Wiring Old Alarm System Into Computer For Monitoring

[dinki]

Hey guys, I purchased a home that has a wired alarm system installed. I think the control keypad says it's a Honeywell, but I'm not certain. The circuit board (brains) of the system no longer exists. It was ripped out at some time in the past, but I have access to all the wire runs. I know that we have magnetic switches on all the windows, a motion detector in the living room, and a siren/horn located in the attic.

What I'd like to do is wire any of the above to a computer I have serving as my digital video recorder. I am handy with a soldering iron and am not afraid to hack around with software. What I really need to know is what do I need to do to get feedback from the switches and motion detector. I'm assuming that I will need to apply 5V dc and detect if the switch is open/closed . What kind of amperage do I need to use? Will the long wires be a source of resistance? What of the motion detector? How does it 'work'? Any ideas on what kind of power I need to energize the siren/horn? Is there any software out there to do what I'm looking to do (ie detect changes in switch states)?

I'm thinking that the parrallel port would be the easiest to wire together, but perhaps a PIC micocontroller would be better suited?

Thanks for the help....

[james.wilson]

lol

right

This is possibl and you 'can' use your parallel port for (7 i think) inputs, but its not advised.

I dont know of any off the shelf software and wouldnt conform to current regs anyway, but the only way really to get these inputs into your pc is to

A) use an alarm panel and the manufacturers s/w

B) use an ethernet or serial input module and write your own software

you will still need psu's, opto isolators, relays dolder etc, and about 100 hrs coding time. Id buy a cheap panel mate.

While you can use a pc for dvr functions its not ideal, but its far from ideal to use it as an intruder alarm. (id like to see your ups to give you 12 hr standby time)

[dinki]

Id buy a cheap panel mate.

Ah, okay.. I'm not against doing this either. Can someone supply a link or two to a cheap panel? PM if adverts aren't allowed in the forums.

Also, I' m not trying to over simplify things, but I don't think it would be that many hours of coding. If I were to take the PIC route, it would be a matter of polling the inputs, and then relaying those inputs via serial to the PC's serial port, reading said serial port, and then deciding what to do from that point.

I realize that I'm not going to get the full fuctionality of a fullfledged security system this way. What I'm really trying to accomplish is to use the existing wiring to gain information about the attached sensors. I guess it's more for fun than for a serious system.

Thanks for the reply ... any additional information is greatly appreciated...

[james.wilson]

what is your language of choice? re coding time, i strated something like this but abanded it after about 40 hours of work. I assume your on a linux host too

re the panels i dont know anyone in your neck of the woods, and all the advertisers are uk based i think

[dinki]

what is your language of choice? re coding time, i strated something like this but abanded it after about 40 hours of work. I assume your on a linux host too

It's really open right now, but I'm thinking about using Mister House ( http://misterhouse.sourceforge.net/ ) and writing a Perl module to handle the data coming in via the serial port from the PIC .

Any idea on the voltage/amperage going to the switches to the switches for the continuity tests to see if the switch is open/closed?

[james.wilson]

ah good ol mister house, looked good especially if linked to a asterisk server, but i never got round to setting one up

if you mean current wise to the sensors, dont run them from your server psu put a dedicated psu in. If your using perl (i probably wouldnt) you will need some cgi link for arming and disarming from a webpage within. I think it would be better to write a sepertae module and hook it either via sockets or files. (files would be easier)

as anyone released an alarm module for MH as i thought it was done via serial into dedicated panels.

the current for the switching will be tiny and depend on your circuit. YOu still want to use your lpt port?

[arfur mo]

Hey guys, I purchased a home that has a wired alarm system installed. I think the control keypad says it's a Honeywell, but I'm not certain. The circuit board (brains) of the system no longer exists. It was ripped out at some time in the past, but I have access to all the wire runs. I know that we have magnetic switches on all the windows, a motion detector in the living room, and a siren/horn located in the attic.

