Texecom Premier Elite 24 - *updated* Connect is too buggy so need help with alternative *Resolved*

[secureiam]

oh my word, looks like it will kick off again if that's the case, but to make some of you rest a little easier, if your panel was bought as version 4 off the shelf then any built in wireless expander should be versions 3.0.6+

Separate panels and expanders would have to check the expander green sticker or in ricochet monitor to confirm the version of the expander.

If you have version 3 panels as supplied or earlier then you need to check the wireless expanders version number.

I will try and explain some of this based on my understanding.
The newer expanders have additional features so certain devices will work but maybe not fully ie some options won't work.

The statement you make regarding the hub, not working sounds as of it wouldn't work at all, with existing expanders below version 3.0.6 which would be ludicrous, I would need to clarify but suspect the new devices wouldn't work with the hub if the expander was below 3.0.6 but the old ones still will

The reasons why I say again, is because during the process of these transitions people were advised one particular way and it would appear that doesn't hold water, tbh I will check with with someone in tech that I trust to give an honest full answer and let you know.

How many hard wired devices do you have?

Thinking you might be better getting a 64W new panel rather than a new 8XPW or 32XPW and flogging the panel on ebay with updated firmware???

 

[secureiam]

as I expected the wireless devices that currently work will, the hub may have extra capabilities but that's still to be determined.

 

[racey1979]

I have 7 hard wired zones, soon to be 8 which ill explain in a min. I have everything up and running now, the app is working and the smart plug is working but it is certainly finicky and buggy. I have literally been messing all day learning its niggles and characteristics, many of Texecom's instructions are p155 poor. As mentioned, I couldn't add the plug through the app, I had to learn it manually through the panel. I have set up some test recipes to try the plug, e.g. kitchen pir detects motion and turns plug on for 30 seconds which worked but I have found the plug doesn't like to be moved. I took it to another room and it just remained in it's ON state so I had to delete the recipe, delete the plug on the ricochet section on the panel, then re-learn (plug needed to be very close to expander for this), move the plug to desired socket and then set up the recipe again. I want the plug to turn on some external flood lights, I had a TD-W external PIR delivered today but I found it unsuitable. It worked but when the PIR detected motion, i set it up to turn on the plug for the flood lights and the lights came on. However, when the lights went out after 30 seconds or so I found I had to wait about 4 minutes until the PIR would pick up movement again, apparently this is how the PIR is designed, it has a settle time which cannot be changed other than setting it up as "always awake" which will kill the batteries. I have ordered the same sensor but the wired version as it isn't too much of a job to run a wire so this should be far more responsive.(Shame its such an eyesore) As for the hub, will just wait and see what it's capable of and then decide whether it's worth upgrading.

 

[racey1979]

As regards to the external PIR to trigger my flood lights via the alarm panel, I am now wondering if there is a better solution than the ugly Texecom TD AFQ 0001 ? Firstly, with a 90 degree beam angle I think I might struggle to set it up properly on a driveway 10 metres wide. I have seen a beam detector made by GJD which I could place on the pillar of my driveway entrance..............this...............

https://www.alertelectrical.com/gjd...MI6_bj2uSR3gIVlOF3Ch2dMgktEAYYAiABEgKd4PD_BwE

Think I can easily bury a cable behind the bushes running behind the bins and through the wall to my alarm panel. Anyone used this type of sensor? Reckon it would be suitable??


Thanks


Andy

 

[racey1979]

Hi again, after setting up connect smart com and "smart" plug and trying to set it up to control my floodlights I have come to the conclusion the whole connect thing isn't ready yet, it's full of bugs. All I want it to do is turn the floodlights on for 5 minutes when either of my front doors are opened (wired contacts) or my wired external PIR detects movement. Well it just doesn't want to behave and after speaking with Texecom they even said the app is still bug ridden and it's mainly around when you want to add timers. This makes sense as I can get the lights to turn on but half the time they don't turn off, they won't even turn off manually through the app. They are working on an update but don't know when it'll be released. One other issue that isn't helping is I have an older firmware wireless 8xp-w expander so I have ordered a new one. However, I am now thinking of an alternative way. The panel has programmable outputs so I am thinking of running some alarm cable from the panel into my loft to operate a relay which turns the lights on. What I am wanting to know is:-

1. Which output do I use, on my panel there is a programmable output at the bottom and then digicom outputs in the top corner (but says is for a communicator) ?

2. How do I program the zones/outputs in wintex so when either zone is triggered it starts a timer for x time to send power to the relay and turns the lights on?

