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[pconfer]

We recently had an Ademo wired home security system installed.

When an x-10 light switch set to B4 is turned on it usually, not always, triggers an audible alarm.  The security systems reports that a code 95 has been triggered which is the ademco code for the audible, panic alarm.  The security monitoring company gets notified and the siren goes off.

This also happens when the houseocde B all lights on command is triggered from a wired x-10 controller.

Has anyone experienced this?  Does anyone have any suggestions as to why this is happening?

This happens even when the alarm system has not been alarmed.

The first time it happened was at 3:00 in the morning when my wife accidently hit the houseocde B all lights on button on bedside x-10 controller.  The very loud siren went off.

It has since happened 10 times since the alarm system was installed 3 weeks ago.

I am ata loss when as to why it is happening.  It seems to happen about 90% of the time code B4 is turned on.  Other than this the x10 and ademco are working fine.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[steven r]

I wouldn't jump at placing blame on X10. Is it only on HC "B"?  I'd ask whoever installed the alarm if they had ever heard of anything like that false triggering their alarm. I'm not familiar with the Ademo system but a filter on the alarm's power supply might help. I bet the alarm company solves the mystery before X10 does.

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

If your alarm system uses any wireless devices (wireless door / window sensors, wireless motion detectors, wireless keypad or keychain remote) and you have an X10 wireless tranceiver (including the CM15A), it is very probable that some of the X10 radio signals are being misinterpreted by the wireless receiver on the alarm system as signals from a wireless Panic Button.  If it only happens with X10 signals on house-code B, I would suggest changing the house-code of all of your house-code B X10 units (including wireless controllers and programmed timers and macros) to a different house-code.

[steven r]

If your alarm system uses any wireless devices (wireless door / window sensors, wireless motion detectors, wireless keypad or keychain remote)...

With your alarm experience, you're in a much better position than the rest of us to offer advice to pconfer. I have to ask, however, have you ever heard of an X10 system interfering with an alarm system prior to possibly now?

Hmm.. When he said he had a wired system, I didn't think about a possible wireless keypad. Also he mentioned that it was triggered from a bedside X10 controller. How could a wired system be triggered from an X10 line signal. Does the Ademo wired home security system he has use any form of power line signals like X10? Do any common alarm systems use any form power line signals?

It will be interesting to see if changing the HC makes a difference.

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

I haven't heard of any X10 powerline signals interfering, however many alarm systems that use wireless communications use the same frequency range as X10's wireless signals.  If he has some form of X10 wireless control or transceiver, that could put out an RF signal that the wireless receiver on his alarm system could confuse with a wireless panic button signal.  Even with a wired X10 controller I think the CM15A broadcasts the command on RF if it is on a tranceived house-code.

My company actually has a customer that was complaining about a trouble showing up on his alarm panel that basically said it thought someone was trying to jam the RF communications.  It turned out that it was "hearing" the keychain remote that his housekeeper used to arm / disarm her car alarm!

[Charles Sullivan]

pconfer:
Maybe your installer charged you for an Ademco system but just installed an X-10 security system in an Ademco box?  :-)

If false alarms result from X10 powerline signals, it would seem the your installer needs to add some type of powerline filter to the Ademco box.

The typical Ademco RF signals are transmitted at a frequency not too different from X-10's 310 MHz, but still, my understanding is that most reputable wireless security system RF hardware works with strongly encoded signals.

[pconfer]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.  The Ademco installer is coming this week to look at the situation.

1.  I will change the Housecode on the suspected switch and controller from B to D.

2. I do have Wireless X-10 transcievers on HC A, B and C but so far the problem has occured only when using the wired controller. The alarm system has no wireless components installed. 

3. I will suggest a powerline filter on the security system, that seems that a good idea.

I will post my results later in the week.

[steven r]

...so far the problem has occurred only when using the wired controller. The alarm system has no wireless components installed. 
...I will post my results later in the week.

I'd be curious if all wired controllers trigger the alarm. Also what happens when you change the HC of the controller?

Another thought is that the controller may not be directly triggering the alarm. Does the wired controller's "All ON" constantly trigger the alarm or only specific times? The "All ON" might be turning on something(s) that is(are) interfering with the alarm. Are any of your controlled X10 items things like fans, florescent lights or motors? Does the alarm only get triggered when motion detectors are active?

