Good idea from David Dryden on the alarm switch.

From what I'm gathering MOST manufacturers design their equipment to handle only their own codes. The most obvious reason to do this is so you'll want to integrate THEIR components. From reading I gather this has been a speed-bump for system integration which is why the HAVI standard is somewhat welcomed. I say somewhat because not everyone's on board which means there will still be variance among equipment.

I'm aware of the Xantech translator, among others. I'm still deciding exactly what to do because I'm using a complete Audioaccess system with 6 keypads. I purchased it as a showroom demo - it was just too affordable to pass up.

I'm installing all my equipment in a 2 bay Oak cabinet that has Middle Atlantic rack rail installed in each bay, just behind the doors. Above the doors are 3 recessed curio shelfs so the whole thing looks like a built in china cabinet you might see in older homes. I'm tying (trying) it all together with matching base moulding and casing on adjacent doors so hopefully it looks like: "I meant to do that" (quote from PeeWee's Big Adventure) Access to the back of the equipment will be through a closet in my mudroom.

In other words I'm doing a cabinet also, and will end up with some sort of repeating system in addition to functionality provided by the IR receivers on my Keypads. I'm just waiting until my equipment is in place before I start choosing whizbangs. Systems like Crestron were out of the question price wise for me so I'll have to patch it together. (improvise, adapt, overcome)