How many zones do I need in my alarm system?

A typical 3-bedroom home with 2 entries, garage, smoke detection, and panic needs around 11-13 zones. Multiply by ~1.5 for commercial properties. Each bedroom should be its own zone so 'night mode' can keep bedroom PIRs bypassed while perimeter stays armed. Use the calculator above for property-specific numbers.

What's the difference between an alarm zone and a partition?

A zone is a single sensor input (door contact, PIR, smoke detector). A partition is a group of zones that arm/disarm together. Homes usually have 1 partition (the whole house). Commercial sites split into partitions per area — office partition, warehouse partition, server-room partition — so each section can be armed independently.

Should I put each window on its own zone?

No — group window contacts by facade (front, back, left, right). One zone per side keeps the panel input count manageable while still telling responders which side of the building was breached. If the panel has spare capacity and the property is high-value (>€500k contents), per-window zoning becomes worthwhile.

Do 24-hour zones count against my panel capacity?

Yes — smoke detectors, panic buttons, and tamper switches each occupy a zone input, but they're configured as 24-hour zones (always armed regardless of system state). Budget for at least 3 zones beyond your user-arming zones (smoke + panic + tamper).

Which alarm panel should I buy for X zones?

Entry-level panels (SATEL VERSA 5/10, IDS X16) handle up to ~8 zones. Mid-range (SATEL VERSA 15, IDS X64) up to 16. SATEL INTEGRA 32 / IDS X128 handle 32. For 64+ zones or Grade 3 EN 50131 compliance, step up to INTEGRA 64 Plus or INTEGRA 128. The calculator above recommends a tier based on your inputs.