I've had my DS7000 installed for a few weeks
and its working very well (at this point).
My system currently has 13 window/door
sensors installed. I've only experienced one
problem so far. I have power run to a closet
and would have liked it if I could have
mounted the unit on the wall of the closet.
(a wall mount is available for an extra $10)
Unfortunately, some sensors just never seemed
to be able to communicate with the console
using that configuration. In fact, I do not
have a very large house and found it
challenging to find a spot in the house where
all door and window sensors would always
register. In the end, I had to place it in a
centrally located room on a shelf (in the
open).
My wife has set it off a few times, but NOT
for lack of 'ease of use'. In the end, I'd
rather it call me -- than someone else when
she mistakenly triggers the alarm.
Using a W800RF32A and Homeseer, I'm able to
register my window/door sensors into a
software based controller. My CM15A was not
very reliable (crashed weekly) so I gave it
up and bought the Smarthome PowerLinc USB X10
Interface instead. Thus, I can now trigger
home automation events based on alarm sensor
activity. Unfortunately, I had to purchase
all new hardware and software to get this
ability because its not supported in any X10
product that I've seen.
Basically, the alarm is a decent product at a
very good price. If you watch the sales, you
can often find the window/door sensors for
$5/$6 each. I believe that many of the
problems reported are due to faulty sensors,
underpowered batteries (rechargeables seem
especially prone to problems), and poor
reception.
Hopefully this helps.
