Don't worry about if you are not a professional alarm installer. Just the information from your videos was more than enough to get my Honeywell vista 20p system up and operating. Thanks!
I like to put a piece of electrical tape on the can itself just as extra precaution not to short anything out. also, I tend to use screws to mount the power supply to the can, we can simply use drywall screws they will pierce the can itself. Lastly, on my system at home, I did use an SMP3 PM I believe is the part number, with this power supply, you can hook a relay on the power supply to one of the hardwired zones, you can monitor the AC and the battery. Without this method, you will simply have to rely on replacing the battery when the alarm system tells you it is time.
May I offer you a tip? When running wire for the keypad, motion, glass break, etc, use thermostat wire. The reason is because, it has most of the colors and numbers of wires that you need and then some. And, a lot cheaper than the security company wire. However, if using smoke detectors, I would strongly recommend using fire alarm wire for smokes, siren, and at least one keypad. However, you could use thermostat wire for smoke detectors as well because my smokes are wired with thermostat wire. But, if it is only for security, use thermostat wire everywhere. You can get thermostat wire from your home improvement store. When using touchscreen devices, always keep a 6160 on hand. And, I would highly recommend a 6160PX keypad that has the proximity tag reader. And, I would definitely recommend putting a 6160RF keypad right benext to the panel. I installed mine that way. 6160RF keypad right beneath the panel. And one more thing, if you have smoke detectors, you will need to install a honeywell relay module programmed as a fire zone reset. And, wire the smoke detector through that relay so they can reset after an alarm. My advice, this is how I did my alarm system, wire at least one keypad through the fire zone reset relay. The reason for this is because, keypads always make a long beep after power up and power reset. You can use this to let you know that you have successfully executed a fire zone reset. Some, but not all, but some carbon monoxide detectors require the power to be cycled to reset after activation. I have two of them that are that way. If you have a carbon monoxide detector that requires the power to be cycled to reset, program it's zone as a fire zone and then label it as carbon monoxide. Most carbon monoxide detectors reset on their own but carbon monoxide detectors that require power cycle for reset do exist. I have two of them like that. And, program in a fire zone reset relay for that purpose. Otherwise, if you have carbon monoxide detectors that reset by themselves, most of them do, then, program them as carbon monoxide zones.
@@bounder97 No problem. Door and window sensors wire up just like pull stations (the little red pull down boxes that you would have seen at school when you were younger...oftentimes saying FIRE ALARM PUSH IN PULL DOWN or something similar). Well, door contacts wire up just like the pull boxes at school. In lamest terms, door contacts wire up just like light switches. Motion sensors on the other hand wire up just like smoke detectors. But still, very simple. My niece could wire them up and she's only 3. The proximity tag reader keypad just has two addresses to set. Keypad and reader. Leave the reader at address 23 which is default. Press 1 and 3 together and enter the two digit number of the appropriate address and press *. My 3 year old niece could do that it is so easy. The 6139 keypad will work on vista 20p panels and has a vintage appearance to it however, the cover door on the 6139 doesn't open all the way, only half way which can cause it to break. And, the 6139 has very small buttons. If you have big hands like I do, the 6139 probably is not the best keypad for you. However, the 6139 fits in a tool belt very well which makes it convenient for programming. Unfortunately, the 6139 is no longer made so it might make a terrible keypad anyway. I have a 6139 and I "like" it somewhat but I prefer the 6160. The 6460 had a custom made appearance but it doesn't have a cover door so if you have an active household, then maybe you should stay away from the 6460 and stick with 6160's everywhere. If you have little kids, then I would highly recommend against giving the child a proximity tag or key chain remote. Children lose things all the time that can create a very dangerous situation if a key chain remote is lost or stolen. You can still program the key chain remote through programming mode however, set up an auxiliary code and link the remote to that instead. That way, if you lose a key chain remote, delete it's respective code. However, BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE *88 FIELD! I know that I wrote that in all caps but it is extremely important! I had a vista 10p panel that I did that to and it was a big mess. I had to buy a new panel, which I got a vista 20p panel instead. If you change ANYTHING in that *88 field in programming, it WILL permanently lock you out of programming mode and put your panel in the toilet. Which that unfortunately means that you would then have to buy a new panel. Get total connect 2.0. Way better than a dialer. Trust me. If you drive away and forgot to arm your system, you can do it from your smartphone or tablet. However, get the Norton app lock and set it to require a code to access the total connect 2.0. That way, you are protected if your phone is lost or stolen. One more thing, the true thing about carbon monoxide is that it is colorless and odorless so you can't see it or smell it. Yet, carbon monoxide is deadly...absolutely deadly. Often referred to as the "silent killer". If you have a carbon monoxide leak in your home, you