- the ability to program “non-alarm” actions
- logging of all zone changes
- an ethernet interface
The old panel was in a hallway closet that was inconvenient for access and expansion. The new alarm hastwice as many zone inputs, additional features like 2-way listen-in, and an ethernet connection. To handle the expansions, I installed a 28” panel box in the basement that allowed easier access for wiring.
The old Moose system had a few door switches, PIRs, and glass break detectors that were able to be re-used. For those, I re-routed, tested, and extended some of the wiring to the new panel.
The old system utilized PIRs and Glass Breaks to monitor doors that didn’t have hardwired alarm switches. Given that I have a dog that roams the whole house, I decided to add door switches to cover the five additional doors. On the old alarm system, many of the switches were grouped together to the share the fixed number of 8 zones. This may have been cost effective, but I wanted more detailed information for use with home automation. On the Elk, there is a dedicated zone input used for each switch/sensor. This gives detail on which door or zone was violated.
All this information now being feed into a Home Assistant integration. This has allowed the hard wired PIR and door sensors to create events that can be used for lighting and notification automation.
