Keypad height

[[email protected]]

What is the standard keypad height for mounting an LCD Ademco Vista
keypad. I'm 6 foot tall.

 

[[email protected]]

What is the standard keypad height for mounting an LCD Ademco Vista
keypad. I'm 6 foot tall.

Install it at about eye level of the shortest user.

 

[Frank Olson]

Install it at about eye level of the shortest user.

In the interests of "family harmony", change that to "eye level of the
wife"...

 

[Crash Gordon]

I put them at my nose height...it's a standard universal height for
us...RNHFFF (rob's nose height from finished floor)

There's a couple of nutjobs out here that install them at switch
height...totally absurd.



| What is the standard keypad height for mounting an LCD Ademco Vista
| keypad. I'm 6 foot tall.
|

 

[[email protected]]

In the interests of "family harmony", change that to "eye level of the
wife"...

Well I hope she's not that much taller than him.

 

[Robert L Bass]

What is the standard keypad height for

mounting an LCD Ademco Vista keypad.
I'm 6 foot tall.

Most LCD keypads are designed to be
easiest to read while looking down from
above the unit. I always preferred to install
them a few inches above the light switch
next to the door from the garage, the front
door (when appropriate) and the master
bedroom door.

Side note: As long as the keypad cable
doesn't run close and parallel to the electric
wiring for more than a few feet it's not a
problem. On prewires I would pull the
cable up from the basement or down from
the attic in the next stud bay over from
where the lighting cables run. I'd drill
through the stud at keypad height and
bring the wire over, leaving about 18" of
slack for a "service loop" in the wall in
case I needed to move the keypad in the
future.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Crash Gordon]

only if you have little people for clients...thats waaaayyyy too low.
especially if you have to program from the keypad...you'd be on your knees
for an hour with a Napco.


|> What is the standard keypad height for
| > mounting an LCD Ademco Vista keypad.
| > I'm 6 foot tall.
|
| Most LCD keypads are designed to be
| easiest to read while looking down from
| above the unit. I always preferred to install
| them a few inches above the light switch
| next to the door from the garage, the front
| door (when appropriate) and the master
| bedroom door.
|
| Side note: As long as the keypad cable
| doesn't run close and parallel to the electric
| wiring for more than a few feet it's not a
| problem. On prewires I would pull the
| cable up from the basement or down from
| the attic in the next stud bay over from
| where the lighting cables run. I'd drill
| through the stud at keypad height and
| bring the wire over, leaving about 18" of
| slack for a "service loop" in the wall in
| case I needed to move the keypad in the
| future.
|
| --
|
| Regards,
| Robert L Bass
|
| =============================>
| Bass Home Electronics
| 941-925-8650
| 4883 Fallcrest Circle
| Sarasota · Florida · 34233
| http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
| =============================>
|

 

[Robert L Bass]

Take another look at a typical light switch.
Mine are 38" from the floor to the top of
the switch plates. With the bottom of the
keypad 8 to 10" above that, the LCD
display will be roughly 50 to 52" above
the floor. The average American woman
is about 5'4" tall. That's 64". If her eyes
are 4" below the top of her head that
puts them at 60", or 8" to 10" above the
display. Standing a foot or so back she's
at a perfect angle to read the display and
the keypad is at a perfect height to use it
without raising her arm at the shoulder.
Watch women use a keypad for a while
and you'll see what I mean.

I've experimented with this quite a bit and
found that's the height most women prefer.
If the lady of the house is taller or shorter
than average I adjust the height accordingly.
[Note: Perhaps I should say I *used to*
since the usual suspects are sure to make
an issue of the fact that I quit installing a
few years ago]

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Jim]

What is the standard keypad height for mounting an LCD Ademco Vista
keypad. I'm 6 foot tall.

There isn't any "standard" height.

You install it at the height that best accommodates the users, at the
time of installation.

Consider the age of the users too. Anyone in the family who has
bifocal glasses may have a hard time trying to read a keypad that's
mounted at a "normal" height for others in the family. It's easier for
the tall person to bend down a little than expect the person with
bifocals to stand on tippy toes with head tilted back, to read the
keypad.

 

[Crash Gordon]

yes, but you said; "a few inches" - to me a few inches is 3...which would
still be at around 41".


| Take another look at a typical light switch.
| Mine are 38" from the floor to the top of
| the switch plates. With the bottom of the
| keypad 8 to 10" above that, the LCD
| display will be roughly 50 to 52" above
| the floor. The average American woman
| is about 5'4" tall. That's 64". If her eyes
| are 4" below the top of her head that
| puts them at 60", or 8" to 10" above the
| display. Standing a foot or so back she's
| at a perfect angle to read the display and
| the keypad is at a perfect height to use it
| without raising her arm at the shoulder.
| Watch women use a keypad for a while
| and you'll see what I mean.
|
| I've experimented with this quite a bit and
| found that's the height most women prefer.
| If the lady of the house is taller or shorter
| than average I adjust the height accordingly.
| [Note: Perhaps I should say I *used to*
| since the usual suspects are sure to make
| an issue of the fact that I quit installing a
| few years ago]
|
| --
|
| Regards,
| Robert L Bass
|
| =============================>
| Bass Home Electronics
| 941-925-8650
| 4883 Fallcrest Circle
| Sarasota · Florida · 34233
| http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
| =============================>
|
| > only if you have little people for clients...
| > thats waaaayyyy too low. especially if
| > you have to program from the keypad...
| > you'd be on your knees for an hour with
| > a Napco.
| >
| >|> What is the standard keypad height for
| >|> mounting an LCD Ademco Vista keypad.
| >|> I'm 6 foot tall.
| >|
| >| Most LCD keypads are designed to be
| >| easiest to read while looking down from
| >| above the unit. I always preferred to install
| >| them a few inches above the light switch
| >| next to the door from the garage, the front
| >| door (when appropriate) and the master
| >| bedroom door.
|
|

 

[Robert L Bass]

yes, but you said; "a few inches" - to me

a few inches is 3...which would still be at
around 41".