are going to want your Vista 20p panel to signal for that as well. Having a carbon monoxide detector hooked up into the vista panel will make that happen for you. System sensor makes an i4 smoke detector with carbon monoxide so it will do both. Those are great for hallways and living rooms. Only one device to install! And, I would strongly recommend putting a siren in your bedroom. If it should ever go into alarm while in bed, you'll want it to be as loud as it can be and you're going to need all of the decibels you can get. And, I would strongly recommend a 6160 in the bedroom. The low frequency of the 6160 wakes you up better, especially if you are a heavy sleeper like I am. And, science studies have shown that low frequency sound wakes people up better. A 6160 in the bedroom will make that happen for you. A touchscreen keypad in the bedroom will also work. Test your system monthly and immediately replace failing alarm parts. Keep your code confidential because that also helps with getting the best out of your system. Also, set up your glass breaks to chime when door chime is on. It makes it easier to keep an eye on things. Set your glass breaks to be on while in night stay. That helps with security at night. Set up your glass breaks as interior follower zone. That will turn off the glass breaks while in normal stay. That will prevent false alarms while watching Titanic. That is especially at the grand staircase dome imploding scene. And, the water smashing into the wheelhouse scene where the captain gets engulfed. Those scenes trigger the glass breaks every single time. Programming them as interior follower zone will prevent false alarms over glass breaking on TV. The movie Titanic sets off the glass breaks every time. Program glass breaks as interior follower and set them up as night stay zones. That way, the glass breaks are still available at night when you go to bed. All of this will deliver the best performance from your vista panel at peak performance and operating at it's full potential. I have mine set up this way and it has worked perfectly since I programmed it that way. If I had to do over again, I would program it that way, the way I described again.
Thank you so much. The Negative jumper wire fixed my problem. I have three 6160 keypads hooked up and the remote 2 would show display but the keypads would not work. This jumper wire fixed my problem! Great videos!!
@@bounder97 would you happen to have a video on adding a power supply to the 2a horn circuit. I want to add more horns to my system but don’t want to go over the 2a. Thx a mill.
@@Drilldrillsauce80 Hello, I do not have a specific video about what you asked. I do however have a video that talks about how to drive a relay with your alarm system. This is the way you would add power supplies that power a horn directly. The video is called 'installing an auto dialer (Vista 20p part 10)". The relay information is roughly five and a half minutes in. Good luck.
I have a question. If I am using an auxiliary power supply on a Honeywell Vista 20p that is only powering motion detectors and glass break detectors, do I still need the common negative?
Nice video. One thought, thought, you don't need a separate transformer for the supplemental power supply (AL624). Just one transformer with enough VAC to power both the Vista panel and AL624, such as a UB1640W3-L6 transformer which supplies 40 VA. Simply wire the transformer to the AL624's AC terminals and run another another pair of wires from the same AC terminals on the AL624 to the AC terminals on the panel. Save yourself some time and free-up an outlet. :)
Hello, first of all thank you very much for all those beautiful videos. i just finished all 14 of them :) without a break. thank you so much for your help. I am working on a system right now and with the help of your videos I was able to make so many good decision about the system I am installing. hooking up the supplementary power supply was very helpful too. thank you very much again.
Hi Bounder, another excellent video. I want to take a moment to thank you and Zimsjeep, two very informative channels... I needed some help so i'm reaching out. I have a Vista20P, it handles the usual alarm functions great but the challenge is getting it to do the unusual. I have, 2 tuxedo touch KPs, 6160v and 6150v remote keypad for my wood shop. Here is my challenge, i have 3, 5800pir ODs. Using a programmable zone 91, i can get chimes when not armed stating specific faults such as motion, front driveway, rear driveway and backyard. The issue is when armed, the best i can get is for the KP to chime when any of the 3 5800s are tripped with the KP saying "Armed Stay or Armed Away" it says this twice for some reason. I don't know which motion was tripped from hearing that, it could be any of the three. I don't want the alarm to be triggered which is fine, i just want to be notified which is what it's almost doing. From reading various posts, i believe, programming the 5800pir ODs on partition 2 would do the trick. The issue is, i can't find and documentation that can walk me through this. I did an experiment; i went into zone13, which is one of the 5800s, changed its partition to "2". The result is no chime at all when tripped. Do i have to switch the keypad to partition 2 and program it from scratch like i did partition 1? Going to *26 on partition 2 and enable chime by zone, going to *81 and inputting zone 13 and the other 2 zones, going to zone 91 and making the 10 entries? And lastly, what do i do with the information for these zones already in Partition 1? Thanks for listening and any feedback would be helpful. keep up the great work... Cheers, Bill
+Bill Reneau Hello Bill, I'm sorry that I can't help you with this. I have hardwired my entire alarm. I have no experience in dealing with the nuances of wireless systems.
