Motion

[poscash3757]

Has anyone connected a stanard outdoor motion sensor to C4? I purchased an outdoor light over the weekend with a motion sensor already attached (it has 14 gauge wire attached to it) I will like to connect it to C4 with cat5 wire to use it with my system. Can it be done?

One last question will that be considered a contact or a relay?

Thanks

[henniae]

If you are referring to the type of motion sensor that is used to turn lights on/off and is hooked directly to the 120 volt lights than no it will not work. This is because the device you purchased needs 120 volts to operate and is designed to directly control the power going to the light fixture.

[Matt]

Just get a cheap motion detector:

http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-794-rk210pr0000a-rokonet-comet-pir-motion-detector.aspx

Wire it up as followed:

- neg > GND

- pos to 12volts

- Common to 12volts

- NC > Sig

[poscash3757]

Thanks for the help Matt & Alan.

[poscash3757]

Just get a cheap motion detector:

http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-794-rk210pr0000a-rokonet-comet-pir-motion-detector.aspx

Wire it up as followed:

- neg > GND

- pos to 12volts

- Common to 12volts

- NC > Sig

I tried your link and it went to their home page. So I tried to purchase this one. https://shop.homesecuritystore.com/p-794-rk210pr0000a-rokonet-comet-pir-motion-detector.aspx. I waited 1 week for delivery and they lost my order. I called back today and I was told that I should not use them for outside. Any thoughts?

Matt

[poscash3757]

I just remembered, I have outdoor panasonic network cameras with motion recording. (hcm531a) The cameras have an i/o port on them. Does anyone know how I could get C4 to read that motion sensor and trigger an event? I have spare cat5. I figured I could wire the camera like a rj45 but what happens on the other end?

I am trying to turn on some lights in the yard if there is an intruder so the cameras can record properly. It is too dark to see an image.

Thanks in advance

Matt

[capww8]

If you can program the camera to trigger the output relay such that it closes (or opens) on motion then you could use it to initiate a response from C4, but I've never found camera motion detectors to be terribly reliable or quick to respond. What do you have in mind here?

[poscash3757]

This past weekend I tried to get this off the ground with no luck. I connected a cat 5 wire to the 3 and 4 pins on the i/o. Then connected to a relay on c4. I tried pulse, toggle, N/O N/C every possible connection type I could think of. Still no luck. I called Panasonic tech support they told me it should work and I tweeked some settings with them. Still nothing. I also tried to connect it to c4 as a contact.

As of now I will take the previous suggestions and just get a few cheap motions. I took Matt's advise and purchased them this morning.

Oh to answer your question what do I have in mind... It is simple (I thought) The area I am pointing the cam is very dark. I wanted to sense the motion from the camera and turn on the outdoor flood light already connected to c4. This way I could get a better look at who is where they are not suppose to be.

suggestions? I hate to get beaten up by this camera. I kills me when I have to give up!

Thanks

Matt

[capww8]

Suggestions...

1) I'm not surprised the camera isn't outputing alarm notifications as expected... that's one of those things that manufacturers tout as a great feature, but it never really works like you want it to (on IP cams, analog cams, and DVR's)

2) rather than using the flood light, use the contact from a motion detector to trip an IR flood. The advantage here is that you won't be upsetting your neighbors, kids, or wife when the flood lights go on in the middle of the night. Disadvantage is that if it is indeed a person approaching your property they won't be discouraged because they won't necessarily notice the illumination.

3) Use outdoor motion detectors... you're not going to get the response your looking for with cheap motions meant for indoor use.

Do you have a security system already? GE and Honeywell both make very good outdoor wireless motions that should suit your needs perfectly, and vastly simplify installation. A card-access wireless motion would also be fantastic if you don't have a security system integrated into your system.

[poscash3757]

Suggestions...

1) I'm not surprised the camera isn't outputing alarm notifications as expected... that's one of those things that manufacturers tout as a great feature, but it never really works like you want it to (on IP cams, analog cams, and DVR's)

2) rather than using the flood light, use the contact from a motion detector to trip an IR flood. The advantage here is that you won't be upsetting your neighbors, kids, or wife when the flood lights go on in the middle of the night. Disadvantage is that if it is indeed a person approaching your property they won't be discouraged because they won't necessarily notice the illumination.

3) Use outdoor motion detectors... you're not going to get the response your looking for with cheap motions meant for indoor use.

Do you have a security system already? GE and Honeywell both make very good outdoor wireless motions that should suit your needs perfectly, and vastly simplify installation. A card-access wireless motion would also be fantastic if you don't have a security system integrated into your system.

