Any chance two of the Go!Control panels could be used on the same system? Can one be a secondary controller to the other? Or is the TS1 the only way to go?
You can only use one Go!Control Panel per system. What are you trying to accomplish with the second panel? Dependent on that, the TS1 is often the right choice.
Just a second arm/disarm panel.
A TS1 is a good solution then.
A cheaper alternative for basic arm/disarm capability is the fixed panic 2GIG-PAD1 keypad. They run approx. $20 NEW on ebay.
New firmware updates added audible beeping to main panel for PAD1 arming/disarming confirmation (main panel will beep when arming or disarming is performed on keypad and voice is disabled).
1 beep for arming, 2 beeps for disarming.
Per our product page for the PAD1-
We highly recommend that you consider a TS1 secondary touch screen instead of this keypad because it often causes false alarms for the following reasons.
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The 2GIG-PAD1-345 does not make any entry delay beeping noise reminding you to disarm your system when you enter your home. Therefore if you cannot hear the main control panel beeping when you enter your home where the 2GIG-PAD1-345 is located then you are likely to forget to disarm your system causing a false alarm.
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The 2GIG-PAD1-345 does not give you any confirmation that you have successfully disarmed your system after you enter your PIN code. Therefore if you cannot hear the main control panel confirm that you have disarmed your system where the 2GIG-PAD1-345 is located then you might accidentally fail to enter the correct PIN code and you will not know the system is still armed until the alarm goes off, causing a false alarm. This can be due to entering the wrong code, pressing the buttons too fast or not pressing the buttons all the way down.
If you are certain that these will not be problems for you then you may go ahead and order the 2GIG-PAD1-345. The 2GIG-PAD1-345 may still be useful in certain situations such as in locations where you can clearly hear the entry delay and disarm confirmation from the main control panel. The 2GIG-PAD1-345 may be easier to use for those who have difficulty operating touch screens.
I use my pad1 upstairs (third flr) as basically a fixed emergency panic (have one on each level of home), and so I can arm/disarm from bedroom for whatever reason. Convenience and all, battery operated (the newer TS1 will go offline in event of power outage, a PAD1, and older TS1 (which have AAA battery backup) will not).
My police panic config in TS1/PAD1/main Panel is also set to silent (family knows in non fire or medical emergency to hit police panic, and then hide until police arrive). The PAD1 panic will always be operational as long as panel is still functional as these are not dependent on AC power.
There are certain disadvantages to the PAD1, namely being no visual/audible arming status from the keypad, and no ability to arm system if sensors require bypass (unless you set Q72 to “1”), no ability to select silent arming or to uncheck “delay entry” prior to arming, etc.
I use a TS1 at entry, and it is the original model with ability to use 3 AAA batteries as backup power. (I use rechargeable Energizer/Duracell 900mah NIMH batteries as it will chew through the batteries like crazy in event of a power loss). To improve reserve battery power life, I also have screen off at 30sec, and brightness fairly low.
The original TS1 lacks battery charger capability, so I use the regular rechargables, test often, and replace them periodically, or immediately following an extended power loss. Newly recharged batteries go in TS1, old discharged batteries go back onto the charger…