How would I wire a contact sensor like a MIMOlite to my security panel?

Today I have an EnvisaLink 3 IP device hooked up to my Honeywell hardwired system. It does have an API, but I’m not a programmer, and I don’t quite have the skills to integrate that with ST (yet).

What I’m thinking about doing instead is using a MIMOlite’s wired contact sensor and have it indicate open/close of just one zone I’m really interesting in monitoring in ST. What I can’t understand exactly yet is how I’d wire the MIMOlite to the panel so that the open/close sensor trips while not causing problems with the hardwired system and/or causing false or no alarms.

I would assume that I’d just connect in parallel the MIMOlite to the NC and COM terminals of the zone I’m wanting to monitor? For some reason that doesn’t seem right, so I’m hoping someone here can help me think this through. Any help would be sincerely appreciated!

Sounds to me like that would be bridging your current connections. You would probably want to run this in series so It would sense the NC circuit opening.

I agree, and I’ve successfully used a Schlage zwave sensor with the hidden wired contacts inside to trigger ST from a series of window sensors in one of my zones. Problem is that there seems to still be something not right.

The zwave sensor is in series and works with all the other sensors with ST, but then I stop seeing the zone fault on my Honeywell panel. As soon as I remove the Schlage sensor the zone works again.

I just bought a MIMOLite to try, so let’s see how that goes.

Im not sure if the schlage is an opto-isolated input like the MIMO units are. This could be introducing unwanted interference when running in series.

Wiring the normally closed connection on the MIMO in series with the normally closed connection on your honeywell panel should work.

You’re right, and I’m confident that is the issue. I’m glad someone posted back on my question. Thanks!

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Brian (@docwisdom),

Got my MIMOlite yesterday and got a chance to try it out tonight. Unfortunately I got the same results as I did with the Schlage sensor - except on the MIMOlite the GREEN led (LED1) turns on right away. I can’t find any documentation on that led anywhere.

I’m going to double check my work one more time, but I really underestimated something I thought should be pretty straight forward…

I can’t remember exactly, but I think I get different results depending upon if the MIMOlite is on the Hi or Lo terminal in the alarm panel.

On my mimo the green light is lit except when it senses a closure between the two sensor inputs. Then green light then goes out