I just purchased a house and we’d like to install a new security system (there is one now but it’s about 30 years old). One installer recommended a Qolsys IQ 2 based system with wireless detectors and another recommended a Concord 4 system using the old wired detectors (shock sensors) and some wireless detectors.
Do any of you have any opinions on which is a better system? The Qolsys has a touchscreen and looks more “state of the art” and the Concord 4 looks more dated with the keypad but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything I’m sure.
Also, the guy selling the Qolsys system said he doesn’t recommend using the shock based sensors and would use glass break detectors (along with contact sensors). The other guy said just use the old shock sensors if they work and don’t use glass break detectors because we have dogs.
Do any of you have any opinions on which is a better system?
Better? No. I would not say either is better as they fit different circumstances.
The Concord is great for larger properties, commercial locations, and any location where you would want to arm two or more areas independently of one another (called partitioning). Partitioning is a big advantage of the Concord 4, but it is not as useful for most homes. It would be slightly easier to reuse the existing wired sensors and cabling for the purposes of a Concord 4.
The IQ Panel 2 is more modern, has a sleek touchscreen and supports encrypted Qolsys S-line wireless sensors. Z-wave network setup is much more robust on the IQ Panel 2, with all programming having a visual menu. The IQ Panel 2 has a number of advantages, but there are things to consider. For one the power supply for the IQ Panel 2 is 5.5 VDC, and cable length to power the IQ Panel 2 is at maximum 25 feet on 18 AWG cable (thicker than what the old system would have used). Often times the IQ Panel 2 is not even mounted on the wall, instead just used as a table-top device.
Also, the guy selling the Qolsys system said he doesn’t recommend using the shock based sensors and would use glass break detectors (along with contact sensors). The other guy said just use the old shock sensors if they work and don’t use glass break detectors because we have dogs.
Happy to be the tie-breaker. Always use physical Shock Sensors if it is cost effective to do so or if they are pre-existing. As long as they are functional, there is no reason whatsoever to replace them with Glass break audio detectors.
Glass break detectors are effective at what they do, and one detector can cover many windows within its range, but they do in fact have false alarm concerns with barking dogs, and typically Shock Sensors do not suffer a lot of false alarm hazards.
Glass break detectors should be considered if no shock sensors exist and you need to cover a lot of windows as they will be more cost effective that way. Physical shock sensors are just a little better at performing the same task.
One installer recommended a Qolsys IQ 2 based system with wireless detectors and another recommended a Concord 4 system using the old wired detectors (shock sensors) and some wireless detectors.
Not to confuse the issue, but both systems support wireless sensors, and both systems support wired sensors. If you have a full system of wired sensors and want to use the Qolsys panel, you can go with the Qolsys Hardwire 8 or Hardwire 16 wired to wireless sensor translator to reuse those wired devices.
If I decided to go with the Qolsys system and it turns out most of my shock sensors are bad, would you advise that I replace them all (due to the false positives with dogs barking and glass break detectors) and, if so, what is a good shock sensor that works with Qolsys? I don’t remember seeing that they have their own shock sensors.
It would depend on the type of sensor you have, but wired non-powered sensors do not really suffer much effect from age. With few moving parts and internal components protected from moisture and air, they tend to last a very long time.
Do the windows also have open/close contacts on them? You’ve only stated that shock sensors exist. Can you share the model of sensor or an image of one of the windows where the sensor(s) are located?
The photo there would be a litton junction box. Do you have recessed or surface mounted shock sensors? Either way you should be fine though to reuse the sensors themselves.
You’ll definitely want to test each one to verify that they are in working order. I’m not as familiar with that model and can’t find a lot of info, though it looks like this is the same device.
