Help With Pir Positions/number (please!)

[harry-hotfoot]

Hi,

I'm planning to fit a wired alarm to my house, probably a bit at a time - starting with the wiring. No pre-conceptions or purchases yet, other than I want it wired not wireless.

My plan (as far as it's got!):

cabling - 8 core (fairly future proof)

panel - probably texecom premier 24 (if it has enough zones)

panel location - c/h cupboard, next to the study.

Anyway, attached is a floorplan of our house. Door contact sensor on the front door, but at the back we just have UPVC patio windows (x2) - which we don't use for entry.

What's the best position for pir's?

would just one pir on the landing be sufficient for upstairs?

should I fit door contact sensors to the patio doors?

We have a dog, that we normally confine to the kitchen and hall when we're out (or in bed!).

Thanks in advance...

Andy

[Gopher]

Cabling - good plan also means you have a few spares incase something goes wrong like a break in the cable it does happen.

As for the Patio doors - yes a door contact on each of them as remember you've not got to think of how you get in and out but how a thief would get in and out.

Single PIR upstairs is fine unless you think they would try and enter and leave via an upstairs window.

Best positions for PIR's well not in direct view of a window as the sun could set them off, I've seen this happen before the alarm would go off at about the same time, was the sun setting just hitting it at the right angle to set it off, just a thought.

Look at the area of cover for the PIR and then stand where you think you'd put it and try and visualise the spread and see what it covers.

A good place would be in the corner opposite the door pointing into the room so it covers the door and the majority of the room.

The Control Panel location is good as long as it's within the protected area and it's not accessible when the alarm is set without going through at least 1 zone that's not an entry/exit zone, i.e PIR in the study set up as "secure", "12h zone" etc, i.e the alarm goes off when the zone triggers and the alarm is set.

Hope that helps.

[harry-hotfoot]

Thanks,

I'll have to give more thought to the location of the panel, methinks. I don't think I'm too bothered about possible entry through the bedroom windows, there's not much of value in them (although again I'll give more thought). I suppose that bedrooms are easy enough to wire, from the loft.

Looking at my downstairs layout, do I need a pir in each room (and the hall)? even the downstairs loo has a window big enough to climb through (if you were determined!).

If this were the case, I'd end up with 6 pir's just downstairs! (hall, lounge, dining room, kitchen, loo, study) plus my door contact sensors... seems excessive.

Any thoughts?

Ta!

Andy

[Gopher]

Andy,

Looking again..

3 Door contacts - all 3 doors.

5 PIR's in the Study, Dining Room, Living Room, Kitchen and the hallway, the loo one isn't need really unless it's the room is gold plated + 1 PIR for upstairs.

So 9 in total, you could combine the 2 rear doors into 1 zone if the panel only has 8 zones, although IF any faults were to occur you may have some trouble locating where the fault is, unless of course you bring both cables into the panel and put the join in there as this would make fault finding easier by being able to check each cable independently.

The panel location is okay as long as it's hidden somewhere out of general view.

Not worked with a Texecom panel but I'm sure it's got all the features you'd need since you say you got a dog. I'd try and keep it locked in the Kitchen - NOT easy I know would make the programming of the alarm easier, even easier if you put a keypad upstairs as well so you can then "part set" without the fear of setting it off when you go to bed.

I'm sure more people will add their own thoughts to this.