General Wired Security Systems and Accessory Questions

Question: Where can I find manuals for my alarm system?

Answer: All on-line security manuals are listed on the Index to Home Alarms page.

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Question: What steps do you recommend for troubleshooting wired alarm systems?

Answer: We have a document available on-line specifically for this. You can access it by clicking on Troubleshooting Alarm Systems.

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Question: What is Grade A Service?

Answer: Grade A Service is a connection standard designed to allow constant monitoring of the zones. It involves hooking a NO (normally open) sensor in series with a NC (normally closed) loop, and installing a 2.2k ohm resistor at the mid point of the loop. The diagram below illustrates this. Clicking on the diagram will bring up a larger image sized for printing on 8½ x 11" paper, landscape mode.

We suggest the 2.2k ohm resistor be placed after the last switch in the loop. That way if the wire is cut anywhere on that loop, the alarm will sound. Wiring a series of NC switches in series with a 2.2k ohm resistor, and connecting the wire to the NO and Common terminals (instead of NC and Common) also creates a Grade A: Service installation.

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Question: Will normally-closed or normally-open loops work better in cold conditions?

Answer: Cold temperature will cause some shrinkage, depending on the gap. Normally-open should be fine as long as the unit is used with the temperature range 32 -104 degrees Fahrenheit. The system is is UL rated for this range; we do not support its use outside these temperatures.

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Question: What accessories are available for the wired control centers?

Answer: Our range of wired accessories is available on-line under the Home Security section of our on-line catalog.

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Question: Does RadioShack carry any device that can sense water damage?

Answer: Not at this time.

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Question: What smoke detector do you sell for your alarm systems?

Answer: We regret we do not carry a smoke detector at this time. We did carry a smoke detector under part number 490-0481, but this was discontinued some time ago and is no longer available.

However, any 4-wire, 12-volt smoke detector designed for use with alarm systems should work with our wired alarm systems. While we cannot recommend a specific vendor, you may locate a smoke detector via your local yellow pages (under Security) or by searching the Internet.

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Question: Can NO and NC sensors be used on the same zone? How do I wire them?

Answer: Yes. Multiple NO and NC on the same zone

The diagram at right shows both NO and NC sensors on the same zone. Note that zones 1 and 2 have a common ground. When connecting both NO and NC, be sure to wire NO contacts in parallel and NC contacts in series.

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Question: What is an End-of-Line (EOL) module used for?

Answer: It is used to indicate the end of the signal line when you are connecting multiple smoke detectors.

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