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I
rearely actually measured the height when
installing keypads. You get used to putting
them at a certain height and do so without
thinking twice about it. Only if the home
owner was unusually tall or short would I
vary it.

On a related note, some years ago I posted
a simple method of fishing cable from the
attic to the basement, using the keypad
site as a reach hole to avoid removing the
trim. I got a call recently from someone who
found that old message on Google. He
ordered a complete system from us. Nice.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Crash Gordon]

I was serious in a previous post...I use the tip of my nose for the height
to cut the keypad hole (we never use rings or boxes for keypads because you
can't line them up real purty with the light switch if you put up a ring)




|> yes, but you said; "a few inches" - to me
| > a few inches is 3...which would still be at
| > around 41".
|
| Sorry, I should have been more specific. I
| rearely actually measured the height when
| installing keypads. You get used to putting
| them at a certain height and do so without
| thinking twice about it. Only if the home
| owner was unusually tall or short would I
| vary it.
|
| On a related note, some years ago I posted
| a simple method of fishing cable from the
| attic to the basement, using the keypad
| site as a reach hole to avoid removing the
| trim. I got a call recently from someone who
| found that old message on Google. He
| ordered a complete system from us. Nice.
|
| --
|
| Regards,
| Robert L Bass
|
| =============================>
| Bass Home Electronics
| 941-925-8650
| 4883 Fallcrest Circle
| Sarasota · Florida · 34233
| http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
| =============================>
|

 

[Robert L Bass]

I was serious in a previous post...I use

the tip of my nose for the height to cut
the keypad hole...

I just eyeball it. The difference seems
(assuming you're not extraordinarily tall)
is ours are five or six inches lower. That
won't make a difference for adults but I
like to teach even 10-year olds how to
operate the alarm. For one thing, they
tend to remember better than adults.

Hmm. Perhaps I should start catering
to the pre-teen DIY market. :^)

(we never use rings or boxes for
keypads because you can't line them
up real purty with the light switch if
you put up a ring)

I don't like rings or boxes for keypads
for another reason as well. They require
a large hole in the sheetrock. Besides,
electricians rarely mount their devices
plumb.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Robert L Bass]

I commercial installations I think mounting the

keypad to a fire pull station height works best.
If you use that mounting height in a residence
you won't have to worry about any new owners
having issues.

NFPA72 requires pull stations be mounted 42"
to 54" from the floor. ADA, however, puts the
height at 48" above the floor. That's close to
what I've done for years, long before ADA came
around. Before ADA we always installed pull
stations an inch or two above the light switch.
That was compliant with NFPA but would not
have met the ADA standard.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Crash Gordon]

Switch height?...out here that's like belly-button height...way too low.


|
| | > I put them at my nose height...it's a standard universal height for
| > us...RNHFFF (rob's nose height from finished floor)
| >
| > There's a couple of nutjobs out here that install them at switch
| > height...totally absurd.
|
| Why? It's a decent height for most people
|
|

 

[Carl Carlson]

I put them at my nose height...it's a standard universal height for
us...RNHFFF (rob's nose height from finished floor)

There's a couple of nutjobs out here that install them at switch
height...totally absurd.

Nose height for me is about 69". I put mine at 55" unless otherwise
requested.
js

 

[Carl Carlson]

Why? It's a decent height for most people

The switches in my old house are at about 51", not too bad. But most of the
newer houses seem to have them at about 45" which is too low for an LCD
keypad. Years ago I asked my wife (66" tall) where she thought the keypad
should go. She pointed to the wall and I measured. 55" is where they have
gone ever since.
js

 

[Crash Gordon]

They're 45" to the top of the plate out here...and lower for handicapped.
At 45" that's too low for LCD for sure...so we go at 55+.....also keeps the
little ones from pushing buttons.



| Mark Leuck wrote:
| > | >> I put them at my nose height...it's a standard universal height for
| >> us...RNHFFF (rob's nose height from finished floor)
| >>
| >> There's a couple of nutjobs out here that install them at switch
| >> height...totally absurd.
| >
| > Why? It's a decent height for most people
|
| The switches in my old house are at about 51", not too bad. But most of
the
| newer houses seem to have them at about 45" which is too low for an LCD
| keypad. Years ago I asked my wife (66" tall) where she thought the keypad
| should go. She pointed to the wall and I measured. 55" is where they have
| gone ever since.
| js
|
|

 

[shady]

What is the standard keypad height for mounting an LCD Ademco Vista
keypad. I'm 6 foot tall.

Shoulder height works best for me and the vast majority of my customers.

That way it's not so high that you're straining to reach the keypad, and yet
not so low that you're bending down to read it.

There have been a few exceptions of course. There's a few
electrician-prewired ones I have at about 3 feet high, for a wheelchair
accessible government building. I had to sit on the smallest chair I could
find to program that one. And there's one where the lady of the house
wanted it around 7 feet high. I never could see the logic in that one.

 

[Robert L Bass]

And there's one where the lady of the house wanted it around 7 feet high. I never could

see the logic in that one...

Oh, that was probably my ex operating the
system while riding her broom. :^)

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>