Installing a Texecom Premier Elite Flush Mount Keypad
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
- In this video I upgrade my burglar alarm system by replacing the wireless keypad with a new, flush mount wired keypad. At the same time I also end up moving my Nest thermostat to make space for the new keypad.
www.camerongray.me/
/ camerongray1515
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
05:30 - Relocating the Nest Thermostat
13:11 - Installing the new Keypad
25:04 - Me failing to remove the old keypad...
26:44 - I've done something really stupid...
28:10 - Actually removing the old keypad
29:27 - Conclusion
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I hate to say this, but my fav part was listening to you trying to say burglar alarm... 😂 great vid, as always!
Bulglalaralalarm lol
good thing it wasn't a purple burglar alarm
Weirdly I'm one of the few Scottish people I know who can actually say "Purple Burglar Alarm" - but it took practice!
I'm definitely one of the few that finds this very interesting! I've always much preferred wired to wireless alarm systems, and found them a lot more reliable.
Yeah, generally I'd go wired, I went wireless here partially to test it out and to be able to install it quickly without damage although as far as wireless systems go, Texecom are really good. It's a 2 way system so it can monitor the health of all of the devices unlike some cheaper systems where if a single doesn't get through - nothing will happen. It'll also mesh if required so devices can bounce signals through eachother to extend the range (although in my system, the signal strength is good enough that everything talks directly to the panel) I installed this system after having an absolutely dreadful experience wit a cheap "DIY kit" from Honeywell where the external siren would often not receive signals and either not trigger, or get stuck on.
In theory would it be possible to simply jam 433Mhz and render a wireless alarm inoperable? I assume it uses 433Mhz LPD. @@camerongray1515
This is 868MHz but yes, in theory, you could use a jammer, although the system does have jamming detection functionality that should trigger an alarm in the event of someone trying to jam it. It's not something I've tested although equally I'm not expecting the average burglar to be using jamming equipment. I maybe wouldn't use a wireless alarm on a particularly high value target or somewhere that organised burglars may specifically target to order, but in my case it's protecting a relatively generic flat, surrounded by other identical flats with mine not really having anything particularly high value or desirable - if someone is spooked by the existence of an alarm, they'll go next door.
I also have the Elite 64-W, though, most of my zones are actually wired using the on built zones inside the panel, I use the wireless devices for places where cables were just inconvenient to install and we have a wireless keypad by the back door. I agree that the wired keypads are much better, though both mine are the standard plastic style with the flap but this video has tempted me to buy a flush mount!
Since the wireless keypad is already paid for and known to work, I would've just relocated it to some place like your bedroom. That would make arming the system, just before heading to bed, more convenient.
As usual another fantastic video.
Love these update videos. Though you keep tempting me to throw money on a new system! Have an ADT badged Visonic PM360R which is okay, found a third party server provider for the Visonic Go app but really want to get away from the reliability of providers and also do cool s*** like mag lock doors haha 🤓
I think in your original video you indicated you didn't want to install the alarm panel in the hallway cupboard for security reasons, did you shift it? Mind you you've now got the magnetic lock on that door, so the panel's quite secure.
Of all the things you could have removed, you had to remove the external siren 😆
Looks good! We're about to buy the same system (Premier Elite with Ricochet) to replace our old ADE Accenta alarm... Need something a bit more flexible!
Haha "Purple Burglar Alarm" lol. But cool video!
Have you tried any of the smarter functionality of the panel? If you get hold of a ComIP or Smartcom you can bridge live sensor data onto mqtt / home assistant. The lag time on the ricochet network devices is a little slow but hardwored devices are near instant. Happy to share more info if its of interest. Also the windows software to program the panel is so much easier than doing it from the keypad!