Thanks for your input. I do have the ge concord 4 alarm alrady connected to C4, I will get the outdoor motion. The other one I ordered have not yet arrived. If I connect the motion to the alarm won't it trigger the siren?

[capww8]

Not necessarily... the motion can be programmed as a special zone type that won't effect alarm status.

If I remember correctly you would be looking at zone type 32. This allows the panel to recognize activity on that particular zone, but it won't report to your central station and it won't set off the alarm. Consequently, the panel will report the status of that zone to control4, and responses can be programmed around that status change.

[poscash3757]

Not necessarily... the motion can be programmed as a special zone type that won't effect alarm status.

If I remember correctly you would be looking at zone type 32. This allows the panel to recognize activity on that particular zone, but it won't report to your central station and it won't set off the alarm. Consequently, the panel will report the status of that zone to control4, and responses can be programmed around that status change.

Great Thanks. I Will install the cheap motions today. I will get the better ones next week.

[poscash3757]

New problem with motion. The master bedroom motion is conected to my concord 4 alarm. C4 has the motion as detecting motion when it is not. I refreshed composer and it is still happening. my.control4.com also has the motion as detecting motion. Anyone have any suggestions on reseting this? When it is supposed to detect motion the indicator light does light up on the motion. The problem is my bedroom light is suppose to shut off after 5 minutes on no activity.

Thanks

MAtt

[RyanE]

In Composer, you can 'reverse' the action...

On the Properties page, there's a property called 'Invert Sensor', which, if you check it, will make motion be 'no motion', and vice-versa.

RyanE

[poscash3757]

In Composer, you can 'reverse' the action...

On the Properties page, there's a property called 'Invert Sensor', which, if you check it, will make motion be 'no motion', and vice-versa.

RyanE

Thank you.

This worked with the Garage door. however it did not work with the bedroom motion. The motion works correctly with the alarm.

Thanks again for any input

Matt

[poscash3757]

In Composer' date=' you can 'reverse' the action...

On the Properties page, there's a property called 'Invert Sensor', which, if you check it, will make motion be 'no motion', and vice-versa.

RyanE[/quote']

Thank you.

This worked with the Garage door. however it did not work with the bedroom motion. The motion works correctly with the alarm.

Thanks again for any input

Matt

Someone PLEASE HELP! this is killing me. Some motions are sensing motion when there is no motion. I thought it was reading ok then I refreshed director and it all went haywire again. I inverted the sensors like Ryan suggested. It did not work. I changed them back and now motions that were fine are giving me false reading. Some are fine. In all I have 10 or so motions in the house. 6 are good and 4 aren't. This is important to me because I have them shutting lighs when there is no motion and turning them on when there is. Needless to say the programming will not work if there are false reading. I also have a safe with a contact on it to e-mail me if it is open. Currently it is reading open. This dangerous for my wife!! Also strange on my.control4.com some motions that are reading open in HE are reading closed online. and vice verse. There is no consistant pattern.

Roaming around the house confused in NY

Matt

PS: they were all working fine. The only thing I did was add a light switch!

[thecodeman]

Hmm... what has your dealer said? Has he looked at the logs?

[RyanE]

It sounds to me like the motions are wired incorrectly.

Many motions have both NC and NO contacts, and if they are not all wired as NO, and NC when in motion, (or it's vice-versa, I can't remember at the moment), they'll report backwards.

RyanE

[poscash3757]

Hmm... what has your dealer said? Has he looked at the logs?

Have not called a dealer yet.

[poscash3757]

It sounds to me like the motions are wired incorrectly.

Many motions have both NC and NO contacts, and if they are not all wired as NO, and NC when in motion, (or it's vice-versa, I can't remember at the moment), they'll report backwards.

RyanE

Thanks I will see if that is possible. Two are wired to the concord4 alarm panel. The others are wired to C4. However they did work for a short time. Oh! I realized one of the motions that are reporting incorrectly worked correctly. When it senses motion it flickers lights in my yard so I know when someone is approaching the house. It did trigger correctly last night. Strange huh?

[poscash3757]

Well just an update. It seems to be working now! The motion in the master bedroom had a broken wire at the alarm panel. Ryan was on the money. Once I reconnected the wire it still did not work. I had to reprogram the concord 4 sensor for that room. Then I had re identify the zones in C4 then it worked. Some of the other motions are still have false reading but are working correctly. I might leave them alone for now.