Overview: The Qolsys Hardwire 16-S

[LOCKING SOUND] Hi, DIY-ers, I'm George from Alarm Grid. Today, we're going to be going with a Qolsys Hardwire 16-S. And this is going to be a wired to wireless converter. So what does it actually do? This will allow you to use wired sensors. You wire a sensor into the terminals. And then this device will convert it into a wireless signal, 319.5 megahertz, to be exact. Now when it converts it into a wireless signal, if you have a wireless alarm system, something like the IQ2, the IQ2 Plus or even an Interlogix system that will receive or that will work with the 319.5 megahertz frequency, then it will actually be able to pick up on your wired sensors since the signals are being transmitted wirelessly. Now in what cases would you use this 16-S? And again, this is an S as in Sam. There is also a 16-F out there, which is actually the replacement for the 16-S. So we have the 16-S as in Sam and the 16-F as in Frank. The 16-F is the one that replaces the 16-S. But there are still some 16-S's out there. So if you're using these, I want to make sure that we're getting you some correct information. So this would normally be used in a house that used to have a wired system setup. So if you used to have a wired system and you're looking at upgrading to a new system like the Qolsys IQ2 Plus or the Qolsys IQ2 or even if you have a Simon Interlogix panel that you're looking at using some wired sensors with, the 16-S is definitely one that you'd be able to use. So the way that it works is this usually goes mounted right next to the actual beige metal container that has the wired system in it. You're going to grab the wired sensors, if there are existing ones. And you're just going to land them into the zone terminals on your 16-S. Now the 16-S, right above and right underneath the zone terminals on the actual green circuit board, it will actually show you what zone those two terminals work for. So it'll actually go from zone 1 all the way to zone 8. And then it'll go from zone 6 all the way to zones-- I'm sorry-- zone 9 all the way to zone 16. I'm sorry. Yeah. I was reading that wrong. So zone 1, zone 8. We have zone 9, zone 16. So this 16-S will actually only work for doors, windows, motions, glass breaks. It will not work for life safety sensors such as smoke detectors or CL detectors. So you want to make sure when you're using this device, the 16-S, you're using it only to convert burglar devices, doors, windows, motions, glass breaks, and things like that. It will actually even work with a hardwired siren. It does have a 500 milliamp output. So if you are using wired devices and a wired siren, you want to make sure you're doing the power calculations so you see how much each device draws. And then you would have to make sure that it doesn't overdraw from the 500 milliamps, because then you could short-circuit something. Getting into what I was saying a little bit earlier about the actual, this 16-S being replaced by the 16-F, the main difference between both of these two devices is just that the 16-F will work with the smoke detectors, two-wire smoke detectors, to be exact. And we'll actually get into that in another video. So one other thing, I mentioned that the 16-S, it works with 319.5 megahertz. What that means is, yes, you can use any Interlogix or Qolsys alarm system. But the 16-S also does the rolling encryption. Now this rolling encryption is a specific encryption that Qolsys uses for their IQ2s, their IQ2 Plus systems. They actually have S-line sensors. This converter, the 16-S, converts the wired sensors into the 319.5. And if you're using the correct system, it will also use the rolling code encryption. So if I have an IQ2 or an IQ2 Plus, it will actually work with the S-line rolling encryption. Now this, remember what I was saying, it's a 16, that's how you can tell how many zones it can hold. It does 16. If you guys have less than 8, there's also a hardwire 8 or an 8-S that you can use. Again, it's no longer sold. The only one that Qolsys sells now is a 16-F. But if you manage to get your hands on one or if you can find one, if you have less than 8 wired sensors, doors, windows, or motions, you can also look at getting the hardwire 8, all right? That would definitely be another good option as well as the 16-S. But, yeah. This is pretty much what the 16-S will do for you and wired sensors. If you guys have any questions about setting it up, if you guys have any questions about monitoring your Qolsys alarm system, please feel free to give us a call at 888-818-7728. Also feel free to send us a quick email to support@alarmgrid.com. If you found the video helpful, go ahead and hit the Like button underneath. Subscribe to the YouTube channel, and hit the little Bell icon so you enable notifications. That way, when we upload new videos, you all get notified. I'm George. And I'll see you guys next time.