My Basic Setup:
- Standard Doorbell -> Elk 930 -> Zen17 -> DSC alarm panel
Smoke Detectors -> BRK RM4 Relay -> Zen17 -> DSC alarm panel
Adding the Zen17 to the mix helped with two issues.
- The Elk 930 only has Normally Open for an output and I didn't want to rewire my whole house. Using that as an input on the Zen17 with a NC output means I can put it back on the DSC alarm panel without seeing an "Open" zone (even though I programmed it as a Zone26 "Automation Zone")
Adding the Zen17 between the RM4 relay and the Alarm panel fixed an issue where whenever I have to reset my panel, I was having issues with clearing out the smoke detector. I would have to disconnect the line, clear the alarm, then physically re-connect the line. Now I can disconnect via zwave by shutting off the relay. Or I can disconnect either from my alarm panel and use the Zen17 as an input sensor only.
Anyway, hopefully this is useful for anyone working on automating a standard doorbell or a wired in smoke detector system.
Note: Currently I have the DSC zones for smoke and doorbell bypassed while I run this thing through its paces and make sure I have all the parameters set right on the Zen17, etc.
Note2: The schematic I put together shows it wired directly to the DSC, but it's actually on 1 of the 2 expansion boards.