Testing a multi-functional security system with universal sensors and GSM notification
To test, I got a set of " Security Guard " from the company Dadzhet . This is a security system that collects critical information from sensors placed around the apartment (or house) and sends the collected data to your phone number (or several numbers). Also declared the ability to control the alarm via SMS.
So, after the courier delivered the box to me, I saw the following:
A neatly packaged kit consists of:
- system control unit with stand
- four sensors
- four magnets
- power supply
- instructions
- stickers for sensors
- Velcro Velcro for mounting sensors
')
The sensors are universal, each of them can collect all the data, namely:
- leakage data (closure of external metal contacts)
- opening of doors / windows (using an external magnet; there is a mark on the sensor where the magnet should fall)
- temperature (fire, or vice versa - the window is open in winter, heating is turned off, etc.)
In addition, the base is powered from the network, and is equipped with a battery in case of power failure, therefore it can report changes in the power supply - the electricity was gone / there was back. The declared operating time without electricity is 36 hours.
The sensors operate on round CR2450 batteries, the declared life on one battery is one year at room temperature. The sensor can be used as a street thermometer, but then the battery will serve less. A film is laid between the battery and the contacts.
Build quality is satisfactory. Some of the gaps are not very smooth and the control unit does not look like a high-quality product of a large company. But this is not cheap Chinese consumer goods. Frontal view of the control panel does not cause complaints.
We proceed to the inclusion. As I mentioned, notifications come via SMS, which means that there is a GSM module in the device. We insert a SIM card specially purchased for this case, then a battery, and proceed with the configuration.
I will not describe the setting in detail, everything went according to the instructions. In general, the forethought of both the device menu and the physical components of the set is felt. As usual, the thing is in the details. For the control unit there is a stand, and it can also be hung on the wall. The plug of the power cable is made l-shaped and can be turned both back (for the standing version) and down (for the wall). For mounting the sensors on the walls and the floor, there is a tape that is sticky on one side and a Velcro fastener on the other; thus, after placing the sensor, it can be repeatedly removed from the site and put back (for replacing the battery, for example). For sensors, there are stickers with the ready names “kitchen”, “bathroom”, etc. All these little things make a good impression.
Sensors are the same, universal. Simply choose where we need to place them, label them with stickers and register in the control unit in the correct order. Tracking unnecessary functions (for example, the door opening sensor is unlikely to track leaks) can be disabled in the control unit menu.
I logically placed one sensor on the front door (for this I reinforced a return magnet on the door frame), one - under the bathroom, one - under the sink in the kitchen, and one just left in the kitchen to monitor the temperature in case of fires. The control unit itself installed in the hallway. The signal is well received. In my house there are very thick reinforced concrete walls with marble chips, which greatly dampen the signals. Of the four sensors, the signal from the kitchen sensor is worst of all - there are two main walls in its path and the base shows the signal level of 1 out of 3. After running around the apartment with one of the sensors, I could not find a place from which the signal would not pass to the base.
In the base menu, you can change the names of the sensors, so that when you trigger, you receive SMS with meaningful text - not “sensor 3”, but “bathroom”, etc.
I started experimenting with the door opening sensor and different security modes. At first it turned out that when disarming, an SMS with the text about the activation of the sensor to open the door still comes. And if you turn off the tracking sensor door opening, then the protection does not work. But then I saw in the instruction a mention of the possibility to update the firmware, I found it on the manufacturer’s website, downloaded the latest one - and a miracle happened: the extra SMS no longer comes. The firmware is updated through the micro-usb connector in the control unit. Unfortunately, the site has only one, the latest firmware, and there is no possibility, just in case, to download the firmware from the device for possible rollback in case of problems. However, the support promises to send previous firmware to the mail upon request. At the same time, the new firmware includes support for new sensors, namely, gas, smoke and motion sensors.
After updating the firmware, the security has earned as it should. If the system is “armed” before leaving, then after opening the door, it is necessary to enter a password using the panel (no security remote control). Passwords consist of a sequence of navigation key presses - “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”. In case the password is not entered in time, an alarm message (SMS) is sent to the phones specified in the database (there may be several). In addition, you can enable the ability to call the main saved phone to draw attention to the message. I turned it on - you will not always hear the received SMS, the call is more difficult to miss.
In the base menu there is a list of sensors, and there you can also see the temperature that each of them gives, and the remaining battery capacity. By the way, all the batteries from the new set had a capacity from 60% to 80%.
Then I ran to the kitchen, to test the fire sensor. I thrust the sensor into the convection oven and warmed it for a couple of minutes. The sensor warmed above the set temperature, and the base sent me an SMS (temperature limits are set in the menu, by default it is from 0 to 40 degrees). I want to note that the temperature sensor works slowly, "felt" it was heating only after 2 minutes.
