COMPOSER i will be able to program any of the zones to be excluded / bypassed

[RyanE]

The protocol of the NX-8e system didn't allow you to bypass zones, etc.

There's now a driver available from your dealer for the NX-587E 'Virtual Keypad' module for the GE NX line of panels.

With that, you have the same functionality as you have on your physical keypad, and yes, you can use it to bypass sensors, etc.

There is no way to implement this functionality without the NX-587E module and the new driver.

RyanE

[mgoliath]

Hi Ryan - thanks i now have that module / virtual keypad installed and i managed to get it working EVENTUALLY ... its NOT working the way its supposed to work though. I had to time the responses with a stopwatch and eventually i figured out that you MUST wait 30 seconds AT LEAST before the system accepts your ARMING code after you've issued a BYPASS command.