When you are ready to layout your alarm system design for installation,
you must first decide where to mount the alarm control. If you have an
unfinished basement, you will be drilling down and running your wires
in the rafters to the area that you select for the panel. Most often
this will be the mechanical or furnace room.
If you are working on a single story building, you will be running your wires up into an unfinished attic and
dropping your wires down to the control.
If you are in a commercial application you will run your wires on top
of drop ceilings or along beams or possibly through exposed conduit.
If you are in a place where there is no place to run all these wires
and hide them then you are a prime candidate for a wireless system.
You want to make sure that wherever you decide to mount your alarm
control panel, that you have a device such as a motion detector or door
contact to protect it. Leaving the control panel in an unprotected area
could make it easy to circumvent in the event of a break in. Consider
running the wires through the basement, and than jumping them up into a
closet, in the protected area of the house. If you are wondering "what
about the exposed wires in the basement? Don't." Cutting the wires
would duplicate opening of the device they are running to, and would
cause an alarm condition if the system were armed.
If you elect to go wireless on your system of choice, choose a central
location in the home or business that will receive a strong radio
signal from all points of protection. Remember that even on wireless
system there are some wires that will need to be run. Most often they
are the keypad, the siren, the power supply and the phone line. Take
these runs into consideration when choosing your central location.
Provide lighting for the chosen area, as this will be where you are
doing most of your installation work. Lay out a tarp and place all
products and tools and a trash bag in this area. I have learned over
the years to come to my central location to get what I need, and return
everything I’m not using back to this location when I am done with
them, especially tools. If you do not run an organized installation,
you will spend ½ of your time searching for a tool, part, spool of wire
etc. A tool belt is handy for the tools you will need everywhere, such
as fresh drill bits, tape, wire cutters, screwdrivers, B- connects, a
small bubble level, stud finder, a clean rag, etc.
You also want to clean as you go. As you finish running each wire and
installing the device that will go there, take the time to clean up and
bring all trash to the bag at your control zone. Being anal is a good
thing, when you are doing a quality installation.
As you run each wire to the control room, measure where the wire is
going to come into the control panel hole, and then add about a foot of
wire before cutting it with your diagonal cutters. Place a piece of
light colored electrical tape around the wire about 5 inches from the
end and write on the tape with an indelible sharpie or marker where it
is going.
If your home or business is under construction you may elect to
pre-wire it for security. Pre-wiring is beneficial in the ability to
get every device in the exact location you would want it. Placing wires
and gang boxes before construction is complete, is dependent on your
ability to read the architects plans and understand where cabinets,
appliances and electrical devices will be placed with accuracy. If you
do elect to pre-wire be sure to drill your own holes in the wall studs
and rafters. Many a lazy alarm technician will run through the
electrical and plumbers holes and think they are getting away easy. The
problem is that if an electrician or plumber fails inspection they will
have to pull wire and pipe out to relocate them to the inspector's
specifications. They are not likely to be concerned about your wire,
when doing so.
The best time to run your wires on a pre-wire is immediately after the electricians leave and before the insulators arrive.
If you are ready to start running wires, lets start with the front
door. If you are going down to the basement you will be working low on
the opening side of the door. If you are running your wires up you will
be working on the top of the door. Lets use down for our example. What
kind of contact will you be using? Surface mount or recessed? If you
are running wires anyway, why don't you take the time to install
recessed contacts so that they are out of site when the door is closed?
Set up your drill with a 3/8-inch standard length drill bit. In the jam
of the door, approximately 4 inches from the bottom begin drilling at
an angle towards the basement. Switch to your 3/8- inch by 12 to 18
inch long drill bit and continue drilling towards the basement, finally
switch to your 5-foot long bell hangers bit and continue drilling till
you pop out in the basement. Pull the long bit out of the hole and
remove it from the hole. Poke the skinny end of the long bit down the
hole. Go down to the basement with a flashlight, diagonal wire cutters,
tape, marker, staple gun with staples in it, and a spool or box of 22
gauge 2 conductor wire. Strip the plastic off of the end of your wire
about 2 inches. Twist the 2 wires together and thread them through the
hole at the end of the skinny side of the long bit and twist it around
itself. Go back upstairs and pull the wire up to the hole. Tie a large
loose and temporary knot in the wire after you get it there, so that it
will not fall back in the hole. Leave at least 12 inches upstairs, so
that you can work with the wire.
Go back downstairs and begin to roll out enough wire to make it to your
control panel. Staple the wires with an industrial stapler like a T22
along the beams in a neat and orderly manner from the drop hole towards
the control panel. Be sure you are not penetrating the wire with each
staple, if you do, remove it now and re-staple. These mistakes are hard
to trace after you walk away. Be sure to make it down the wall stud to
where you will poke into the back of your control panel (about chest
high) and leave an additional foot or more of wire before cutting it
off the spool. Mark your wire with the tape and marker several inches
from the end.
Congratulations! You made your first run. Be sure to
gather and return all tools to the starting point so that you know
where they are when you need them.
Get your 3/8 inch recessed contact and magnet. You will need a drill,
(unless you are using a wireless drill) extension cord, electrical
tape, and a wire cutter. Split the end of you wire and strip a small
amount of plastic cover off of each end. Do the same with your contact
unless you have the type that has small screws for the wires to be
clamped under. Twist each end of your wire to an end of the contact
wire and tape tightly and individually. After you do each one you can
wrap a piece of tape around the whole thing tightly. (It does not
matter which wire goes to which wire as this is a circuit wire, and has
no positive or negative side.) Carefully poke the wire into the hole
and press the contact in. Now mark the door in the spot that the magnet
will meet the contact, when the door is closed. Stabilize the door and
drill a 3/8 " hole just deep enough to put the magnet in. Repeat for
each door you want contacted. We always suggest that you contact every
perimeter door.