If the AUX power supply is in a separate cabinet and there is no power connection (+/-) between the two cabinets i.e. only the sensors (Y/G) interfacing between the two; do I still need to connect the negatives between the two cabinets? I power mainly the motion/water sensors and external alarms (via relay) in the 2nd cabinet.
Any time two power supplies are operated within the same system, they should be tied together as this video shows at time 3:33. The location of the power supplies do not change this requirement. You said the Y/G wires go between the cabinets. This is your common tie point. With that said, you may find that your system may still work if you don't tie the power supplies together. Remember I said in the video that the power supplies MAY not be referenced at the same level (it's a roll of the dice). Sometimes you get lucky and they are at the same reference, so everything works fine. Finally, if your system is currently working without being tied together, this could change at anytime. As components in the power supply age (especially the capacitors), they sometime change in value. This may cause the reference voltage to shift as this video shows. Anyway, I always tie all power supplies together as this video shows. Good luck.
@@bounder97 Sorry another stupid question. My aux power supply is in a separate cabinet, which includes an alarm relay connected to 3 & 4 (-) of the main panel. I assume connecting this negative to my aux power negative is sufficient. Or should I run a separate wire from the panel?
@@johnchrome4175 Yes, this should work. There does not need to be a separate wire. As long as the two power supply negatives are electrically connected together you should be good to go.
Hello David, I am not sure what you are asking about "a current running through my hardwired zones". Anytime there is a complete circuit, and voltage is present, there will be a current running through the wire. So it would be normal for current flow if the zone you are monitoring is a complete circuit. The amount of current flow is determined by ohms law ( I=E/R). I=current, E=voltage and R=current. Hope this helps.
Hello, I'm sorry that I cannot make a recommendation for you. If I have not had direct experience with a company or product, I will not recommend them. Those that I have worked with are subpar on tech support. That is one of the reasons why I posted all of my “how to” Vista video’s. I know how frustrating it can be to install an alarm without a source of reliable information. Thanks for asking..
Hello, I bought an aux power supply for my vista and was surprised at how little information there was in the install sheet. I stumbled across your video with a google search for additional info and was pleasantly surprised at how thoroughy your presentation conveyed the necessary information. So thank you for making this video. My question concerns the battery. I long ago installed a small car battery to connect to my panel as I kept having issues with keeping a proper charge with the smaller cabinet batteries. Can I join the wires from the panel battery leads and the aux power leads and then connect to the car battery? If not, can I install any type of electrical component inline to allow me to do so. Having two batteries is a pain, and from comments below, it appears the second battery will not be monitored by the panel, so I won't know if it goes bad like previous panel style batteries. Thanks in advance.
Hello, I'm glad I could help you. I too was very surprised at how useless the installation manual was. Concerning your questions: never hook two separate battery chargers to the same battery. 1) The vista and the supplemental power supply both have battery chargers on them. 2)Your statement about keeping a proper charge with a smaller battery would concern me. I see 3 possible causes. A bad charger on the Vista. (except you said it will charge the large battery). A bad or old battery, batteries do have a life span. Or the battery is not being used properly. Normally, the battery provides power only during an alarm condition or during a power outage. If the power outage is for an extended period of time and the battery is allowed to drain completely (around 10.5 volts is drained), it will severely damage the battery. The small cabinet batteries are only good for short power outages. Like you, this is why I also went with a larger battery. Finally, depending on what you are powering, I really don't see a problem with the second battery not being monitored. If you are driving a keypad, you simply will lose that keypad during a power outage. I would just make sure the alarm outputs are on the main Vista. You can manually monitor the health of your batteries if you so desire. I have a voltmeter permanently hooked up to each of my batteries. Periodically, I remove AC power from the Vista and look a the meters. Do a search on the internet for "12 volt battery voltage chart" to find a list of good voltages that you should have. Or watch my You tube play list on 12 volt battery education on my channel. Thanks for the great questions!!
@@bounder97 Thx so much. That clears up many of the questions I had. One last thought. Would it be possible to put an appropriate diode inline from the aux power to the main battery, causing voltage not to flow (stopped) to the battery, but allowing battery voltage to flow back to aux during an outage. If so, would I need diodes on both + and - leads?