Video on that coming soon! 😉. Didn't use a SmartCom but instead used a TTL serial server device to allow me to connect directly to the com ports over the local network. It's essentially the same thing as a ComIP but costs a fraction of the price and allows me to access both COM ports at the same time - one for Wintex and one configured to use the Crestron protocol for home automation integration
Another Great video!!! I installed this same alarm system for my Dad at his home, thanks to Cameron's recommendation, and it's been a great system, but... I do find that having to go up a ladder when the batteries in the external siren go flat to be a right pain in the backside. It's high up and awkward to get to, and I don't like heights. I'd like to either hard wire the siren that came with it, if that's even possible, or buy a new siren. Being outside, I find that even with the Lithium Ultimate AA batteries installed, they don't last that long thanks to our cold climate. Any tips Cameron?
You definitely can connect a wired siren to an otherwise wireless system so that may be your best bet assuming you can run the cable, you'd need to replace the siren but you should be able to get a new internal module but keep the outer cover. Other than that, you can improve the battery life by disabling the "comfort LEDs" (the LEDs that blink periodically) using a jumper inside the siren.
@@camerongray1515 Thanks Cameron, Yes, I disabled the comfort LED's from day one, but even that didn't seem to help much with battery life. I'll see if I can find an internal module. The hard part might me finding out what model of Siren I atually got when I bought the system LOL!
@@camerongray1515 What do the comfort LEDs do? What's the purpose of them?
Comfort LEDs are just the LEDs that blink on the outside siren to make it look more "operational" - purely a visual deterrent.
@@camerongray1515 I've never seen a fixed security alarm with such a feature, I've only seen that kind of feature on car security/immobiliser systems and I've seen smoke detectors, that have a light which flashes every minute or so. So do the comfort lights just flash periodically? Do they flash regardless of whether the alarm is armed or not?
I keep getting tamper alters on my wireless keypad recently although I changed the batteries (with the same type) a few months ago... Any idea what could cause this? I don't think the installer actually screwed in the tamper back in the days - but it was working fine for years
I abandoned Texecom for a ring installation this year. I found that the wireless sensors for Texecom would be slow to respond and eat through batteries after installing other devices such as the Hive heating valves. The ring setup integrates with all my other smart home devices (using home bridge) and feels like a better solution. Texecom was much more customisable for large properties (such as commercial premises) and the key fobs were great. However, for a home, I found it overkill and ring suits me better.
I’m yet to hear anyone have bad reviews of the Texecom wireless systems and I’ve just got one myself, yet to install it.
Texecom is a proper graded alarm system (if installed by a professional) but ring and other systems like it, are not.
Texecom can be integrated into home assistant if required and from there possibilities are endless! Ring…. Last time I checked, isn’t fully compatible with home assistant (but maybe with other things).
I would rather have a proper alarm system and integrate out into other things personally.
With regards to battery life and not being responsive - what exactly was not responsive as you expected? PIR sensors will go into sleep mode for 3 mins after triggering to save battery when the system is not armed - contact sensors are always’ alive’ however.
A wrongly configured polling model can quickly drain batteries - there’s a few different modes.
And I’m not sure what other devices such as hive have to do with draining the batteries either - makes no sense at all.
I've never really tried the Ring alarm system, at the time that I installed this, most consumer DIY systems were dreadful although it looks like the ring system uses Z Wave which should be a lot better. That said, it's not really for me as I tend to avoid smart home systems that rely on cloud services or apps wherever possible. With my Texecom system I have been able to use its integrated COM ports to integrate it with my smart home system over the local network - although it's not necessarily a "plug and play" solution, it works really well - video on that coming very soon!
Weird to hear about your battery life issues, I've only had to change the batteries in the sensors once so far, and that was after close to 4-5 years of use. The responsiveness is relatively normal with wireless systems - once they detect motion the sensor will sleep for a while before it'll detect again. There is also a setting for "pulse count" inside each PIR which defines how significant the motion needs to be before it triggers.
My preference is AJAX for wireless systems and Texecom for wired
What's that thing on the wall directly above the alarm panel, and to the left of the keypad cable conduit? Is it normal to need to drill holes in the panel casing to install new cables? Aren't there already cable openings in the case? That cupboard looks very busy with all your communications and networking and security equipment in there.
