7/16/2003

As far as Access Control systems go, I would recommend Viscount's EnterCheck. It has a great configuration program, is very expandable (up to 64 or 128 doors or something like that), and is relatively cheap ($500 for two doors, including two proximity sensors). However, if you're planning to interface this with an alarm system, you're going to run into trouble (as I'll touch on).

While looking into alarm systems, I ran into some trouble getting decent help, seeing that I am not a "licensed installer." This includes obtaining basic documents such as installation manuals (these seem to be in the restricted area of some sites), which I need in order to decide what a system is capable of before I buy. The most trouble came from Ademco, Napco, and GE Interlogix (they manufacture Caddx). Unfortunately, Ademco also seems to make some very nice systems. I finally found all the manuals I needed on their Spanish site, www.ademcoint.com/espanol, and believe it or not, they are all in English! Here are some direct links to some of their directories:

In addition, almost any alarm system manual can be found in this site as well:

These are, of course, all under the Ademco company umbrella (there are several more companies under there as well).

More to come...