@@Buxton252 This is something I would NOT consider doing. If you do do it, you only need one diode on the positive terminals. Current must flow in a complete circuit, so breaking the circuit with one diode in the positive line will stop all current flow. However, remember, you have a .6 to .7 volt drop across most diodes. This means there would not be any current flow until your aux battery drained to a level of at least .7 volt below your primary. (assuming the anode is hooked to the primary battery). The voltage drop across the diode means you have lost that voltage to drive your downline devices. My main problem with this setup is you are still hooking two battery chargers onto one battery. The main battery charger will cross the diode and charge the aux battery as well as the main battery if there is a .7 volt difference. Do you know what will happen to the supplemental power supply when you back feed it with this other charging voltage? I don't. Also, anytime you start putting batteries in parallel, you are entering into a whole new world of complicated. (again, view my video's on batteries). Batteries in parallel need to be the same size, model, manufacture, manufactured date, ect. Basically, as similar as possible. If they are not, the charger can overcharge one of the batteries, or one of the batteries will drag the other battery down to it's level of operation. So a bad aux battery can ruin you good main battery.
@@bounder97 Yes, thank you for confirming my suspicions as I too was thinking: "Do you know what will happen to the supplemental power supply when you back feed it with this other charging voltage?" A UPS style DC switch that does not back charge the battery might work. I found one on Amazon (search for B073QL7YMF) and it seems to fit my needs and is small enough to fit in the cabinet. What do you think.
@@Buxton252 I must confess, I am a bit confused. You seem very determined to do something that I have repeatedly told you is not a good ideal. Each time I point out the error in your logic, you send a new scenario to support your idea. In my last post, I stated I do not know what would happen if you back feed power into the supplemental power supply battery charger. You then immediately asked me what would happen if the supplemental power supply is back fed with power. This tells me you you are not really reading what I have written. I applaud you for being goal oriented and tenaciously trying to solve your problem, but at this point I do not feel I can help you further. Good luck finding your solution, as I am sure you will. If you do find something that works, let me know. I can make a video and share your solution with others. Regards...Bounder97
+mark rossi Yes, you can hook batteries in parallel. This will maintain the same voltage, but increase the current capacity. Keep in mind that you are effectively building your own large battery by increasing the cell count. As a result, the batteries you hook together should be as identical as possible. (ie. same manufacture and age.)
@@edwardlassiter1479 Edward, could you please point me toward any documented reference that states the Vista 20P can not handle charging batteries in parallel. The installation manual for the Vista 20P even states that you can purchase a kit (P.N. SA5140-1) to specifically hook two batteries in parallel. Additionally, the installation manual only states a minimum size battery. No where does it state a maximum size battery. A properly designed battery charger would have a current limiter in it to prevent it from burning up while charging.
Hello and thanks for your videos. they are all fantastic, easy to follow and frankly if it weren't for them I'd still be trying to get things working. With that said.. I seem to have run into a road block. I am all but deaf without hearing aids and since I cannot sleep with them I cannot hear even loud sirens, well barely that is. I have successfully connected a System Sensor P2WL horn/strobe indoors but it only sound when the security alarm is triggered not when the smoke/fire detectors are tested. I have tried everything I can think of to fix this but no luck! Funny part is, it will sound the Honeywell wave siren I have mounted outside but not the P2WL even if I disconnect the wave. Not sure it is a power supply issue because it works loud and strobes fine on intruder mode. Any advice? Thanks in advance, hopefully I can save from pulling out the little hair I have left! LOL. Jim
Hello James, sorry for the delay. I was at work fixing a broken airplane. Anyway, I think I can help you a little. I looked up your P2WL sounder. The specs states that the P2WL requires a constant input voltage from the alarm panel to work properly. The Vista 20P output during a fire alarm is a temporal output (English version - means it is a pulsed output to cause the horn to turn on and off). This means that the P2WL was not designed to work with a Vista 20P for fire output. The Vista puts out a constant 12 volts during a security alarm, which is why the P2WL does work during normal security alarms. To make the P2WL compatible with the Vista 20P fire alarm output, you will need an interface to convert the strobed fire alarm output to a steady 12 volts. It may be easier to look for a strobing alarm that is listed as being compatible with the Vista panel. I hope this helps... On a personal note, I understand your frustration at being deaf. I have worked on loud commercial aircraft for over 30 years. I too am working on achieving deafness.
Hello Bounder97, thanks for the great video's on the Vista 20P installation. I am running the V20p with a 6120RF as the primary. Later installing a 5828 as the #2 with it's on power adapter. But, the main concern I have is the sounder alarm Ademco 748 with a 1200ma draw, how would you wire the siren with a supplemental? I can get the similar siren 748LC that draws 550ma when active. If this was you, how would you proceed? Thanks Marvin!
