rf9000 Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Hello, i have ave a question on alarm system integration. Thinking about going with DSC. I was originally going to place DSC touchscreens by the garage entry door, rear entry door, and master bedroom. But then got to thinking why not just put C4 touchscreens in these places and just put a cheaper DSC right next to the panel in the AV room just for programming. My question is, how well does C4 integrate? Can I use the C4 screens to easily arm,disarm, clear faults, etc.? Or is it kind of a pain in the butt, does it lag, or do I have to go through multiple menus to get there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knowitall Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Pretty much solely use DSC. Can access the page pretty quickly (3 presses) on a TS Sadly the bookmarks feature isn’t back yet which you could program the TS to jump to that screen when the door was opened. 1 thing to remember the DSC KP acts as the wireless receiver so if you have any wireless devices something to consider. I always pull a 2 22/4 and a cat5 to KP locations to have the option of either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twmoonly Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 You can default the alarm page on the TS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twmoonly Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 22 minutes ago, knowitall said: I always pull a 2 22/4 and a cat5 to KP locations to have the option of either. I wish they could be power off of low voltage and use the wireless in the T3's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rf9000 Posted March 9, 2018 Author Share Posted March 9, 2018 Thanks guys. So what do you think is better. Buying DSC panels for these locations, or going with C4 Touchscreens? I want speed and no hassle. I would prefer the C4 screens of course for access to music, etc. On that same note though I do have another question, is it best practice to have all thermostats located in the mechanical room if I don't really want the visible wall thermostats in main rooms? I will have four zones. Thinking about running the in room temp sensors to each room but locating all thermostats in the mechanical room. Then just use iphone, ipad, or wall touch screens for any adjusting of HVAC. But again, I want it to be smooth and convenient just like using the touchscreens for the alarm system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twmoonly Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 I would hide the alarm panels and tstats if that was an option. Worst case you could always put the alarm panel in place of the c4 screen after if you need, but the wiring will already be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rf9000 Posted March 9, 2018 Author Share Posted March 9, 2018 That is the plan. My HVAC guy uses Honeywell T6 Thermostats and dont know if he will be comfortable switching. I can force him if needed:), but would the Honeywell T6s integrate perfectly or do I need C4 Thermostats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rf9000 Posted March 9, 2018 Author Share Posted March 9, 2018 Or would the T6 Lyric thermostat work better? The Lyric is WIFI. I think it says it integrates with "Control4 with Houselogix" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rf9000 Posted March 9, 2018 Author Share Posted March 9, 2018 Looks like the T6 Lyric will work. So I would have four of these right next to each other in the mechanical room. C4 would them be able to differentiate each to control each zone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twmoonly Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Yeah, there is no difference if they are grouped together in one room with remote sensors or if they are displaced throughout the house. I am not sure how they identify into the system but there is a way to differentiate them to each zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 the DSC keypads are way cheaper. If your budget allows you to drop $1,000 by the entry way from your garage into the basement for a touchscreen by all means go for it. I have a mix - by my alarm panel in the basement I have a fancier DSC keypad for DSC programming - very responsive and easier to do a lot of typing vs the C4 touchscreen in my opinion. In the closet in my masterbedroom I have a DSC keypad hidden, and in the coat closet by the front door I also have a DSC keypad hidden in the closet. by the garage door into the basement I just have a DSC keypad on the wall, not hidden. In the masterbedroom in another area I also have a C4 touchscreen which we use often, the alarm keypad is hidden in the closet in case C4 is down/power outage and the DSC is running on battery and there is a need to access a keypad in my room for emergencies at night. The one in the coat closet by the front hall - same thing, its a big foyer so we have a c4 touchscreen visable that is used, but again if we lost power/emergency the dsc is hidden by the main door. by our garage, its merely just walking in/out and no need for a c4 touchscreen which is why we just have the DSC keypad there. I moved into the house that already had the DSC stuff there, and the two keypads I buried in closets were already on that same exact wall, so we literally just flipped it inside the closet vs being on the wall outside of the closet. Minimal work. We also hid our t-stats and are using the in wall sensors you can paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Africa C4 user Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 I must say, I never use my DSC keypad. I have one keypad in the garage and 4 T3 Touchscreens everywhere else. I have only used the DSC panel once and have done everything else on the Touchscreens (or on my PC when I was changing some zone names and creating groups). The T3 works great for me for arming and disarming although I use keypad buttons for most arming events and a schedule for disarming (6am on normal days and never if I have the house in holiday mode, or 8am on weekdays when the house is in domestic holiday mode - I.e. when we are away but our domestic helper is still coming in). DSC just works with C4 as long as you have the right driver. My thermostats are visible but I would hide them if I could. We never use the thermostats themselves and do everything (viewing temperature and changing settings) from our T3s or iPads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 the c4 touchscreens are fine for arming/disarming, etc. when I have had to get into DSC to change up chimes, rename zones and any real lifting, a DSC keypad is nice. that is why I have a few, but they are mostly buried. If I was building a house from scratch I'd keep at DSC in the master bedroom and one where the alarm panel itself sits. And again if you have a garage entry way and do not need full c4 action at that door, a simple cheap DSC keypad is fine. when i walk in my basement from the garage the lights automatically turn on, the door unlocks, etc. No real need for a c4 touchscreen to do other stuff. I have a C4 keypad by that door and use some buttons on there to do some quick whole home stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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