Is X10 any good for security
Lenny Brown
The X10 powerhouse controller I have seen has the siren built into the main
control unit. Where do you put the controller? If I hide the controller, then
it may be inconvenient for me to get at and the siren maybe muffled. If I
mount it on the wall - what's to stop a thief ripping it off the wall and
stomping on it or throwing it into the fishtank?
Can you add an additional external siren?
Cheers,
Len B.
Byron A Jeff
>Nothing beats a professional grade, hard wired security system. Do it
>yourself or hire it out.
>
Tom, this has to be the first evenhanded response I've seen in this group.
I'm currently working on my own security system. The wiring of door and window
sensors is going well, however I trying to find a source of PIR sensors.
The problem is that as an amateur I not sure on quality control. How does one
tell the difference between a $60 PIR and a $15?
If anyone knows a source for a good 12V, N.C. PIR I'd sure like to hear
about it.
BAJ
--
Another random extraction from the mental bit stream of...
Byron A. Jeff - PhD student operating in parallel - And Using Linux!
Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332 Internet: by...@cc.gatech.edu
Tom Brown
says...
major differences between professional equipment and consumer stuff such as
Radio Shack or X-10. I pray for the fish...
--
Tom D. Brown
Olympic Security & Communications Systems
P.O. Box 2617 Everett, WA 98203
tom...@eskimo.com http://www.eskimo.com/~tombro
National Ski Patrol P008 67286
Edward Cheung
>control unit. Where do you put the controller? If I hide the controller,
>mount it on the wall - what's to stop a thief ripping it off the wall and
>stomping on it or throwing it into the fishtank?
I placed my unit (its the wall wart type) behind a wooden doorbell type box
with a grill on my wooden kitchen cabinet. The result maximizes the sound
transmission while making the unit unobtrusive. To be honest, if the unit
is blaring, you can't localize it because there are few visual cues.
In addition, I have an additional piezo siren within earshot, and that
makes localization more difficult.
>Can you add an additional external siren?
Most definitely. You can buy a unit with four piezo emitters that is really
loud. In addition, I authored a mod that causes the unit to close a relay
when there is an alarm, which triggers a loud external horn.
The mod should be in the FAQ (I haven't actually checked).
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Edward Cheung, Ph.D. | The opinions expressed herein |
| NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | do not necessarily reflect |
| Code 714.1, Bldg T11B | those of my employers' |
| Greenbelt, MD 20771 | |
| 301-286-1269(office) 286-1717(fax) | My next book: |
| Internet: ebc...@rs710.gsfc.nasa.gov | Statistics, Demos and Other Lies |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Brian Wells
> The X10 powerhouse controller I have seen has the siren built into the main
> control unit. Where do you put the controller? If I hide the controller, then
> it may be inconvenient for me to get at and the siren maybe muffled. If I
> mount it on the wall - what's to stop a thief ripping it off the wall and
> stomping on it or throwing it into the fishtank?
>
> Can you add an additional external siren?
Additional sirens are available that plug into any outlet where you want
to make a lot of noise. They respond to All On/All Off cycles from the
controller, so preventing loss of the controller is crucial. Hiding the
controller is probably a good idea. I subscribe to the theory that the
more noise, the better. If you have enough sirens around the house,
then, IMHO, a thief will not take the time to gather up all the sirens
in the house and throw them into the fish tank. I'm currently hardwiring
my own system, but I'm using the X10 wireless security system in the
mean time, and I am very happy with it. _Consumer Reports_ rated it
very highly for DIY security systems.
Brian
Vince Waldon
: In article <D8CMF...@eskimo.com>, Tom Brown <tom...@eskimo.com> wrote:
: >Nothing beats a professional grade, hard wired security system. Do it
: Tom, this has to be the first evenhanded response I've seen in this group.
: I'm currently working on my own security system. The wiring of door and window
: sensors is going well, however I trying to find a source of PIR sensors.
: The problem is that as an amateur I not sure on quality control. How does one
: tell the difference between a $60 PIR and a $15?
: If anyone knows a source for a good 12V, N.C. PIR I'd sure like to hear
: about it.
I've been having amazingly good luck by buying 110V PIR floodlights (for
about 8 bucks). Most of them run on 9 or 12 volts internally, so I
simply bypass the internal transformer. They work well, and (due to
supply and demand, I guess) they sure are cheaper than the natively-12V
ones.
--
: Vincent K. Waldon
: Department of Clinical Engineering
: University of Alberta Hospitals
: Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA
: vwa...@skynet.uah.ualberta.ca http://skynet.uah.ualberta.ca/~vwaldon/
Tom Brown
>
>The problem is that as an amateur I not sure on quality control. How does
on
>e
>
>If anyone knows a source for a good 12V, N.C. PIR I'd sure like to hear
>about it.
