What Kind of Wire Do I Need to Use to Install a Qolsys IQ Panel 2?

The kind of wire you need to use to install a Qolsys IQ Panel 2 comes included with the system. This is a 5-foot wire that ends in a barrel connector. The included wire is very easy to connect to the system. If a longer wire is needed, a separate 18-gauge 2-conductor wire can be used.

The included 5-foot wire with the IQ Panel 2 makes it very easy to get power to the system. One end of the cable features positive and negative connectors that connect to the terminals on the 5.5-Volt DC transformer. The striped wire is positive (+), and the solid white wire is negative (-). The connections should be made nice and tight with the transformer so that power is not lost at any time.

The other end of the included wire is a barrel connector. It can be easily connected to the appropriate port on the Qolsys IQ Panel 2. The barrel port on the system should only be used with the included wire. Using a different wire could potentially cause electrical damage to the system.

However, some users may find that the 5-foot wire isn't long enough for their needs. For these users, a separate longer wire can be used instead. We recommend using 18-gauge 2-conductor wire for this purpose. For this type of wire, we don't recommend using wire longer than 25 feet. The wire will connect from the plug-in DC transformer to the plug-in terminals on back of the IQ Panel 2. The positive (+) wire will connect to the orange 5.0-5.5vDC In port, and the negative (-) wire will connect to the black GND port.

A user can also use the Honeywell LT-Cable for this purpose. This handy wire will eliminate the need to strip or splice any wires during the installation process.

For more information on getting power to the IQ Panel 2, please review this helpful FAQ.