The control panel might be thought of as the “guts” of the home security system. Better yet, it’s the “brains” of the system.
Its housing is usually a steel case, about the size of a child’s lunch pail, is often painted beige or cream, and often has a lock on it, with an accompanying key.
It typically contains the main wiring connections, a computer board, and a back-up battery (automatically rechargeable).
The control panel usually contains what are known as “zones”, so that the panel (and the monitoring company “command center”) can identify what “zone” of your home is causing the alarm to go off, or even where a problem with the system might be located.
For example, the front door might be “Zone 1?, the back door “Zone 2?, the motion sensor “Zone 3?, etc.
If your touch pad has a digital readout, for example, it will actually tell you where a door is open, or if there is some other situation.
The Control Panel is typically mounted in an interior closet, so that it’s not readily accessible to a burglar or Einstein-curious children.
It will usually be somewhat centrally located, as a means of centralizing the wiring set-up. Or in the case of a totally wireless system, a central location keeps the wireless components close to the “mother ship” for good communication.
Without the control panel, you pretty much wouldn’t have a security system at all, unless it was a self-contained wireless system.