>
stable, clean environments with great success. As with most technology,
prices and size have dropped while quality and reliability has increased.
Blame market pressure and competition.
DSC Bravo 35'x35' $33
Michael M. Knox
bro...@landcare.cri.nz (Lenny Brown) wrote:
> The X10 powerhouse controller I have seen has the siren built into the main
> control unit. Where do you put the controller? If I hide the controller, then
> it may be inconvenient for me to get at and the siren maybe muffled. If I
> mount it on the wall - what's to stop a thief ripping it off the wall and
> stomping on it or throwing it into the fishtank?
> Can you add an additional external siren?
You can add an external siren from X-10 called a PowerHorn (PH508) which
is triggered by the powerline ALL LIGHTS ON / ALL UNITS OFF message which
is repeated by the security console under an alarm condition.
Regards,
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Knox | E-Mail: mk...@io.org
Brampton, Ontario | mike...@canrem.com
CANADA | ar...@freenet.toronto.on.ca
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Rubino
(Vince Waldon) writes:
>
>Byron A Jeff (by...@cc.gatech.edu) wrote:
>: In article <D8CMF...@eskimo.com>, Tom Brown <tom...@eskimo.com>
wrote:
>: >Nothing beats a professional grade, hard wired security system. Do
it
>: >yourself or hire it out.
>: >
>
>: Tom, this has to be the first evenhanded response I've seen in this
group.
>: I'm currently working on my own security system. The wiring of door
and window
>: sensors is going well, however I trying to find a source of PIR
sensors.
>
does one
>: tell the difference between a $60 PIR and a $15?
>
>: If anyone knows a source for a good 12V, N.C. PIR I'd sure like to
hear
>: about it.
>
>
(for
>about 8 bucks). Most of them run on 9 or 12 volts internally, so I
>simply bypass the internal transformer. They work well, and (due to
>supply and demand, I guess) they sure are cheaper than the
natively-12V
>ones.
>
>
>--
>: Vincent K. Waldon
>: Department of Clinical Engineering
>: University of Alberta Hospitals
>: Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA
>: vwa...@skynet.uah.ualberta.ca
http://skynet.uah.ualberta.ca/~vwaldon/
Floodlight PIRs are not OK for security use. Security detectors must
have circuitry to avoid false alarms, one reason that the PIRs for
lighting are so cheap is that they don't have much false alarm
rejection.
As far as which one to chose. Most often you get what you pay for
however there is a place for even the cheap units. The selection of a
detector should be specific to the individul environment. Harsh
environments are more demanding. Dual Tech (PIR/Microwave) detectors
will work in almost any environment. Cheap detectors should not be
considered if there is a chance of drafts from heat registers, window
reflections, bugs, mice etc...
Pros know which to use through experience. No system will function
better than it's installation. Inexperienced installers are better off
using only the very best equipment. Unfortunatly, it's usually the
inexperienced installers that chose the cheap equipment and then
compound the problem by putting it in the wrong place.
John Rubino
HabiTech Home Automation Systems
Stowe, Vermont
Larry Jaques
>my own system, but I'm using the X10 wireless security system in the
>mean time, and I am very happy with it. _Consumer Reports_ rated it
>very highly for DIY security systems.
What issue was that, Brian? Year and month, please.
I'm curious to see the security report by the folks at CR, though I
wouldn't put as much weight in their comments as I would the folks
here. I've been here for only a week and have seen some very good
info passed on by quite a few folks.
--
Larry Jaques Illegitimus
Diversify! Computer Services Non
lja...@diversify.com Carborundum
Tom Brown
>
>In article <brownl.13...@landcare.cri.nz>,
>bro...@landcare.cri.nz (Lenny Brown) wrote:
>
>> The X10 powerhouse controller I have seen has the siren built into the
mai
>n
>> control unit. Where do you put the controller? If I hide the controller,
>then
>> it may be inconvenient for me to get at and the siren maybe muffled. If I
>> mount it on the wall - what's to stop a thief ripping it off the wall and
>> stomping on it or throwing it into the fishtank?
>
>> Can you add an additional external siren?
>
>You can add an external siren from X-10 called a PowerHorn (PH508) which
>is triggered by the powerline ALL LIGHTS ON / ALL UNITS OFF message which
>is repeated by the security console under an alarm condition.
>
*SO WHAT IF THE POWER FAILS???*
Brian Wells
> >my own system, but I'm using the X10 wireless security system in the
> >mean time, and I am very happy with it. _Consumer Reports_ rated it
> >very highly for DIY security systems.
> What issue was that, Brian? Year and month, please.
> I'm curious to see the security report by the folks at CR, though I
> wouldn't put as much weight in their comments as I would the folks
> here. I've been here for only a week and have seen some very good
> info passed on by quite a few folks.
