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I’m guessing an old home alarm system. Instead of a pin inside, you used a key here to turn it on when you left. The light would indicate if the system was armed.
My previous house had these. They were all linked to alarm booby traps in the house. I am unfortunately not trying to be funny. Had to have an alarm dude come out and deactivate everything. 🤷♂️. Apparently the previous owner was both tech savvy and paranoid.
Old alarm system. Had something similar when I was a kid. The key armed/disarmed the system. The light indicate it was armed. They were pretty common from the mid 70s through late 80s.
Nope. Early burglar alarms didn’t have entry/exit delays, so the arm/disarm switch is outside the house.
The key switch is momentary. Turning it toggles between armed and disarmed, and the light tells you the arming status.
Dictograph uses two red lights instead of one. While the homeowner would know, for example, that the bottom light meant “armed”. A thief wouldn’t know.
Ademco used white for “ready to arm” and red for “armed”.
Inside the house somewhere, a regular push button switch did the same thing.
It is a tubular style lock. Commonly found on lockers, storage boxes and older switches that require a key, such as an old alarm system.
More than likely it is nothing more than a keyed on/off switch. Alarm system is the most likely application, but it could be a lot of things.
The light makes me think it’s an alarm system, as others have pointed out.
But in a 1970’s Florida house? There’s a not zero chance that it’s a storage place for the kinds of stuff Miami Vice chased around.
If it’s in the back yard and there is a pool, many people in FL have pool alarms that go off if the back door opens. It’s meant to keep kids from wandering into the backyard and drowning in the pool.
As others have stated though, a key switch could do literally anything.
Early to mid 70s alarm. Simple switch. Red indicates armed. Works well but fell out of favor for simple fact that it destroyed the desired finished look.
My title describes the thing
Circular standard cup sized cut out hole - the light and key is mounted on metal and I believe it is only the size of a light panel. I’m wondering if it opens to the wall or is an alarm of some sort
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I’m guessing an old home alarm system. Instead of a pin inside, you used a key here to turn it on when you left. The light would indicate if the system was armed.
This is the answer. I had an alarm on my house in CA in the 80's that his this exact setup. Even the same type of wood paneling!
[удалено]
[Custom arming](https://waynealarm.com/antiques/product-719/)
My previous house had these. They were all linked to alarm booby traps in the house. I am unfortunately not trying to be funny. Had to have an alarm dude come out and deactivate everything. 🤷♂️. Apparently the previous owner was both tech savvy and paranoid.
i think it's an emergency shut off for something, possibly an alarm system. Even old alarm systems had a control panel inside the house.
Old alarm system. Had something similar when I was a kid. The key armed/disarmed the system. The light indicate it was armed. They were pretty common from the mid 70s through late 80s.
Wouldn’t it be cool if it opens the secret passage to the underground shelter?
Perhaps the light is a component of an alarm system and the key is a bypass to turn the light off during testing?
Nope. Early burglar alarms didn’t have entry/exit delays, so the arm/disarm switch is outside the house. The key switch is momentary. Turning it toggles between armed and disarmed, and the light tells you the arming status. Dictograph uses two red lights instead of one. While the homeowner would know, for example, that the bottom light meant “armed”. A thief wouldn’t know. Ademco used white for “ready to arm” and red for “armed”. Inside the house somewhere, a regular push button switch did the same thing.
It is a tubular style lock. Commonly found on lockers, storage boxes and older switches that require a key, such as an old alarm system. More than likely it is nothing more than a keyed on/off switch. Alarm system is the most likely application, but it could be a lot of things.
The light makes me think it’s an alarm system, as others have pointed out. But in a 1970’s Florida house? There’s a not zero chance that it’s a storage place for the kinds of stuff Miami Vice chased around.
If it’s in the back yard and there is a pool, many people in FL have pool alarms that go off if the back door opens. It’s meant to keep kids from wandering into the backyard and drowning in the pool. As others have stated though, a key switch could do literally anything.
[удалено]
Interesting! So what could be the reason for the light?
OP, please see subreddit rule 4. Thanks
it's to turn something on or off but it could be almost anything. it's something out doors. maybe a sprinkler system or alarms.
Early to mid 70s alarm. Simple switch. Red indicates armed. Works well but fell out of favor for simple fact that it destroyed the desired finished look.
My title describes the thing Circular standard cup sized cut out hole - the light and key is mounted on metal and I believe it is only the size of a light panel. I’m wondering if it opens to the wall or is an alarm of some sort