+Sandra G Smith (Sandra n Marvin) If I wanted to wire my output alarm to a supplemental battery, I would use a relay. I showed how to wire relays in my home security video part 10 (installing an autodialer). th-cam.com/video/G7wkoTQybJc/w-d-xo.html The relay will be activated by the alarm output, and the current to drive the siren would then be passed directly from the battery, thru the relay and out to the siren.
Thank you. That is a great question. I actually have no idea what the answer would be. Logic would dictate to me that the panel would not know there was a fault since the second battery is not on the circuit that the battery monitoring is on.
Dear Bounder, your Vista 20P videos are amazing Sir! If Honeywell hired you to do all their "how to" video, they probably would no longer need a tech support line because you provide such GREAT details and have helped me many times during my installation process. Can I please ask for a recommendation on how to add additional power to my Vista 20P in case of a power failure. I have an expansion module and currently use about 12 zones that consist of MANY devices connected such as 6- is335 PIR' s, 5- System Sensor 4WTA-B smokes with audible alert, 1 - C02 detector, 3 Wave 2 sirens and 3 System Sensor Horn/Strobes. I added the total mA which comes to about 2315mA, then subtract 600mA which the panel originally supplies leaves me needing 1715mA. The system is 100% operational right now, however I am just wondering what I should do to add a second battery to make sure all these devices will continue to work for a few hours if there is a power failure. I would gladly pay you for the help and support of what I need to buy and how to connect it. Thanks in advance Jimmy
Wow, thank you for the kind words. I am a bit confused, you said your system requirements are 2315 mA. Are you driving the extra equipment with additional power supplies? The Vista draws considerably less current when just monitoring then it does during an alarm condition. Remember that most alarms (like the sirens and strobes) do not draw current until they are activated during an alarm situation. Other items, such as possibly your audible smoke alarms draw minimum current until activated. Have you tested you system in the alarm condition to see if it still works? Anyway, the way I increased power failure battery time on my own alarm was to simply get much bigger batteries. The larger batteries will not fit into the Vista Panel. I just extended the wiring out of the panel to the batteries next to the panel. In choosing your batteries, keep the voltage the same, but look for an Amp Hour rating increase on the battery. To educate yourself on batteries, see my videos on BATTERY EDUCATION. The first video is at 9sFKMyL37Cw. Additionally, hooking batteries in parallel will also increase the Amp Hour rating while maintaining the same voltage. Good Luck and thanks for the comment.
@@bounder97 Note, Vista panels are only designed to charge one 7 ah battery unless you have a Vista high panel such as the vista128bpt. That panel can charge 2 7ah batteries. It would be better to find an aux power supply that can charge the larger batteries and move all the powered devices to it. That way the main battery would only be powering the panel in an outage.
@@edwardlassiter1479 Edward, could you please point me toward any documented reference that states the Vista 20P can not handle charging batteries in parallel. The installation manual for the Vista 20P even states that you can purchase a kit (P.N. SA5140-1) to specifically hook two batteries in parallel. While using this kit with two NPG18-12 batteries, your capacity is 17.2 AH. This is directly from the installation manual. Additionally, the installation manual only states a minimum size battery. No where does it state a maximum size battery. A properly designed battery charger would have a current limiter in it to prevent it from burning up while charging. Since the Vista 20P is capable of a UL installation, I'm confident it was designed properly.
Where do you buy the double backed foam strips from? I see it's made by 3M. What is the item #? Also, your videos are excellent. I learned so much about electronics from them.
Hello, thanks for the question. The tape in the video came with the power supply. But you can buy the tape in many big box stores or off the internet. Example: search the internet for "#302208270". That will take you to home depot. Or just search for double back tape. Thanks for the complement!!
Don't worry about if you are not a professional alarm installer. Just the information from your videos was more than enough to get my Honeywell vista 20p system up and operating. Thanks!
I like to put a piece of electrical tape on the can itself just as extra precaution not to short anything out. also, I tend to use screws to mount the power supply to the can, we can simply use drywall screws they will pierce the can itself. Lastly, on my system at home, I did use an SMP3 PM I believe is the part number, with this power supply, you can hook a relay on the power supply to one of the hardwired zones, you can monitor the AC and the battery. Without this method, you will simply have to rely on replacing the battery when the alarm system tells you it is time.
Thanks for sharing with us..