Humorous but possible Rube Goldberg alarm triggers...
Wife hears sound at 3:00 am and hits the "All Lights ON" button

• Cat jumps in surprise to the light...
• Dog, sleeping in kitchen, barks at the coffee pot that comes on...
• Fan comes on and blow kids term paper of the table...

                               ...and the motion sensor is triggered setting off the alarm.

Anyway that's my humor for the day. (I'll stop now before I start with puns.)

Do let us know what the real solution turns out to be.

[pconfer]

After some additional false alarms with the Ademco security systems it seems that x-10 is NOT the culprit.

We have had numerous (10+) false alarms in the past 24 hours so we disabled/unplugged the security system.

There must be a problem with the electrical wiring in general that is triggering the alarm.

We plugged in a vacumn cleaner and that triggered an alarm.  I bought a new computer and in the process of plugging it in and turning it on it triggerd 5 alarms in 15 minutes.  The ademco installer ordered a power line filter and will install it next week.

My thought is that turning on some lights or anything that is plugged in may be causing a slight overall power drop which is triggering the alarm.  The x-10 controller would do that when it turned on some lights.  The security installer says that he has never seen that before.  Our house is 1 year old.  It is possible that the security console is faulty or that it is just very sensitive to the power lines in my house.

I will let everyone know if the poser line filter works.

[steven r]

...We have had numerous (10+) false alarms in the past 24 hours...

Your neighbors must love you.
Where does your alarm say the problem is? Is it giving a tripped zone?

...Our house is 1 year old.  It is possible that the security console is faulty...

Unless console is faulty and even if it is, it's unlikely that any slight voltage drop would make any difference. What happens when the air conditioner comes on? The alarm may get it's power from 120AC but it's stepped down and rectified to a much lower DC current to run the alarm.

[pconfer]

...We have had numerous (10+) false alarms in the past 24 hours...

Your neighbors must love you.
Where does your alarm say the problem is? Is it giving a tripped zone?

I disabled the alarm after 3 false alarms.  We were home at the time so we were able to disable it quickly.  The police and firemen only showed up the first time at 3:30 am.

The Alarm reports either a fire alarm or code 95 which is the audible panic alarm.  No zones for either of them.

...Our house is 1 year old. It is possible that the security console is faulty...

Unless console is faulty and even if it is, it's unlikely that any slight voltage drop would make any difference. What happens when the air conditioner comes on? The alarm may get it's power from 120AC but it's stepped down and rectified to a much lower DC current to run the alarm.

The AC does not seem to affect the alarm.  When the AC does come on the lights in the house usually dim for an instant. 

With the numerous thunderstorms we have had recently there are often times when we will lose power briefly less than a minute.  One time the power outage seemed to cause a false alarm but that was one out of 10 times.

We use X-10 daily for many things but the false alarms seemed to be caused primaily by a light and the new computer I set up in my office.  The only other time we got a false Alarm when when we used the vacumn in the bedroom that has a remote alarm keypad.

Currently the alarms system is totally disabled, no power and no battery and we will see what the AC power line filter does.

 I wonder if this situation is uncovering a possible AC/wiring issue in the house?

 I am glad that x-10 is not the cause of this issue.

The Ademco installed did mention they had problems with a number of faulty keypads but it was fixed a year ago and it was not the same issue. 

[steven r]

...I wonder if this situation is uncovering a possible AC/wiring issue in the house?...

I'm betting it turns out to be a defect in the alarm system and not your AC wiring.

[steven r]

...The security systems reports that a code 95 has been triggered which is the ademco code for the audible, panic alarm....

Pardon my ignorance but what is defined as an "audible, panic alarm"? What condition legitimately triggers that code.

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

...The security systems reports that a code 95 has been triggered which is the ademco code for the audible, panic alarm....

Pardon my ignorance but what is defined as an "audible, panic alarm"? What condition legitimately triggers that code.

Typically an "audible, panic alarm" is triggered either by a button connected to a zone input that has been programmed to be active 24 hours a day, send a code to the monitoring station and set off the siren, or by a built in button or key sequence activated at the alarm keypad.

[steven r]

Typically an "audible, panic alarm" is triggered either by a button connected to a zone input that has been programmed to be active 24 hours a day, send a code to the monitoring station and set off the siren, or by a built in button or key sequence activated at the alarm keypad.

Thanks. I'm familiar with that. I had never heard it called "audible, panic alarm". If he had just said "panic alarm", I would of been clear.