Elk M1

Hi All,

I have been looking into the Elk M1 alarm system for the past month or two and can't seem to make up my mind. My house is about 2700 sq ft with 26 doors and windows. I'm thinking to myself that the Elk system is an overkill for my home. Will it? On the other hand, I like to have all the features that it has and plan to have the home automation features enabled also, but just cant justify the cost. People with this system, can you all chime in? Help me make my decision. I'm not a wireless person and dont care for a wireless system.

BTW, what are the recommended PIRs, door/window sensors, and glass breaker devices to purchase for the M1?

Any help would be appreciated.


GL

GLL said:

Hi All,

I have been looking into the Elk M1 alarm system for the past month or two and can't seem to make up my mind. My house is about 2700 sq ft with 26 doors and windows. I'm thinking to myself that the Elk system is an overkill for my home. Will it? On the other hand, I like to have all the features that it has and plan to have the home automation features enabled also, but just cant justify the cost. People with this system, can you all chime in? Help me make my decision. I'm not a wireless person and dont care for a wireless system.

BTW, what are the recommended PIRs, door/window sensors, and glass breaker devices to purchase for the M1?

Any help would be appreciated.


GL

Click to expand...

I won't comment on the M1, I have a HAI, but I will say, that if you are installing many motion detectors and lots of other sensors, with all the work involved, the difference in cost between an automation panel like the Omni or M1, and a plain old alarm panel like an Ademco is very minor. You'll be spending most money on sensors and labor.

I'd make a detailed spreadsheet of all the costs, and in the scheme of things, when you look at the totals, you'll see that the price differences aren't very great. Also both HAI and ELK offer "lite" versions of panels that are cheaper if you really want to save cost in exchange for functionality. If you have absolutely no automation plans and just want security, by all means, an Ademco is best and cheapest.

Ademco, DMP, etc...There are plenty of brands of alarm panels to choose from. You really need you choose which is the best for you. They all have their quirks.

Searching PIR, motion detector, etc will bring up a few posts asking the same questions.

I have the m1g. If you want your alarm to work with HA then there isn't really anything but Elk or HAI for a DIY. So, the question is, do you want HA or do you just want an alarm? You are probably looking at $600 extra to have an Elk vs a generic alarm.

One way to look at it - if you call the big box companies and have them come install a system for you, they'll put in a $99 system and charge you $40/month for it. If you buy something like an M1, you'll pay more upfront but can use your own monitoring for under $15/month - so you'll end up ahead with the M1.

I'm an M1 user and I agree with the comments so far - the Elk/HAI panels can't be beat if you want full home automation on a hardware controller... As for which one is better, that's a whole other topic that's often discussed here.

If you really want to get in cheaper, even some of the lower end alarms allow interface with automation systems, but then you'll need a separate controller.

Also like ano said - you'll end up spending more money on add-ons and sensors than the initial alarm costs... someone I know just called a big box company for their $99 special and it cost him $1200 because he actually wanted to protect all his doors/windows, have a couple glass-breaks, and have a couple motion sensors... and they'll still be getting him for the $40/month for 3 years.

As W2P implies, it's useful to distinguish capital costs from recurring expense costs. We are not going to buy too many M1Gs or Omnis in our lifetimes (for our own use), but the cost of these items seems again and again to take on paramount importance. I try to remember to keep a perspective. It's far more useful and economical to count pennies on paper towels, soap, gasoline, for example, which we buy in large quantities over long periods of time and where inattentiveness can cost us far far more than our occasional capital items.

I have a M1G. I originally thought it was expensive. It is unquestionably worth the price.

I originally looked at an Ademco Vista 20-P. I thought that X-10 and relay outputs would be a great idea. I then realized that there was a maximum of 16 total devices (X-10 and Relays) on the panel and thought that I might just run out of space someday. I then found Cocoontech.com and the M1. I haven't looked back. There are some issues with email limitations with the M1 and other minor limitations but all in all it really is worth it. Especially because I use an M1 and an ISY-99IR/Pro and get all of the HA needs taken care of with out a PC running 24/7. To me, that's important.

I'm with you there Gatchel. The ISY is supporting variables now and should in the next few months support full M1 integration. I do believe that when this is done, there will be virtually nothing an HA programmer might want that can't be done with the isy/m1 combo, and the whole thing won't use more than about 20 or 30 watts and never be subject to windows crashes, viruses, and the like.

Lou Apo said:

I have the m1g. If you want your alarm to work with HA then there isn't really anything but Elk or HAI for a DIY. So, the question is, do you want HA or do you just want an alarm? You are probably looking at $600 extra to have an Elk vs a generic alarm.

Click to expand...

It's not that much extra. I looked at Ademco for my new house because that's what I had in my old one. Getting everything I wanted with the Ademco was only about $200 less than the ELK. I figured I would just do the security, and worry about HA later.... but then I read all of the cool stuff you could do and dumped more money into it...

So, maybe your figure of $600 is actually a bit low.

Thanks for all the helpful comments everyone.

I have decided to get the M1.

As for wiring, I am running the wires myself and would need some advice. After reading alot of posts here, I have decided to run 22/4 for all contacts, PIRs, and glassbreaks. Is that a good idea or should I do 22/2 for all contacts (didn't want to purchase different types)? Along with that, I will be running 18/4 for my outdoor speaker and strobe. I plan to have all wire runs completed this weekend and would it be good to spend the extra money on the shielded wires vs the unshielded?

Any help would be great and appreciated.

GL

IMO, 22-4 to contacts is a waste of money, unless of course you have a boatload you obtained for a good pirce and just don't feel like ordering another spool!

BraveSirRobbin said:

IMO, 22-4 to contacts is a waste of money, unless of course you have a boatload you obtained for a good pirce and just don't feel like ordering another spool!

Click to expand...

ditto on that.

And as far as the $600 extra, I kind of picked a middle of the road number there. A bare bones M1 isn't that much more, but who buys a bare bones system? Of course, you could completely go non-barebones and spend a couple grand extra with all of the toys. This doesn't include getting all of your automatic light switches and stuff, however, which could go into many thousands.

Good choice, I have an M1 and it changed the way we live! Good solid product with a ton of support.

I would recommend adding a M1-XEP to your list of accessories, I see it as a must have for programming and to allow for ELK and 3rd party interfacing.

You have landed on the mothership of M1 support here on the Cocoontech forum. There is a ton of info, solutions and willing members to assist you through your journey.

Welcome to the M1 community.

Regards,

Fleetz