winestem Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I've got a nice old, fashioned "pissing match" going on between my "security" guy and my "Control4" guy over this! The Security installation person says he will not work with the GE Concord because it isn't secure enough, robust enough, professional enough, etc., etc., while the Control4 guy says that they're the best, offer me the most options, etc. The Security guys REFUSES to work with the GW Concord and only want to use the NX8E. Can anyone out there weigh in on this? This is for a new home construction project and I'm the customer but want to make an informed decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Why not use the NX8E? It has an RS232 connection through the 587e virtual keypad module as well along with a driver already written. Your dealer can log in to the dealer forums and see the thread where RyanE, K&J, and KevinL all discuss it from a thread in 2007. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henniae Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Control 4 will work with the NX8E and the Concord 4. From my reading the Concord has better integration with C4 than the NX8E. I can't speak as to which is the most secure, robust and professional panel.In the end you will have to live with the system as well as deal with the installers for your current install as well as future support.There are many people on this forums that have much more experience with security panels and C4 so I would expect this to be a very lively discussion.Good luck with your C4 system and your alarm system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 With the new NX-587E Virtual Keypad module, the NX-series panels do nearly everything the Concord will do, and is a perfectly serviceable and functional panel.Cody is right about the threads on the Official Control4 Forums, but they're from earlier this year, not 2007, since the driver for the NX-587E was created January this year.RyanEEdited to Add: About the only functionality missing if you use the NX-8 is the ability to program your Control4 system based on input from a keyfob in the Concord system. Other than that, and the NX-8 setup on the Control4 side is *slightly* more work, they're functionally the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 No, I'm looking at post dates in 2007... July 24. Searched the security forum for NX8E and clicked the second result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Cody is right about the threads on the Official Control4 Forums, but they're from earlier this year, not 2007, since the driver for the NX-587E was created January this year.No, I'm looking at post dates in 2007... July 24. Searched the security forum for NX8E and clicked the second result.Alright, Alright...I'll settle this for you guys. Simply grant me access to the official dealer forums and I will straighten all this out =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Cody is right about the threads on the Official Control4 Forums' date=' but they're from earlier this year, not 2007, since the driver for the NX-587E was created January this year.[/quote']No, I'm looking at post dates in 2007... July 24. Searched the security forum for NX8E and clicked the second result.Alright, Alright...I'll settle this for you guys. Simply grant me access to the official dealer forums and I will straighten all this out =)These aren't the forums you're looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henniae Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 As you can see winestem we do joke around here a bit but the questions do get answered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winestem Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 I appreciate all of the feedback--and the jokes! Life's too short! Although, I must say seeing people growl at each other concerning the Concord versus the NX8E is disconcerting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winestem Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 Slight correction: security guy uses the NX-148E. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Cody,There was a previous driver before the NX-587E, for the NX-8 and NX-8E panels.I would not suggest using anything other than the 'Virtual Keypad' interface at this point. The Virtual Keypad driver for the NX-587E module did not exist until January of this year.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Cody,There was a previous driver before the NX-587E, for the NX-8 and NX-8E panels.I would not suggest using anything other than the 'Virtual Keypad' interface at this point. The Virtual Keypad driver for the NX-587E module did not exist until January of this year.RyanEAh, thanks for the clarification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebster Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I had the same issue with my security company. We compromised on a DSC panel, which, although not yet installed, I understand has pretty good integration with C4. I found that the security company would use 2 or 3 different models, and DSC was one but GE Concord was not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 DCS does integrate with C4 but I don't know to what level you expect control. I personally fall back on the DSC panels for interfacing most if not all of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akg4y Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I have the GE Concord 4, it isnt quite integrated yet but should be soon. All home security systems are not very secure for the Ocean's Eleven crowd, but at the same time all of them will keep out the weekend warrior thieves as a deterrent and by actually protecting the easiest ways in. If you get either system I recommend trying to do as much as possible wirelessly unless your security people are running the wire inexpensively (ie less than $40-50 per run). I used wired sensors for many things such as glassbreaks, main doors, garage doors, etc, and wireless for windows. The wireless sensors work flawlessly, are easier to install, and are cheaper than running wire + wired sensors. That being said I think door sensors should remain wired and you need one wired touchpad if I remember correctly. Also, this panel is relatively easy to program yourself, contrary to all the BS I read on the web. The installation manual is available online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c4wirepro Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 We currently install the Concord 4 on any security installation. Great and easy interface with Control 4. Very easy to program. As far as wired or wireless, its always best to run wire when you can. If you have a big property make sure the panel is as centrally located in the home as possible if your going with wireless. Even then, you may have some issues. As far as cost goes its definately cheaper to run wire than to go with the wireless from my perspective. The systems that I quote are generally 35- 50% more for wireless. DSC makes great panels but Control 4 doesnt like it much. If you are looking at home security and are in need of a strong system look into Honeywell. There are a lot of new drivers out there and Honeywell is what the state governments use. Hope this helps.Nexus Smart HomesScottsdale, AZSecurity Rep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGannon Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I mentioned Concord 4 to my dealer and he said he has never used it. When they add security to C4, they always use ELK. Has anyone had experience with ELK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capww8 Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I'd like to weigh in here, as I have a fairly expensive background in both security and CI... but please understand that these are my personal opinions based on my personal experiences... not necessarily representative of either my company or anyone else... and I'm sure there are going to be people that disagree with me.I would bet that nine times out of ten, if you have a security dealer steadfastly refusing to install a concord 4, and strongly suggesting either a DSC, or honeywell system it's not because they have any real reason to stay away from Concord... it's because they can't buy it through their normal channels...In my experience, the concord panel is the easiest to install and program, and among the most reliable security panels on the market (for wireless sensors). Honeywell is nice, but personally I think the vista ICM interface is kind of a PITA... specifically because of it's zone limitations. One advantage is that your security panel doesn't need to be right next to an HC in order to communicate properly. Networx panels are more similar to honeywell in terms of programing logic, and share the advantage of RS232 control and excellent wireless products with concord. They are also slightly more flexible than the concord in that you can integrate some more specialized features and programming options... 99.99999% of the time, this is not going to matter in a resi install.I will absolutely not install a wireless sensor from DSC, ever. I have seen huge huge huge failure rates on their wireless contacts, and for me it's not worth the risk. They are by far the least expensive (cheapest) mainstream security panels out there, and can be readily purchased from numerous sources. That said, any system that is entirely hardwired should be perfectly fine on DSC, and as long as your only interface is with the Control4 virtual keypad, should be perfectly fine.A security panel should not necessarily be considered the end-all be-all security solution for your home... anyone properly motivated can easily defeat any consumer-level panel without too terribly much effort, so my focus is on ensuring that the solution I provide to my customers is reliable, fairly simple to program / edit, and attractive. We stick to Honeywell Vista 20P, and GE Concord panels... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mav-Jason Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Put in another Concord 4 just today... they rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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