On Jan 25, 10:08*am, ss wrote:
any advantage/disadvantage with having a
control box as opposed to a control panel

Control panel & Box integrated...
Clumsy large box will lots of wires leading to it (or one big multi-
core wire). May be limited to 1.2Ah backup battery (not much if a lot
of PIR sensors).

Control panel & Box separate...
Discrete control panel with 1 small wire may be located by a door in
the hallway etc. Box can be located elsewhere, with GSM diallers,
other equipment etc and often permits a 7Ah or larger battery.

Talking of batteries, buy a decent Yuasa 7Ah if you have regular power
cuts. Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries lose capacity over time such
that a generic 1.2Ah can be pretty weak capacity after a couple of
years.