May I offer you a tip? When running wire for the keypad, motion, glass break, etc, use thermostat wire. The reason is because, it has most of the colors and numbers of wires that you need and then some. And, a lot cheaper than the security company wire. However, if using smoke detectors, I would strongly recommend using fire alarm wire for smokes, siren, and at least one keypad. However, you could use thermostat wire for smoke detectors as well because my smokes are wired with thermostat wire. But, if it is only for security, use thermostat wire everywhere. You can get thermostat wire from your home improvement store. When using touchscreen devices, always keep a 6160 on hand. And, I would highly recommend a 6160PX keypad that has the proximity tag reader. And, I would definitely recommend putting a 6160RF keypad right benext to the panel. I installed mine that way. 6160RF keypad right beneath the panel. And one more thing, if you have smoke detectors, you will need to install a honeywell relay module programmed as a fire zone reset. And, wire the smoke detector through that relay so they can reset after an alarm. My advice, this is how I did my alarm system, wire at least one keypad through the fire zone reset relay. The reason for this is because, keypads always make a long beep after power up and power reset. You can use this to let you know that you have successfully executed a fire zone reset. Some, but not all, but some carbon monoxide detectors require the power to be cycled to reset after activation. I have two of them that are that way. If you have a carbon monoxide detector that requires the power to be cycled to reset, program it's zone as a fire zone and then label it as carbon monoxide. Most carbon monoxide detectors reset on their own but carbon monoxide detectors that require power cycle for reset do exist. I have two of them like that. And, program in a fire zone reset relay for that purpose. Otherwise, if you have carbon monoxide detectors that reset by themselves, most of them do, then, program them as carbon monoxide zones.
Thanks for the information Chad
@@bounder97 No problem. Door and window sensors wire up just like pull stations (the little red pull down boxes that you would have seen at school when you were younger...oftentimes saying FIRE ALARM PUSH IN PULL DOWN or something similar). Well, door contacts wire up just like the pull boxes at school. In lamest terms, door contacts wire up just like light switches. Motion sensors on the other hand wire up just like smoke detectors. But still, very simple. My niece could wire them up and she's only 3. The proximity tag reader keypad just has two addresses to set. Keypad and reader. Leave the reader at address 23 which is default. Press 1 and 3 together and enter the two digit number of the appropriate address and press *. My 3 year old niece could do that it is so easy. The 6139 keypad will work on vista 20p panels and has a vintage appearance to it however, the cover door on the 6139 doesn't open all the way, only half way which can cause it to break. And, the 6139 has very small buttons. If you have big hands like I do, the 6139 probably is not the best keypad for you. However, the 6139 fits in a tool belt very well which makes it convenient for programming. Unfortunately, the 6139 is no longer made so it might make a terrible keypad anyway. I have a 6139 and I "like" it somewhat but I prefer the 6160. The 6460 had a custom made appearance but it doesn't have a cover door so if you have an active household, then maybe you should stay away from the 6460 and stick with 6160's everywhere.
If you have little kids, then I would highly recommend against giving the child a proximity tag or key chain remote. Children lose things all the time that can create a very dangerous situation if a key chain remote is lost or stolen. You can still program the key chain remote through programming mode however, set up an auxiliary code and link the remote to that instead. That way, if you lose a key chain remote, delete it's respective code. However, BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE *88 FIELD! I know that I wrote that in all caps but it is extremely important! I had a vista 10p panel that I did that to and it was a big mess. I had to buy a new panel, which I got a vista 20p panel instead. If you change ANYTHING in that *88 field in programming, it WILL permanently lock you out of programming mode and put your panel in the toilet. Which that unfortunately means that you would then have to buy a new panel.
Get total connect 2.0. Way better than a dialer. Trust me. If you drive away and forgot to arm your system, you can do it from your smartphone or tablet. However, get the Norton app lock and set it to require a code to access the total connect 2.0. That way, you are protected if your phone is lost or stolen.