What I'd like to do is wire any of the above to a computer I have serving as my digital video recorder. I am handy with a soldering iron and am not afraid to hack around with software. What I really need to know is what do I need to do to get feedback from the switches and motion detector. I'm assuming that I will need to apply 5V dc and detect if the switch is open/closed . What kind of amperage do I need to use? Will the long wires be a source of resistance? What of the motion detector? How does it 'work'? Any ideas on what kind of power I need to energize the siren/horn? Is there any software out there to do what I'm looking to do (ie detect changes in switch states)?

I'm thinking that the parrallel port would be the easiest to wire together, but perhaps a PIC micocontroller would be better suited?

Thanks for the help....

hi dinki,

to be brutally honest, what your doing is going to be no more than a bodge up, born out of a hobby interest. your p.c. is simply not designed to run 24 hours 365.

you could fit a UPS to cover power outage's, but it's not going to be anywhere as secure as a proper alarm panel, even a cheap one if installed correctly. there are books about doing what you seek and how to hook it all up, but you are really taking part in 'back to the future' designs. issues like spiking from sounders damaging you pc's motherboard are just one issue.

if you do want to build a panel for the sheer hell of it, then B.Babbani's books on basic cmos gates is a good starter.

regs

alan

[dinki]

ah good ol mister house, looked good especially if linked to a asterisk server, but i never got round to setting one up

if you mean current wise to the sensors, dont run them from your server psu put a dedicated psu in. If your using perl (i probably wouldnt) you will need some cgi link for arming and disarming from a webpage within. I think it would be better to write a sepertae module and hook it either via sockets or files. (files would be easier)

as anyone released an alarm module for MH as i thought it was done via serial into dedicated panels.

the current for the switching will be tiny and depend on your circuit. YOu still want to use your lpt port?

IIRC, the modules for MH are written in Perl so I don't have much choice in the matter. MH can handle the arm/disarm/alerts (if I program it correctly, that is).

I haven't seen an alarm module, but I've only started looking it it.

I'll probably go with the serial port rather than LPT as I should be able to get a PIC that does serial out. One less thing for me to fiddle with.

hi dinki,

to be brutally honest, what your doing is going to be no more than a bodge up, born out of a hobby interest. your p.c. is simply not designed to run 24 hours 365.

?? Tell that to all my home and work pcs that run 24/365 . Yeah, I am not trying to compare what I'm attempting with a 'real' monitoring system, but what I propose is much better than what I currently have (nothing).

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying things too much, but really, at it's lower level, it's just a bunch of switches and a mechanism to determine state change.

[amateurandy]

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying things too much, but really, at it's lower level, it's just a bunch of switches and a mechanism to determine state change.

Well, no it's not really. If you want to continue that logic it's a bunch of protons, neutrons and electrons etc. (or quarks and gluons?)

It's a bunch of (whatever) that is fundamentally designed not to be compromised by a VERY determined intruder and to signal a genuine warning in almost any intrusion situation. :!:

[luggsey]

Hey guys, I purchased a home that has a wired alarm system installed. I think the control keypad says it's a Honeywell, but I'm not certain. The circuit board (brains) of the system no longer exists. It was ripped out at some time in the past, but I have access to all the wire runs. I know that we have magnetic switches on all the windows, a motion detector in the living room, and a siren/horn located in the attic.

What I'd like to do is wire any of the above to a computer I have serving as my digital video recorder. I am handy with a soldering iron and am not afraid to hack around with software. What I really need to know is what do I need to do to get feedback from the switches and motion detector. I'm assuming that I will need to apply 5V dc and detect if the switch is open/closed . What kind of amperage do I need to use? Will the long wires be a source of resistance? What of the motion detector? How does it 'work'? Any ideas on what kind of power I need to energize the siren/horn? Is there any software out there to do what I'm looking to do (ie detect changes in switch states)?

I'm thinking that the parrallel port would be the easiest to wire together, but perhaps a PIC micocontroller would be better suited?

Thanks for the help....

Just a thought on system design, if there is only window switches in all but one downstairs room then if a burgler looks in the windows while you are out and sees only one sensor so breaks into the other rooms by smashing a window the alarm will not activate. If you really want a working alarm on the cheap buy a second hand alarm panel which will serve all the systems power needs, then buy a couple of PIR detectors for the other rooms. If you want to switch your DVR on via the alarm system higher spec panels have many features to do this.