How do I disable a Zone that is showing an error?

OK, let me start by saying I am a newbie to this so sorry if this is a simple question. I also own the Dealer Access version of the software ( I had planned to really get into this but I have no time). I have a Zone that is Daisy chained with 6 windows on it. It is showing that one of the windows is opened. I have changed all the contacts and still no change. At this point I will call someone in to help me but for the moment I cant us the system at all as it wont arm with the Zone showing trouble.

Is there any easy way to "disable" this Zone until I can get someone out here to fix it correctly? I have played around a bit with the software and even unscrewed the zone from the panel but to no avail. HELP!

Thanks in advance all!

easiest without changing anything would be to disconnect the field wiring from the panel and then jump out using a short piece of wire or EOLR, depending on your programming.

So I hate to be stupid here but when you say short wires since there are 2 wires that go into that zone I assume you mean put one wire connecting those 2 screws. I guess one screw in the out portion and the other is coming back in... Again, sorry for the ignorance....

Well, I took the wires off and put a small piece between the two screws (one was a yellow wire and one was green (not that that means anything)). It still shows up as "sunroom window NOT RDY". Uggg...

The zone bypass function doesn't work?

You probably need the EOLR if you want to do the jumper thing.

Just change the zone to AUXILLARY in the programming and be done with it. Its that simple.

Or you should be able to just bypass the zone using the keypad.

If it was working and the wiring or a contact is damaged causing a fault, the recommended course of action it to bypass the zone from the console until it can be repaired. This literally takes a few seconds from the keypad and will allow you to arm the system so that the rest of the house is protected. You can also do this from PC Access.

Once the immediate problem is solved you can troubleshoot and fix the problem.

FYI: Disconnecting a malfunctioning zone should not fix the problem. The intent of a properly functioning zone is to be able to detect both a short or an open circuit. I always find amusing in movies where the crook either puts alligator clips across the contacts of cuts a wire to disable the system. In properly configured system either of these action will actually trigger the alarm.

The principal is simple a "good" loop should have a specific resistance, not just zero or infinity. In the case of the Omni this is 1000 ohms. Ideally the resistor should be located inside the contact at the end of line (EOL resistor). You can purchase contacts with built in resistors for all of the popular security systems.

The Omni sees a good loop as having 1000 ohms of resistance. If you cut the loop and the resistance goes to infinity, of if you short across the contact and the resistance goes to zero, the Omni can detect it and trigger an alarm.

If you are not familiar with these concepts you should do some reading or hire a professional.

Be safe and do it right...

I hope this helps and thanks for choosing HAI.

I wish Tane made their Pill magnet with resistor built in.

Yeah, bypass the zone. That can easily be done from the console or from PC Access. If it's going to be a while before you can get the zone fixed, change the zone to auxiliary in PC Access.

Ranger Digital said:

I wish Tane made their Pill magnet with resistor built in.

Click to expand...

No you don't

Contacts with built in EOLR's are disasterous over time.

DELInstallations said:

Contacts with built in EOLR's are disasterous over time.

Click to expand...

You've picked my interest with this statement DEL. Why so?

DEL may have more reasons, but primarily, should you ever change panels in the future, it's likely that the EOL requirements will be different, which will make them incompatible. It's easier to change a resistor than the entire contact, especially with contacts that use the screw-on terminals.

And I think the word you were searching for is "piqued" ^_^

Picked, as in nose. B)

IMHO even if the panel changes and the new panel needs 2.2K ohm resistors, for example. This is not a problem and you don't have to change the resistor in the contact to have it work properly with the new system and still retain the advantages of an EOL resistor.

There are a few articles on how to do this in our knowledge base (kb.homeauto.com).

Basic electricity 101: Resistors in parallel:

Let's say your previous panel required 2.2K ohm resistors and they are inside the contacts. You are replacing it with an Omni that requires a 1K ohm loop. What do you do? The easiest thing is to put a 1.9K ohm or 2K ohm resistor in parallel at the panel. Just put the resistor across the zone +/- terminals right at the panel. Very simple. When the zone (loop) is secure the resistance will be ~1K ohm. If the zone is shorted the resistance goes to 0 ohms and the alarm sounds. If the zone is cut then the resistance goes to 1.9K or 2K ohms and the Omni sees the zone as not ready and the alarm goes off.

The math:
2.2K ohms in parallel with 1.9k ohms = 1.02K ohms
2.2K ohms in parallel with 2k ohms = 1.045K ohms
both of these are close enough to 1K ohm +/_ 5% to work.

The basic rules:

If the existing resistor is less than 1K ohm add another resistor in series to bring the total resistance to 1K ohm.

If the existing resistor is more than 1K ohm add a resistor in parallel so that the total resistance is 1K ohm.

These are common problems that professional installers encounter every day and are easy to solve.