One more thing, the true thing about carbon monoxide is that it is colorless and odorless so you can't see it or smell it. Yet, carbon monoxide is deadly...absolutely deadly. Often referred to as the "silent killer". If you have a carbon monoxide leak in your home, you are going to want your Vista 20p panel to signal for that as well. Having a carbon monoxide detector hooked up into the vista panel will make that happen for you. System sensor makes an i4 smoke detector with carbon monoxide so it will do both. Those are great for hallways and living rooms. Only one device to install! And, I would strongly recommend putting a siren in your bedroom. If it should ever go into alarm while in bed, you'll want it to be as loud as it can be and you're going to need all of the decibels you can get. And, I would strongly recommend a 6160 in the bedroom. The low frequency of the 6160 wakes you up better, especially if you are a heavy sleeper like I am. And, science studies have shown that low frequency sound wakes people up better. A 6160 in the bedroom will make that happen for you. A touchscreen keypad in the bedroom will also work. Test your system monthly and immediately replace failing alarm parts. Keep your code confidential because that also helps with getting the best out of your system. Also, set up your glass breaks to chime when door chime is on. It makes it easier to keep an eye on things. Set your glass breaks to be on while in night stay. That helps with security at night. Set up your glass breaks as interior follower zone. That will turn off the glass breaks while in normal stay. That will prevent false alarms while watching Titanic. That is especially at the grand staircase dome imploding scene. And, the water smashing into the wheelhouse scene where the captain gets engulfed. Those scenes trigger the glass breaks every single time. Programming them as interior follower zone will prevent false alarms over glass breaking on TV. The movie Titanic sets off the glass breaks every time. Program glass breaks as interior follower and set them up as night stay zones. That way, the glass breaks are still available at night when you go to bed. All of this will deliver the best performance from your vista panel at peak performance and operating at it's full potential. I have mine set up this way and it has worked perfectly since I programmed it that way. If I had to do over again, I would program it that way, the way I described again.
WOW. You can use trigger 17 for fire reset IF you only have a few smoke.😊
Thank you so much. The Negative jumper wire fixed my problem. I have three 6160 keypads hooked up and the remote 2 would show display but the keypads would not work. This jumper wire fixed my problem! Great videos!!
Thank you very much. Well worth the wait. I did not short out my existing equipment. Have a great day.
Awesome video thx.
Glad you liked it!
@@bounder97 would you happen to have a video on adding a power supply to the 2a horn circuit. I want to add more horns to my system but don’t want to go over the 2a. Thx a mill.
@@Drilldrillsauce80 Hello, I do not have a specific video about what you asked. I do however have a video that talks about how to drive a relay with your alarm system. This is the way you would add power supplies that power a horn directly. The video is called 'installing an auto dialer (Vista 20p part 10)". The relay information is roughly five and a half minutes in. Good luck.
@@bounder97 thanks I will watch. Happy new year.
I have a question. If I am using an auxiliary power supply on a Honeywell Vista 20p that is only powering motion detectors and glass break detectors, do I still need the common negative?
I have a question, what would happen if I didn't clamp the jumper wire between the panel and the power supply?
Nice video. One thought, thought, you don't need a separate transformer for the supplemental power supply (AL624). Just one transformer with enough VAC to power both the Vista panel and AL624, such as a UB1640W3-L6 transformer which supplies 40 VA.
Simply wire the transformer to the AL624's AC terminals and run another another pair of wires from the same AC terminals on the AL624 to the AC terminals on the panel. Save yourself some time and free-up an outlet. :)
Hello, thank you for the information. I will be sure to pass it on to others.
Hello, first of all thank you very much for all those beautiful videos. i just finished all 14 of them :) without a break. thank you so much for your help. I am working on a system right now and with the help of your videos I was able to make so many good decision about the system I am installing. hooking up the supplementary power supply was very helpful too. thank you very much again.
Hi Bounder, another excellent video. I want to take a moment to thank you and Zimsjeep, two very informative channels... I needed some help so i'm reaching out. I have a Vista20P, it handles the usual alarm functions great but the challenge is getting it to do the unusual. I have, 2 tuxedo touch KPs, 6160v and 6150v remote keypad for my wood shop. Here is my challenge, i have 3, 5800pir ODs. Using a programmable zone 91, i can get chimes when not armed stating specific faults such as motion, front driveway, rear driveway and backyard. The issue is when armed, the best i can get is for the KP to chime when any of the 3 5800s are tripped with the KP saying "Armed Stay or Armed Away" it says this twice for some reason. I don't know which motion was tripped from hearing that, it could be any of the three. I don't want the alarm to be triggered which is fine, i just want to be notified which is what it's almost doing. From reading various posts, i believe, programming the 5800pir ODs on partition 2 would do the trick. The issue is, i can't find and documentation that can walk me through this. I did an experiment; i went into zone13, which is one of the 5800s, changed its partition to "2". The result is no chime at all when tripped. Do i have to switch the keypad to partition 2 and program it from scratch like i did partition 1? Going to *26 on partition 2 and enable chime by zone, going to *81 and inputting zone 13 and the other 2 zones, going to zone 91 and making the 10 entries? And lastly, what do i do with the information for these zones already in Partition 1? Thanks for listening and any feedback would be helpful. keep up the great work... Cheers,
Bill
+Bill Reneau Hello Bill, I'm sorry that I can't help you with this. I have hardwired my entire alarm. I have no experience in dealing with the nuances of wireless systems.