Sorry for not being specific. It was over a year ago, and I may not have
the issue anymore. In any case, I'll find out which issue it was and
post the info to the group. Thanks for the reminder.
Regards,
Brian
Brad Holt
> Hi,
>
> The X10 powerhouse controller I have seen has the siren built into the main
> control unit. Where do you put the controller? If I hide the
controller, then
> it may be inconvenient for me to get at and the siren maybe muffled. If I
> mount it on the wall - what's to stop a thief ripping it off the wall and
> stomping on it or throwing it into the fishtank?
>
> Can you add an additional external siren?
>
> Cheers,
> Len B.
Get the remote horns. I have a couple of these and when they trigger
you can not even think it is so loud. With all of the lights in the
house flashing and the intense noise I don't think anyone will
want to hang around.
Overall the X-10 system is well thought out with some nice features.
It tells you when the sensors batteries are wearing out, you can get
the IR sensor to ignore the cat and so on.
Compared to professional systems it stacks up pretty good. Compared
on a value basis it is way ahead, particularly if you already have
your lights set up with X-10 controllers
Brad
Unknown
Brian Wells
[regarding X10 security systems]
> *SO WHAT IF THE POWER FAILS???*
Everything is backed up with 9 volt batteries. You won't have
the flashing lights, but the sirens will still rattle nearby brains.
Since I started using lithium batteries in all the components, I
haven't had to change any batteries in (so far) over four years.
BTW - I'm still trying to locate the Consumer Reports issue that
reviewed the X10 security system. More later.
BrianW
Steve Paynter
Steve Paynter
HOME CONTROLS & SYSTEMS
Alan McReynolds
>
>tom...@eskimo.com (Tom Brown) writes:
>
>[regarding X10 security systems]
>
>> *SO WHAT IF THE POWER FAILS???*
>
>Everything is backed up with 9 volt batteries. You won't have
>the flashing lights, but the sirens will still rattle nearby
brains.
>Since I started using lithium batteries in all the components,
I
>haven't had to change any batteries in (so far) over four
years.
>
>BTW - I'm still trying to locate the Consumer Reports issue
that
>reviewed the X10 security system. More later.
>
>BrianW
>
X10 signals don't work in the absence of 60hz line voltage. So,
an X10 security security system won't pass signals from the
sensors, nor will it turn on lights (obvious), nor sound any
horns. If you really want security you are better off with
a security system that has a tie to home automation.
Steve Paynter
mains and do NOT require the AC power to be present. The battery operated
door sensors,passive infra-red motion sensors and hand held controllers
all transmit telemetry by radio at 310 Mhz to the security console which
is battery backed up. The local siren on the console still sounds
(weakly), and the automatic telephone dialler still works. Only the light
flashing and remote power horn functions dont work in the absence of
power as they react to the ALL LIGHTS ON and ALL UNITS OFF alternating
signals at 210 Khz on the power wiring !!!
I have a customer building canoes in a isolated facility with such a
system where the console battery backup is driven by a 12V car battery
with an inverter to 9V. He has no AC power but does have a telephone
line. The system calls his cell phone !!!
Don Hayashi
Does anyone else have problems with getting the wireless sensors within
range of the control box? I have a very small house (1000 sq. ft.) and I
can't get the sensors within range. I've tried the wireless extender
(repeater) and it doesn't help. I think my walls are chicken wire and
plaster, probably a very good RF shield.
Any mods for extending signal strength? Is the sensor's magnet wire also
the antenna? Or is it internal?
--
Don Hayashi dhay...@netcom.com
John Beardmore
stev...@globalx.net "Steve Paynter" writes:
>I have a customer building canoes in a isolated facility with such a
>system where the console battery backup is driven by a 12V car battery
>with an inverter to 9V.
Why 9 volts ?
--
John Beardmore woo...@wookie.demon.co.uk
woo...@cix.compulink.co.uk
Remember children: 'M' is for Monoculture, Monopoly and for Microsoft.
John Beardmore
dhay...@netcom.com "Don Hayashi" writes:
Can you put some sort of feeders through the walls ? These might get the
signal from room to room.
In practice this might amount to no more than running a wire through the
wall.
Lonnie Currier
>Regards,
>Brian
The Consumer Reports article on Burglar Alarms was in the May 1994
issue. The article covered both do-it-yourself and dealer-installed
systems. The ratings chart only listed features. The article did not
mention performance, did not rank the systems by overall score, nor
did it have any of the traditional Poor <---> Excellent scores.
It did say:
"Our first choices amoung do-it-yourself wireless systems are Radio
Shack's Safe House 49-2010 and the X-10 DS7000."
"If you want a wired system, consider the Safe House 49-485."
"Based on our limited experience with dealer-installed systems, we
can't single out one brand."
Lonnie Currier
Steve Paynter
>Why 9 volts ?
Because the X-10 security console battery backup is by little 9V packs.
Steve