M1 Alarm Control from C-Touch

I have the Elk M1 set up and working with a c-bus interface and a Color C-Touch here at my desk using the Security Application template in PICED. Perhaps some of you know more details on this system and could answer a couple questions?

1) The C-touch is able to arm the system using the 'Away', 'Night' or 'Arm' buttons, none of which require a password. Even though the Elk control panel is set up to require a password to arm, the touch screen appears to use the access code which is pre-entered in the Ness C-Bus Utility Software, bypassing this step. Once armed, you must enter the password to disarm the system [as expected]. Since our customer requires security keypads located on multiple touch screens around his house (the house is used as a high-end guest-house), there's a real possibility of accidentally arming the system by unknowing guests, children, etc. Aside from the unprotected arming function, I've also seen an issue with erratic feedback on the C-Touch whether the system's in the arming process or not (see below) and it would be extremely easy to inadvertently hit the button and never know it had been armed...until the police show up.

Any suggestions around this (i.e. to require a password to arm the system)? I know I could set up access control on the touch screens, but the customer is requiring a password change on a regular basis for multiple guest/tenants and he wants to be able to do this from a single location (i.e. change his password weekly via the actual M1 keypad, but use multiple C-Touches as control points to arm/disarm). So changing the access code on multiple Clipsal touch screens is out of the question. Is there a way to protect the 'arm' function by forcing the touch screens to emulate the Elk's password-to-arm function? (there are both Color C-touches and Mark IIs in this job)

2) I've also noticed only some of the available Security 'special function' and inbuilt system I/O functions work properly with the Elk. Not a big deal, but I'd really like the Entry and Exit Delay functions to work so the user can see they've armed the system (and need to exit). What I've found is if you accidentally arm the system from the C-Touch, then cancel it by entering the password, the 'Security Exit Delay' I/O stays in the 'armed' mode. (i.e. it thinks you're still in exit delay mode). Is there any way to get this to refresh back to default status if the 'arm away' is canceled?

 

It is going to be very hard to achieve your aim, because if you enter a password into some "single location", there is no easy way for that to then make its way into C-Touch. The best way is to put the arm buttons on a password protected page, as you have suggested.

I have heard from a couple of other people in the past few days that they have had problems using the M1 panel from C-Bus. I haven't tried it myself, but at this stage it looks like a problem with the software in the M1 panel.

 

You could run serial cables between all devices and then program your own comms protocol. That would enable you to do pretty much everything you want to do and it's not really that hard once you get started.

 

Thanks for your reply Darren.

I don't believe the password would need to be stored in the C-Touch. It seems the "single location" password (i.e. set in the M1) works fine for the disarm function from one or multiple touch screens. So obviously there's a function using the C-Touch keypad to simply input the current M1 password - emulating the M1 keypad. On the other hand, the "arm" password is stored in the c-bus interface board, which allows the nifty 'quick arm' from a single c-bus button, but there's no way to require the password be manually entered from the C-Touch to 'arm'.

None of this would be a problem except this is a guest house and requires alarm control from 5 different touch screens spread around the house - Any one of which could accidentally arm the system by an unknowing guest.

Plan B is to have the 'arm' button take you to a confirmation page with an "Are You Sure?" msg. Since the M1 allows multiple users/multiple passwords, the 'arm' password will stay constant - permanently stored in the system. However the owner will still be able to change a second 'disarm' password at will from the M1 keypad.

I'll get in touch with Elk/Ness and see what they say.