Texecom Premier Elite for my house

[PASUK]

Hello
I moved house a couple of years back but the alarm system has finally died and I am keen to replace to something modern as the current system was too basic.
I had posted a couple of years back and the recommendation was the Texecom Premier Elite.

I had a few questions:

Basics
Is the Texecom Premier Elite still regarded as a reliable intruder alarm?

DIY Install

I have successfully installed and maintained an alarm in my first house, years back, it was a scantronic, so I would say I am a competent diy'er. However I wanted to check that the Texecom Premier Elite is suitable for DIY'er or whether it is in some way locked down or too complex for anyone other than a professional installer?

Zones and Fire Integration

I was looking at the Premier Elite 24 Polymer End Station.
My house only needs 8 zones and 1 part set (night mode) in addition to the full set of course.

However I also have interconnected fire alarms by wire (Kiddie Wired Firex FF1) which I would like to connect to the Premier Elite end station. Is that possible? does that need a dedicated zone? does it require some sort of add-on?

I also recall seeing something that said that the 24 is not Conventional Fire Detector Compatible, and that the 48 is the lowest model that is. I was not sure whether the Kiddie KF1 is conventional or not by Texecoms definition? Do I need the Premier Elite 48 for my set-up?

Communicator and PC Programming

I recall always being frustrated about programming the old scantronic via the keypad and always wished I could plug in my laptop and use a nice user interface. It seems that Wintex solves this problem. Does Wintex need specific hardware on the end station or panel to connect?

I also would like to be notified via a call or sms if the alarm goes off, and have the ability to check on my mobile which zones/events have triggered and silence the alarm by mobile.
Is this all possible by mobile on the apple and android platforms?

I was unsure of the Premier Elite ComGSM or IP does this?

Keypad
Any tips on which keypad might be suitable for the setup I've described?

Alternatives
Given the above, would another reliable alarm system might be more suitable or affordable for my needs?

Thanks very much in advance for you help.

 

[sparkymarka]

All of the above ( fire alarm will need a relay base/ bases and hardwiring from the base ) programming will depend on your skills but plenty of help on here ! Sms by comm gsm or comm2400 stand landline or push notification by commit/ wifi

 

[PASUK]

Having done some more research I could not tell if I need the 24 or 48 in order to be able to link the Kiddie wired fire alarm to the Texecom.
Also can't be sure which keypad might be most suitable.
Would anyone be able to help me answer these two questions?
Thanks

 

[secureiam]

The panel shouldn't make any difference nor the keypad as all the keypads have two zones on the back that can be used to wire in.

What do you need the keypad to do, opt for the smart looking SMK or FMK for a few extra quid.

 

[sparkymarka]

You can't wire the 240v smoke alarms directly ... As before they need relay bases IF available and you need to hardwire to the bases , may be better / cheaper to replace with Texecom exodus smoke detectors anyway depending on age of your smoke detectors .24/48 have fire zone option

 

[PASUK]

I finally purchased all the kit, installed and now have a fully functioning alarm system.
Only three minor programming corrections I need to make (which I need a little help on the forum) but even without those changes it is working great.

for any other DIY'ers out there, I thought is was surprisingly easy to do the connections and programming provided the instructions are followed carefully.

The most difficult part (as usual) was pulling up floorboards and running any of the new cables. I was lucky as half the existing cables from the old system still worked fine.

I did however chicken out and buy the Texecom PE 48, not 24. I was put off by the EOL wiring and messing about with resistors etc.
As I am not a professional I wanted to keep it as simple as possible and go with double pole wiring.
The extra I had to pay an extra £20 to go from 24 to 48 model but personally happy to pay the extra to avoid EOL.

I have not integrated the fire alarm system, that's the only main outstanding item.

For DIYers considering the costs...

It did cost approx £300 inclusive of VAT and delivery for all the parts.
That included: Panel, Keypad, communicator, prox tags, 5 x mid-range PIRs, 2 x door contacts, 2 x panic buttons, wiring drum, and a few other bits.

Time wise:
1.5 days of running all cables! yes 1.5 days, but they are almost all hidden from view.
4 hours of connecting the ends of the cables to the 8 sensors and the respective zones on the panel, the keypad connections, and connecting the bell box.
2 hours programming and testing

Thank you all for the help in the forum to get me this far