Archive for category Security
Elk hosts webinar to introduce ElkRP2 security panel programming software
Posted by Dave in Announcements, Programming, Security, Software on January 6, 2010
For those familiar with the installation of a Elk M1 security panel, you have surely used ElkRP to set up both basic and advanced features. The software is much faster than doing it the old fashioned way of programming through the keypad. Well it appears Elk is making the program even better with the introduction of ElkRP2. The latest version available only to dealers is the first release candidate, but Elk warns it should only be used for evaluation purposes. The webinar will cover installation and use of RP2, generic control of Russound, Nuvo, and Proficient distributed audio systems, and finally methods to have both RP and RP2 coexist on the same machine. Two sessions will be held on January 22. The first is 9:00am – 10:00 and an afternoon class from 4:00-5:00. Keep in mind this webinar is only for dealers and space is limited so be sure to sign up early. Click below for the 4:00-5:00 class registration.
First Things First!
Before I get things started, I thought I’d take time to introduce you to my own personal system. Eventually I will add some pics, but for now you’ll all have to use your imaginations. Currently I have everything centralized to an equipment “Closet” in our media room that holds two Middle Atlantic 43 space Slim 5 racks. Although they are far from full, they are getting there. The heart of my system is MainLobby by Cinemar. It has been the lifeblood of my my home since about 2003 and I couldn’t imagine not having it. The house currently has 10 zones of audio, four surround sound systems including a dedicated home theater with a 96″ screen. Everything is piped through a Neothings matrix switch. Windows 7 Media Center is the center of my audio/video distribution and is handled by a combination of Linksys dma2100s and Microsoft Xbox 360s. I still have a Toshiba HDA2 HD-DVD (I know, I know, obsolete) and a Sony DBP-350 blu ray. A Wii is pumped through the matrix swtich, and through use of several wireless sensor bars, you can play a game in almost any room of the house. I am relying on Z-Wave for lighting now as my other ventures have failed (ok, I really only tried UPB). I have a mixture of handheld remotes, samsung q1 umpcs, and 12″ inwall touch screens. An elk system acts as the watchdog of the house, and also monitors two HAI thermostats. Finally, as of this week I have purchased two Crestron Pro processors that I hope to migrate my system over to. I plan to still heavily rely on MainLobby for graphics and the frontend, but I will have the crestron do the heavy lifting (more to come on this topic!). Well that about sums up my starting point, and hopefully gives all of you a baseline for all of my posts. Trust me, this site is not going to be all about me, but I thought it would be best to let you know where I’m coming from.