security system prewire

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 Question by Tony Lang posted 26 Nov 2002
 security system prewire
i am building a new home and would like to install my own security system and i am unclear on the basic steps, ie what type of wire to use, do i home run each contact or daisy chain a group of contacts into one zone. and any other basic info you could pass along. thank you.
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 Answer by Dmitri Abaimov posted 02 Dec 2002
Dear Tony,

The best way to approach that would be to choose the system you like feature-wise. Then contact the manufacturer and get their wiring requirements. What happens is the security world is not so much sticking to any particular standard. Most every manufacturer is playing by their own rules. Therefore it might be misleading to propose any particular type of wiring because the manufacturer may insist (and tie their warranty to) on other kind.

Most likely you'll have to home-run cables from the sensors back to control panel. Also, those wires will be most likely AWG22-24, two pairs, unless you want to drive door locks. Then you should use thicker cables as the loads draw much more current.

Sincerely,
Dmitri Abaimov, RCDD

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