IR WIKI

Wiring and Installation Best Practices

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Wiring and Installation Best Practices

Overview

Adhering to standardized wiring and installation practices ensures system longevity, reliability, and ease of maintenance.

Technical Details

Equipment Location

  • Indoors: All control equipment must be installed indoors within the alarmed area.
  • Environment: Typically 0°C to 49°C, 15% to 85% humidity.
  • External Walls: Avoid mounting enclosures on the inside of external walls to prevent tampering from outside. If unavoidable, use vibration sensors.

Power Supply Selection

When calculating the required power supply capacity, consider:

  1. Controller/Module idle current.
  2. Battery recharge current (reserve at least 700mA).
  3. UniBus boards and LAN modules.
  4. Credential readers (SIFER, Wiegand, etc.).
  5. Locks and Warning devices (Sirens, Strobes).

Cable Selection

  • RS485 LAN: Use Shielded Twin Twisted-pair (e.g., Belden 8723) or Cat5e/6 UTP.
  • Wiegand Readers: Use Shielded Multi-core Data Cable. Do not use twisted pairs for Wiegand data (D0/D1).
  • Power: Use heavy-duty Figure 8 cable (24/0.20) for long runs to minimize voltage drop.

SIFER Cabling Alternatives

When reusing existing cabling for SIFER readers:

  • Security Cable (Non-twisted): Max 300m distance per reader, 400m total per port.
  • Shielded Data Cable (Non-twisted): 4-core minimum (e.g., RS232 cable). 24AWG minimum.
  • UTP (Cat5/6): Wire cores are single strand; use RJ45 adapters or joiners with stranded patch leads to avoid terminal damage.
  • Shielding: If using shielded cable, connect to ground at the host module end only. Do not connect at the reader end.
  • Voltage Stability: If card reads are unreliable or voltage dips slightly below 11V, fit an electrolytic capacitor (1000uF - 6800uF, 16V) across V+/0V at the reader.
  • Current Reduction: Reducing the Reader LED brightness settings can lower current draw and minimize voltage drop on long cable runs.
  • Post-Installation Check: Use a multimeter to verify DC voltage at the reader meets the specification in the installation manual.
  • Long-Run Solutions: If the distance exceeds recommendations, use one of: (a) spare conductors as extra V+/0V pairs, (b) a local battery-backed power supply at the reader, or (c) an additional heavy-duty figure 8 cable (18-20AWG) alongside the data cable.

Configuration / Programming

  • Voltage Drop: Ensure terminal voltage at any device does not fall below 11V DC when running on battery.
  • Tamper Monitoring: Every enclosure must have a tamper switch connected to a “TAMP/0V” input or a Zone input with EOL resistors.

Troubleshooting

  • Power Issues: Check battery health and recharge times using the management software.
  • Interference: Keep LAN cables away from mains power cables.

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