alarm questions

[JohnG]

I've just spent the weekend installing a nexus 8 alarm (from maplin) and have done most of the hardwork, laying cables, new power connection from consumer unit, and have the exterior alarm, and control box installed.

All i have left to do is install contact switches on doors and PIR's. (and then configure it all).

To avoid drilling holes in patio window I bought a seperate magnetic door contact from maplin (MM11) it has 4 prewired in cables blue, yellow, red and black. Any idea as to where they should go to, I assume 2 are alarm, and 2 tamper, but which is which, is there any usual convention for these things?

Also any tips for installing PIR's. We have a cat and I would like to avoid false alarms, also any problems with the PIR facing a window?

I was considering buying the Focus Quad Detector (SJ59P), are they worth it?

 

[breezer]

your "contact pair will be either red / yellow or red / black (the other two are tamper)

as for your cat do not put a pir in a room where the cat is, it may not at first but your cat WILL be detected, pir's should be mounted in the corner of a room preferably on the same wall as the window, looking inwards

you may also want to read this

there is a long story i know, but short version is "cat proof pir" installed kept going off, owner came back early alarm going cat on settee where it "never goes" (it wouldn't if the owner was there)

 

[JohnG]

I dug out a multimeter and figured out the cables.

The link was good and confirmed everything I had done, thanks.

So in summary PIR's and cats don't mix.

 

[breezer]

actually its "free roaming pets" and movement sensors that do not mix, if a caged / tanked pet is in a room that is fine (so long as the tank or cage is shut) i should not bother with "vibration" sensors either as what if a bird, ball or stone hits the window, unless some one sees it happen and tells you, you will think it is a false alarm, when in actual fact there was a genuine reason. (the same can be said of break glass detectors, as they "listen for noise of breaking glass, or what they "think" is breaking glass)