Having looked at the information on all sensors in the list, I was surprised to see that one of them stubbornly gives out a temperature of 5 degrees. Since the sensors are universal and customizable, they also have “brains” and a reset button. After resetting and reconnecting to the base, the sensor began to issue the correct temperature.
Then I tested leak detection. Pour water into the plate, lower the sensor ... And a minute later a signal comes. The instructions indicate that the delay is built in order to prevent accidental triggering from splashing, cleaning floors, and so on. Contacts that monitor the presence of water, and closes it, are located on the bottom plane of the sensor. Unfortunately, the entire sensor is not waterproof. If the water layer is 2-3 millimeters, it will not suffer, if more - the sensor should float. Although, for the ingress of water inside the possibility remains. But it can be easily disassembled for drying (the case is held on latches), and it will work if it was possible to dry it quickly and avoid corrosion. For the same reason, if you use the sensor in the role of a street thermometer, it is recommended to hermetically pack it in a bag.
What is inside the base itself:
Pleased with the presence of non-volatile memory. After disassembling and assembling information about the sensors and the entered mobile numbers are preserved, despite the fact that I took out the battery.
Also, the basic functions of the database can be controlled via SMS from the phone (if the number is not registered on the base, then it can be controlled using the specified password). You can set and disarm, receive a report on the system status and account balance on the SIM card and control access by changing and adding phones.
In general, the device has caused me positive emotions, and I'm going to use it on an ongoing basis. For a small apartment, there are just enough four sensors (the fourth one can be put on the balcony door if there is a danger of thieves entering). If necessary, you can purchase and connect four more sensors, the base supports them up to 8 pieces. This amount is enough for a small cottage. Of course, if you equip a country house with an alarm system and put sensors on each window and at each water source, this number of sensors may not be enough. The cost of the device (11000 p. At the end of December) is comparable to the cost of similar systems.
Pros:
- tidy enough assembly
- good instruction
- sufficient for the average apartment the number of sensors included
- intuitive interface
- thought-out elements of the system
- non-volatile memory for settings
- battery on base
- a wide range of data that can be collected on the condition of the house
Minuses:
- short power supply cord
- one of the sensors was buggy with temperature, I had to restart
- sensors subject to ingress of water
- for a large country house a maximum of 8 sensors may not be enough
- own closed protocol of communication of sensors with the base
- slow response to temperature change
- no remote control (in the conditions of the apartment is not critical)
Security guard
So, after the courier delivered the box to me, I saw the following:
A neatly packaged kit consists of:
- system control unit with stand
- four sensors
- four magnets
- power supply
- instructions
- stickers for sensors
- Velcro Velcro for mounting sensors
')
The sensors are universal, each of them can collect all the data, namely:
- leakage data (closure of external metal contacts)
- opening of doors / windows (using an external magnet; there is a mark on the sensor where the magnet should fall)
- temperature (fire, or vice versa - the window is open in winter, heating is turned off, etc.)
In addition, the base is powered from the network, and is equipped with a battery in case of power failure, therefore it can report changes in the power supply - the electricity was gone / there was back. The declared operating time without electricity is 36 hours.
The sensors operate on round CR2450 batteries, the declared life on one battery is one year at room temperature. The sensor can be used as a street thermometer, but then the battery will serve less. A film is laid between the battery and the contacts.
Build quality is satisfactory. Some of the gaps are not very smooth and the control unit does not look like a high-quality product of a large company. But this is not cheap Chinese consumer goods. Frontal view of the control panel does not cause complaints.
We proceed to the inclusion. As I mentioned, notifications come via SMS, which means that there is a GSM module in the device. We insert a SIM card specially purchased for this case, then a battery, and proceed with the configuration.
I will not describe the setting in detail, everything went according to the instructions. In general, the forethought of both the device menu and the physical components of the set is felt. As usual, the thing is in the details. For the control unit there is a stand, and it can also be hung on the wall. The plug of the power cable is made l-shaped and can be turned both back (for the standing version) and down (for the wall). For mounting the sensors on the walls and the floor, there is a tape that is sticky on one side and a Velcro fastener on the other; thus, after placing the sensor, it can be repeatedly removed from the site and put back (for replacing the battery, for example). For sensors, there are stickers with the ready names “kitchen”, “bathroom”, etc. All these little things make a good impression.
Sensors are the same, universal. Simply choose where we need to place them, label them with stickers and register in the control unit in the correct order. Tracking unnecessary functions (for example, the door opening sensor is unlikely to track leaks) can be disabled in the control unit menu.
