Recommendation for wired alarm system for competent amateur in new build

[build_a_bear]

Hi,
I'm looking to install a hard wired (potential wireless expansion) alarm system into a new build that I've pre-wired with cables. Ideally I'd want 10 zones, keypad/keyfob entry, remote set/unset via ethernet connectivity (ideally no subscription).
I'm fairly competent (I've installed two Honeywell G8 systems in the past) so don't need to be completely idiot-proof!
Also looking at potential future smart integrations (we have a Rako system), but thinking Alexa or IFTTT compatibility. For context, I've also got a Nest doorbell and considering Nest external cameras.

Grateful for recommendations and advice.

Bonus - I'd also like to alarm the garage (two zones), a dual set/unset would be neat, but if this is super complicated then I can just wire something simple in there.

Thanks

 

[daern]

My (as a similar competent amateur) recommendation from limited experience would be Texecom Premier Elite appropriately spec'ed for your needs. Easy enough to install and the programming, while a little fiddly, isn't so hard once you get your head around it (and is much easier with their Wintex software than through a keypad!) I've installed a couple now and not had any issues with either. Just follow the instructions and use a bit of common sense (and advice from here!)

You can definitely do dual-zone for the garage (I do exactly this) and you might also want to consider putting an extender box out there - you then end up with all of the individual zone wiring staying local to the building, and only need a single run of alarm cable to link the two boxes together. You can also have a separate keypad for the garage, or whatever you need to make it work, and it can all be part of a the same system.

Can't comment on Alexa / IFTTT etc. - I use Home Assistant and there's an excellent add-on which supports the Texecom system in a pretty comprehensive way, allowing monitoring and remote set/unset. I suspect others here might be able to help you more here.

 

[RobTi]

My (as a similar competent amateur) recommendation from limited experience would be Texecom Premier Elite appropriately spec'ed for your needs. Easy enough to install and the programming, while a little fiddly, isn't so hard once you get your head around it (and is much easier with their Wintex software than through a keypad!) I've installed a couple now and not had any issues with either. Just follow the instructions and use a bit of common sense (and advice from here!)

You can definitely do dual-zone for the garage (I do exactly this) and you might also want to consider putting an extender box out there - you then end up with all of the individual zone wiring staying local to the building, and only need a single run of alarm cable to link the two boxes together. You can also have a separate keypad for the garage, or whatever you need to make it work, and it can all be part of a the same system.

Can't comment on Alexa / IFTTT etc. - I use Home Assistant and there's an excellent add-on which supports the Texecom system in a pretty comprehensive way, allowing monitoring and remote set/unset. I suspect others here might be able to help you more here.

Can i ask about the ha integration do you use this over the Texecom app ?

 

[daern]

Can i ask about the ha integration do you use this over the Texecom app ?

More info here:

GitHub - dchesterton/texecom2mqtt-hassio: Home Assistant add-on. Connect to Texecom Premier Elite alarm panels and publish updates to MQTT. Supports arming/disarming as well as zone updates and alarm events.

Home Assistant add-on. Connect to Texecom Premier Elite alarm panels and publish updates to MQTT. Supports arming/disarming as well as zone updates and alarm events. - GitHub - dchesterton/texecom...

github.com

...and a long discussion thread here:

Texecom2mqtt: Texecom alarm panel and MQTT integration with HA support

I’ve released a Docker image which integrates with Texecom and MQTT including remote arming/part arming/disarming as well as full zone updates: https://hub.docker.com/r/dchesterton/texecom2mqtt . It has Home Assistant auto-discovery built-in too. Texecom won’t allow me to publish the source...

community.home-assistant.io

Pretty quick and easy to set up and is mostly stable (although there is a long-standing issue related to a firmware bug on the Texecom panels that hasn't quite been resolved yet. That said, it's certainly good enough such that I only use this to manage my alarm and have never used the official Texecom app.

One note: I'd strongly recommend a dedicated interface for the HA add-on. Specifically, an extra ComIP module which is not configured to do anything else. The Texecom Elite panel is actually very simplistic when it comes to its interfaces, which are effectively a serial port running over IP. If you try to have two things talking to one interface at the same time (e.g. Texecom Cloud + HA, or Wintex + HA) it will certainly cause you issues and about half of the posts on the discussion thread are from people having problems due to this.