3. What sort of relay would be suitable to do this?

Any help much appreciated

Andy

 

[scott1980]

Trying to control the lights through the alarm system is probably over-complicating it a bit. Have you looked into the GJD lighting control systems? Obviously it's an additional cost, but will do what you need out of the box.

To do it through the alarm, you could set it up like this:

Connect the GJD sensor to a spare zone, program it as "Moment Key" with the "Monitor Only" attribute. You can assign it to a chime tone if you want, but otherwise, this zone will not actually trigger anything on the alarm.

Program the 3 zones that you want to trigger the lights into "Zone Group 1"

Program an output as "Zone Group 1 Mimic" and assign the Pulse 1 attribute to it. In Global, set pulse time 1 to however long you want the lights to trigger.

Connect a relay with a 12 volt coil and contacts rated to 230 VAC at 10 amps (coil current should be less than 100mA and suppressed with a diode) to that output and use the contacts to switch the live connection to the floodlights. Bear in mind that the lights will also switch in the daytime, unless you use a photocell to feed the contacts of the above relay instead of the permanent 230v supply. You could go further and assign the external PIR to a seperate area so that you can arm/disarm it if needed.

 

[sparkymarka]

Be easier to use a solitaire unit and a GJD elite ....

 

[scott1980]

Be easier to use a solitaire unit and a GJD elite ....

Absolutely, I guess some people like the complicated way. Me? GJD all the way!

 

[sparkymarka]

Sorry that should have been a sapphire unit .....

 

[racey1979]

Trying to control the lights through the alarm system is probably over-complicating it a bit. Have you looked into the GJD lighting control systems? Obviously it's an additional cost, but will do what you need out of the box.

To do it through the alarm, you could set it up like this:

Connect the GJD sensor to a spare zone, program it as "Moment Key" with the "Monitor Only" attribute. You can assign it to a chime tone if you want, but otherwise, this zone will not actually trigger anything on the alarm.

Program the 3 zones that you want to trigger the lights into "Zone Group 1"

Program an output as "Zone Group 1 Mimic" and assign the Pulse 1 attribute to it. In Global, set pulse time 1 to however long you want the lights to trigger.

Connect a relay with a 12 volt coil and contacts rated to 230 VAC at 10 amps (coil current should be less than 100mA and suppressed with a diode) to that output and use the contacts to switch the live connection to the floodlights. Bear in mind that the lights will also switch in the daytime, unless you use a photocell to feed the contacts of the above relay instead of the permanent 230v supply. You could go further and assign the external PIR to a seperate area so that you can arm/disarm it if needed.

This is great, thank you. However, I do not have any spare zones I suppose I could swap my wired PIR on my landing for a richochet PIR and free up a slot. (I could probably do without it completely tbh). Or is there any other output I can connect to rather than a zone? Also, where would you put the relay as the alarm panel is downstairs and the plug for the lights is in the loft? Would the panel have enough juice to operate a relay that's approx 10 metres away?

Thanks again

 

[racey1979]

Sorry, I misread your post regarding the GJD sensor, I've twigged you meant the PIR I am putting on my drive post. Where on the PCB is the output where I would connect the relay to ?

 

[scott1980]

There's 2 wired zones in the keypad, if you have spare cores you can use one of those.

I would put the relay in a plastic adaptable box in the loft, run a 6 core alarm cable to the panel and treble up the cores if you're worried about volt drop (red/white/yellow as +, the rest to the output)

 

[racey1979]

There's 2 wired zones in the keypad, if you have spare cores you can use one of those.

I would put the relay in a plastic adaptable box in the loft, run a 6 core alarm cable to the panel and treble up the cores if you're worried about volt drop (red/white/yellow as +, the rest to the output)

Thanks Scott, really appreciate your time. I don't need any more zones, the external GJD PIR detector will go in the spare 8th zone on my main panel. I get everything you say, I'm just not 100% sure where the output is on the panel. When I am looking at the PCB there are 8 outputs in the top right hand corner, 8 are digicom o/p and there are 2 others to the side marked L/M and R/R and there is one at the bottom which is Output 1, I assume this is the one to use and where I put the negative wire(s)

Thanks again

 

[scott1980]

You can use Output 1, you just need to program it as described in my first reply. The negative from the relay is connected to the output, the positive of the relay goes to the 12v aux supply

 

[racey1979]

Fantastic, I'm a mech engineer by trade so used to hitting stuff with an hammer .....but I know a little bit about electrics lol. I will ask one of the sparkies at work if we have any suitable relays laying about. My new wireless 8xp-w expander which has latest firmware should come tomorrow so I'm going to see how the connect plug performs once I have fitted it. If its still a pile of bug ridden crap ill go the hard wired route