I think that's the power supply for the mag lock he has on the cupboard door (locks the door when the alarm is armed). As for drilling holes, if there's not a factory made one where you need it, then it's your only option.
Yeah, the power supply on the wall powers a mag lock that locks the door when the alarm is armed, one cable goes off to the lock itself, the other goes into the alarm panel where it connects to one of the panel's outputs to control the lock. As for drilling the hole - on a plastic panel such as mine, it has circular areas on the case that are specifically thinner than the rest which are designed to be drilled out for installing conduits - you may be able to make a couple of these out on the bottom of the panel. Sometimes on metal panels you'll have a "knockout" which is a hole with a metal plug welded in place that you can break out to open up a hole. You wouldn't usually use these on a plastic panel as they'd be very easy for someone to break out with their fingers leaving a hole in the panel.
@@camerongray1515 Oh I see, so I presume these areas are on both the bottom and top of the case, right? That makes sense, I guess they want to keep the holes closed from the factory for security reasons, to stop people poking things into the holes and potentially damaging components.
@@camerongray1515 Having an automatic lock on that cupboard door is a fantastic idea, I've heard stories of people having their security alarms compromised because intruders have gained access to the control panel and once they get the cover off, they can do wwhat they want to the system. At least in your case nobody can access it when the cupboard's locked.
Excellent video as always, we use HKC or Pyronix over here in Ireland and HKC is very like texacom in the regard that it would be the most used and very popular
They have it over in the UK too from many suppliers so maybe it’s something you could look into 😅although my gripe is they’ve no smart home integration so I want to try DIY my own for my system in my house
Interesting, haven't see HKC in the UK, although Pyronix is super popular for their Enforcer wireless system since nowadays most alarm installs seem to consist of shoving an enforcer on the wall wired into the back of a nearby light switch. As for smart integration, Texecom are a really good option for that - the COM ports are just standard 5v TTL serial ports and when configured to use the "Crestron Protocol" you can easily read various status updates (zone triggered, system arm/disarm), send keypad key presses and read the keypad LCD display. I'll be releasing a video on this soon!
Also in Ireland... all the installers that I spoke to were pushing the HKC but the API is supposedly very closed and Assa Abloy aren't interested in opening it up. Ended up importing Texecom gear and doing a self-install after seeing one of Cameron's earlier videos, no regrets.
If it's just to set and unset the alarm why not just use a Iprox? Also why haven't you got the system linked into your network?
I'd still need a keypad to configure the system or to do things like part arms so not sure what sort of benefit fitting an iProx would give, the keypad supports proximity tags if I did want to use them. The system is actually network connected with a pretty interesting custom setup that integrates it with my home automation system. I plan on releasing a video on this soon (it's been in place for years but I've never got around to filming it) so I removed it temporarily while making this video so it wouldn't confuse people. You can see the (admittedly temporary) network cable that is normally connected to it dangling in front of the door throughout this video.
maybe put the old keypad in a place like the bedroom so you can make a night mode and arm/disarm it from the bedroom.
I have one myself in chrome 😎👍
Texecom remote keypad don't give you anymore extra zones. It just mirrors system zones
Sure I probably could have worded it more precisely, but while it doesn't increase the total number of zones that your panel is capable of, it will act as a zone expander to give you access to more zones since most (all?) Texecom Premier panels are capable of many more zones than there are terminals inside the panel.
MAP keypad zones to.....
Alarm systems really are crappy. You have a choice of modern, with a forced subscription, or older, that are dumb and unusable. Why isn’t texecom and others incapable of making something that looks like it belongs in the 21st century?
Texecom have a good balance in this regard, the alarm system itself is a traditional, reliable "non-smart" alarm but you can add on their "SmartCom" module which connects to the panel and allows smart control in a replaceable, upgradable module. The SmartCom connects to regular TTL serial ports inside the panel, so instead of using that, I ended up building my own module to allow me to integrate the alarm with my self hosted smart home system (video on that coming soon)
Ring isnt forced subscription in fact a lot of these modern alarm systems you can self manage without subscription.