We will post additional device wiring instructions on The Experts Know! Alarms web-site for your access.
Check Back Soon! as we will be adding DIY device installation techniques often.
Matthew is a 22- year veteran of the alarm industry. He has served as
an installer, salesman, licensed alarm company owner, monitoring
station designer, and a promotions and marketing director with one of
the worlds largest security dealers. He now works as a consumer
advocate, teaching consumers how to buy or get systems for free
(without being taken). He is committed to being unbiased.
His web site is www.expertsknow.com
» left by Dave P from Winter Haven (1 year 141 days ago.)
Good Info!!
I have a question about ZONES.
Should each door and window be a seperate zone, or are specific devices split up into zones?
» left by Matthew Lombardi(1,834) (1 year 140 days ago.)
In a perfect world zones can be set up as one device per zone, if you don't have too many devices. This way if there is a violation or false, you can pin point the trouble area. In reality most people have more devices than available zones so it makes sense to marry devices on zones. For example, if you have 5 main floor windows on one zone and glassbreak detectors on another and two main floor motions on a third, you can still narrow down violations or falses for service needs.
Be advised that delay doors will need their own zone, instant doors and windows by area, fire devices another and interior devices that are to be bypassed when you are home need separate zones.
The average system has 8 zones available out of the box and your more sophisticated systems go up to 64 zones.
Hope this helps,
If you have any more questions, ask away at expertsknow.com
» left by Anonymous (228 days 21 hours ago.)
I really liked it. It was in laymans/womans terms and I feel I can install our system if we ever find the kind we want.
liz in Tx Respond to this comment
» left by Matthew Lombardi(1,834) (228 days 20 hours ago.)
Thanks Liz! If you need any additional information to help you with your research, I'm here for you.
Visit my site at http://www.expertsknow.com for contact information.
» left by Anonymous (192 days 8 hours ago.)
Very good guide.. Now where to find a proper alarm kit :-) Respond to this comment
» left by Matthew Lombardi(1,834) (192 days 8 hours ago.)
Thank You! You can find everything you are looking for at consumer direct prices by visiting:homesecuritystore
If you need guidance in selecting a system it would be my pleasure to help. Visit The Experts Know! for many helpful resources, consumer education and my contact information.
» left by J from RSA (167 days 3 hours ago.)
Hi Matthew Thanks so much for the article. Im trying to rewire my alarm system. jus a few questions. 1stly is it ok if I buy new wires and simply connect the 2 together and let the exposed wires lie in my celing? or should i put insulation tape on them? 2ndly, I dono which wires to buy, the ones i have are white, it is quiet thin but there are 2 separate copper wires, does that help? Thanks Again!
» left by Anonymous (167 days 2 hours ago.)
J, If you are running new wires to the devices your old wires are fine in the ceiling. They are low voltage wires and are no longer attached to your control if you replaced them. use 22 G. 2 conductor for contacts. use 22G. 4 conductor for motions, glassbreaks, keypads, smokes, phoneline use 18G 2 conductor for power and siren feel free to call if you have additional questions 360.588.2120 Matthew Respond to this comment
» left by J from RZA (166 days 17 hours ago.)
thanks so much for the quick reply, i cant really call coz i dont live in the US, so im sure the call will cost me :(
What i meant with regard to the old wires is that when this house was built the wires we're built into the house, so i cant really run new wires to the contol box, so im going to have to strip the old wires at the end and connect them to the new wires, if that makes sense, so in otherwords i will have old wires running from the contol box to the ceiling about the door contacts and then new wires, connected to the old wires, running down the wall and into the door contacts. So there will be exposed copper wire, is this ok? should i insulate the exposed copper wire with some insulation tape? will it last?
» left by Matthew Lombardi(1,834) (166 days 8 hours ago.)
J, Connecting to the old wires would be fine. Yes you want to tape the connections with electrical tape or they will short the circuit when they touch. The best practice is to solder the new connection before taping, however it will still work without solder. Some use b- connects (a small silicone filled plastic cap that slips over the wire and is crimped) instead of tape. Respond to this comment
» left by J from RZA (161 days 6 hours ago.)
Matthew you are a champ! thank you so so much!! Sorry, ive got another question :) i have 6 sliding/ folding doors, for some reason only 3 of them are on zones, the others have the door contacts and wires but the wires seem to run nowhere....so i figured out how to connect doors in seris so that it works....is there like a maximum number of doors that an alarm system can handel.....can i connect all 6 door contacts on one zone? Thanks again for the advice, its really helping me save so so much!
» left by Anonymous (161 days 5 hours ago.)
J, You can series in as many doors as you like to any zone. Just make a daisy chain and use the two ends to series into a circuit. Matt Respond to this comment
» left by Joe from El Paso, TX (136 days 9 hours ago.)
Hello, I am installing a new alarm, in a new home. What is the best practice for installing the surface mount contacts? The pre-wire company left 3-4 inches of wire from each contact point. Should I cut the wire to length, and then attach to surface mount to wire, or should I attach wire to surface mount ( without cutting wire ), then just push the wire into the frame from where it came out of? thank you in advance, Joe
» left by Anonymous (136 days 8 hours ago.)
Joe, Always push as much slack as you can in the hole before cutting the wire to mount the contact. This makes it easier to work on the contact if you ever need to replace it. Matt Respond to this comment
» left by Joe from El Paso,TX (136 days 7 hours ago.)
Thanks for the quick response. One more question.... I noticed that the technical guys here at work put the 'end of line' resistors at the control panel... Is that a good way of placing them? Also, do I need those resistors?
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