I logically placed one sensor on the front door (for this I reinforced a return magnet on the door frame), one - under the bathroom, one - under the sink in the kitchen, and one just left in the kitchen to monitor the temperature in case of fires. The control unit itself installed in the hallway. The signal is well received. In my house there are very thick reinforced concrete walls with marble chips, which greatly dampen the signals. Of the four sensors, the signal from the kitchen sensor is worst of all - there are two main walls in its path and the base shows the signal level of 1 out of 3. After running around the apartment with one of the sensors, I could not find a place from which the signal would not pass to the base.
In the base menu, you can change the names of the sensors, so that when you trigger, you receive SMS with meaningful text - not “sensor 3”, but “bathroom”, etc.
Testing
I started experimenting with the door opening sensor and different security modes. At first it turned out that when disarming, an SMS with the text about the activation of the sensor to open the door still comes. And if you turn off the tracking sensor door opening, then the protection does not work. But then I saw in the instruction a mention of the possibility to update the firmware, I found it on the manufacturer’s website, downloaded the latest one - and a miracle happened: the extra SMS no longer comes. The firmware is updated through the micro-usb connector in the control unit. Unfortunately, the site has only one, the latest firmware, and there is no possibility, just in case, to download the firmware from the device for possible rollback in case of problems. However, the support promises to send previous firmware to the mail upon request. At the same time, the new firmware includes support for new sensors, namely, gas, smoke and motion sensors.
After updating the firmware, the security has earned as it should. If the system is “armed” before leaving, then after opening the door, it is necessary to enter a password using the panel (no security remote control). Passwords consist of a sequence of navigation key presses - “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”. In case the password is not entered in time, an alarm message (SMS) is sent to the phones specified in the database (there may be several). In addition, you can enable the ability to call the main saved phone to draw attention to the message. I turned it on - you will not always hear the received SMS, the call is more difficult to miss.
In the base menu there is a list of sensors, and there you can also see the temperature that each of them gives, and the remaining battery capacity. By the way, all the batteries from the new set had a capacity from 60% to 80%.
Then I ran to the kitchen, to test the fire sensor. I thrust the sensor into the convection oven and warmed it for a couple of minutes. The sensor warmed above the set temperature, and the base sent me an SMS (temperature limits are set in the menu, by default it is from 0 to 40 degrees). I want to note that the temperature sensor works slowly, "felt" it was heating only after 2 minutes.
Having looked at the information on all sensors in the list, I was surprised to see that one of them stubbornly gives out a temperature of 5 degrees. Since the sensors are universal and customizable, they also have “brains” and a reset button. After resetting and reconnecting to the base, the sensor began to issue the correct temperature.
Then I tested leak detection. Pour water into the plate, lower the sensor ... And a minute later a signal comes. The instructions indicate that the delay is built in order to prevent accidental triggering from splashing, cleaning floors, and so on. Contacts that monitor the presence of water, and closes it, are located on the bottom plane of the sensor. Unfortunately, the entire sensor is not waterproof. If the water layer is 2-3 millimeters, it will not suffer, if more - the sensor should float. Although, for the ingress of water inside the possibility remains. But it can be easily disassembled for drying (the case is held on latches), and it will work if it was possible to dry it quickly and avoid corrosion. For the same reason, if you use the sensor in the role of a street thermometer, it is recommended to hermetically pack it in a bag.
What is inside the base itself:
Pleased with the presence of non-volatile memory. After disassembling and assembling information about the sensors and the entered mobile numbers are preserved, despite the fact that I took out the battery.
Also, the basic functions of the database can be controlled via SMS from the phone (if the number is not registered on the base, then it can be controlled using the specified password). You can set and disarm, receive a report on the system status and account balance on the SIM card and control access by changing and adding phones.
Results
In general, the device has caused me positive emotions, and I'm going to use it on an ongoing basis. For a small apartment, there are just enough four sensors (the fourth one can be put on the balcony door if there is a danger of thieves entering). If necessary, you can purchase and connect four more sensors, the base supports them up to 8 pieces. This amount is enough for a small cottage. Of course, if you equip a country house with an alarm system and put sensors on each window and at each water source, this number of sensors may not be enough. The cost of the device (11000 p. At the end of December) is comparable to the cost of similar systems.
Pros:
- tidy enough assembly
- good instruction
- sufficient for the average apartment the number of sensors included
- intuitive interface
- thought-out elements of the system
- non-volatile memory for settings
- battery on base
- a wide range of data that can be collected on the condition of the house
Minuses:
- short power supply cord
- one of the sensors was buggy with temperature, I had to restart
- sensors subject to ingress of water
- for a large country house a maximum of 8 sensors may not be enough
- own closed protocol of communication of sensors with the base
- slow response to temperature change
- no remote control (in the conditions of the apartment is not critical)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/376129/
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