Honeywell ICM module discontinued

Sorry to sound like a broken record, Nick, but.....

Napco!

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I have had my fill of napco

Each to his own, right? :^)

I've worked on a few Honeywell systems. I don't care for their programming. The feature set is OK though. I'm just so used to Napco and I know how to make the bigger panels pretty much do everything but dance a jig. That's no great accomplishment, I guess. I've used them for decades.

Even though I don't install any more, I walk people through the software all the time and get a little vicarious fun out of it when I hear, "Yesss, it's working now..." :^)

One product line I really miss is Elk. They're not allowing online sales except through a few big outfits they like. After 30 years of selling, installing and servicing Moose, then Elk Products, it's a shame. The M1 series was our most popular Home Automation line.

Speaking of Home Automation, did you notice that ADT has joined the Z-Wave alliance? Presumably this is for ADT Corporate -- not the dealer program.

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ADT Likes to get there fingers in everything . Z wave is an interesting looking technology

It's got a good chance of winning the protocol war vs. some of the other stuff out there. There have been some interesting (and at times heated) debates about the subject over in: news:comp.home.automation.

Really interesting things are developing. Security dealers can add a major revenue stream incorporating HA in projects. A typical, $3000 residential alarm install can turn into a partial automation job. I've sold HA systems online for a few thousand dollars that a dealer could install for a

5-figure price. Other times you might just add a thousand dollars to the ticket by automating a gate, a few lights, etc.

Check the Z-Wave alliance website:

I've been adding automated lighting to my installs for years. Haven't looked deeply into the Z wave/Zigbee technology yet but will if/when it becomes a little more popular. It doesn't take a lot of special knowledge to add this to alarm installs and there's usually additions involving landscape and vacation lighting in the offing. I've been using Smarthome in recent years which is a combination of PLC and RF. A far cry from the unreliability of X10 in days of old. The automatic networking of Zwave devices could well be the answer to the the unreliability that has plagued the products in this market. If I had any concern at all it would be that it seems that most every technology nowdays is heading in the direction of being wireless. I don't know how many more technologies can hop on the wireless wagon before it all comes to a screeching stop, in a log jamb with one solar flare event. Either that, or chickens would become an endangered species since eggs would be laid, hardboiled.

The real strength of Z-Wave is that anything from one manufacturer will interface with anyone else's system. So you choose an ELK Products M1G or maybe next year's Napco or Honeywell panel for that matter. You can control your lights and your HVAC system no matter what make it is, as long as it's got a Z-Wave thermostat. Any manufacturer can make a Z-Wave compatible thermostat (they all do pretty much the same thing).

The alarm installer doesn't need to sell thermostats or even know how to connect one. All he needs is an alarm control panel that can talk Z-Wave and he's able to offer security with home automation interface. ADT is making a smart move with this, but there's nothing to keep even small dealers from doing the same thing.

I wouldn't worry too much about over-burdened RF in this area. Notwithstanding the current issue with wireless microphones, the FCC is loathe to take things back once a band has been opened to a particular use. Since the signals on these systems are short-range (something like 100 meters may be the functional limit). Also, If I understand correctly, every device has a unique ID that no device from any manufacturer can copy.

Only time will tell but I expect HA to be a good size slice of the alarm industry pie in a few years.

I'll be waiting for the electricians to try to grab it because it has to do with lighting. The Unions keep trying to push the electricians into all of these technical markets but it never seems to catch hold except in areas like NYC. where they force out the non union companies so the only choice the consumer has for electronic technology installations is a highly paid electrical outlet installer. The electricians just can't seem to figure out why they can't install these types of technologies with a pair of diagonal pliers, a claw hammer or without a fish tape.

I get a real laugh out of some of the "snaking" they do.

I was just in one of my wealthiest customers house. He called me to run some wires from his newly wall mounted TV to his A/V components, in his lush, textured painted walls master bed room. The electrician was there before me to run an AC wire from a molding level wall outlet below, up to behind the TV. There was a fire stop in the wall. Dontcha think he broke a hole in the wall, right where it's visible between the dresser and the TV, and notched out the fire stop. Un frickin believable!

All he had to do was make the outlet hole behind the TV and from there, drill through the fire stop which was about 6 inches below the bottom edge of the TV. OR ... He could have made ANY size hole he needed, so long as it was hidden by the TV. The Mr. wasn't home at the time and his wife just let the electrician alone, figuring he was going to have a fragment of a brain enough to not destroy the very expensive, textured painted wall.

... The Mr. wasn't home at the time and

Amazing some of these guys can think enough to breathe out. The nice oart about getting into Z-Wave is you don't have to touch anything 110 or up. Let the electricians do that. Let the HVAC guys do their thing. All you do is sell panels with byuilt-in Z-wave functionality. If the other guys' stuff has it, you are now offering them Integrated H/A + Security. Joe Blow Alarms down the street is just offering Security. You get the job on features and you gwet to charge a lot more because "it's a Home Automation System," Mrs Client.

If you decide to offer other stuff as add--ons, so much the better, but that's not the only good thing about this. The very fact that your panels are "H/A Ready" becomes a value added feature. "Mrs. Client, even though you don't plan to use the features right now, this system will add value should you decide to sell the house one day." You know the drill.

You have often said that you're pretty much booked up with work so it may not matter to you but a lot of guys, especially small, independent dealers, could use a sales boost, This is just one developing area that I believe will help.