+bounder97 Hi Bounder, thanks for the quick response. Ok, it was worth asking. I will continue my quest... Thanks again. Bill
I know those is old, bit you'll need a P2 keypad.
If the AUX power supply is in a separate cabinet and there is no power connection (+/-) between the two cabinets i.e. only the sensors (Y/G) interfacing between the two; do I still need to connect the negatives between the two cabinets? I power mainly the motion/water sensors and external alarms (via relay) in the 2nd cabinet.
Any time two power supplies are operated within the same system, they should be tied together as this video shows at time 3:33. The location of the power supplies do not change this requirement.
You said the Y/G wires go between the cabinets. This is your common tie point.
With that said, you may find that your system may still work if you don't tie the power supplies together. Remember I said in the video that the power supplies MAY not be referenced at the same level (it's a roll of the dice). Sometimes you get lucky and they are at the same reference, so everything works fine.
Finally, if your system is currently working without being tied together, this could change at anytime. As components in the power supply age (especially the capacitors), they sometime change in value. This may cause the reference voltage to shift as this video shows.
Anyway, I always tie all power supplies together as this video shows. Good luck.
@@bounder97 Thanks. BTW, you have no video of best practices with motion sensors. It would be nice, in your spare time.
@@johnchrome4175 Hi John. I am unfamiliar with this new term you used. SPARE TIME?! I will look it up and get back to you. Thanks.
@@bounder97 Sorry another stupid question. My aux power supply is in a separate cabinet, which includes an alarm relay connected to 3 & 4 (-) of the main panel. I assume connecting this negative to my aux power negative is sufficient. Or should I run a separate wire from the panel?
@@johnchrome4175 Yes, this should work. There does not need to be a separate wire. As long as the two power supply negatives are electrically connected together you should be good to go.
Another good one man. Nice job!
Hello David, I am not sure what you are asking about
"a current running through my hardwired zones". Anytime there is a complete circuit, and voltage is present, there will be a current running through the wire. So it would be normal for current flow if the zone you are monitoring is a complete circuit. The amount of current flow is determined by ohms law ( I=E/R). I=current, E=voltage and R=current. Hope this helps.
Can you recommend any Kit to go with vista20p and auto dialer with LTE support? Thank you
Hello, I'm sorry that I cannot make a recommendation for you. If I have not had direct experience with a company or product, I will not recommend them. Those that I have worked with are subpar on tech support. That is one of the reasons why I posted all of my “how to” Vista video’s. I know how frustrating it can be to install an alarm without a source of reliable information. Thanks for asking..
@@bounder97 Thank you for responding. I am looking for guidance only at this point, not really bothered about tech support.
@@senthilm I'm sorry. I can not recommend a company for you.
@@bounder97 no worries
Hello, I bought an aux power supply for my vista and was surprised at how little information there was in the install sheet. I stumbled across your video with a google search for additional info and was pleasantly surprised at how thoroughy your presentation conveyed the necessary information. So thank you for making this video.
My question concerns the battery. I long ago installed a small car battery to connect to my panel as I kept having issues with keeping a proper charge with the smaller cabinet batteries. Can I join the wires from the panel battery leads and the aux power leads and then connect to the car battery? If not, can I install any type of electrical component inline to allow me to do so. Having two batteries is a pain, and from comments below, it appears the second battery will not be monitored by the panel, so I won't know if it goes bad like previous panel style batteries. Thanks in advance.
Hello, I'm glad I could help you. I too was very surprised at how useless the installation manual was. Concerning your questions: never hook two separate battery chargers to the same battery. 1) The vista and the supplemental power supply both have battery chargers on them. 2)Your statement about keeping a proper charge with a smaller battery would concern me. I see 3 possible causes. A bad charger on the Vista. (except you said it will charge the large battery). A bad or old battery, batteries do have a life span. Or the battery is not being used properly. Normally, the battery provides power only during an alarm condition or during a power outage. If the power outage is for an extended period of time and the battery is allowed to drain completely (around 10.5 volts is drained), it will severely damage the battery. The small cabinet batteries are only good for short power outages. Like you, this is why I also went with a larger battery. Finally, depending on what you are powering, I really don't see a problem with the second battery not being monitored. If you are driving a keypad, you simply will lose that keypad during a power outage. I would just make sure the alarm outputs are on the main Vista. You can manually monitor the health of your batteries if you so desire. I have a voltmeter permanently hooked up to each of my batteries. Periodically, I remove AC power from the Vista and look a the meters. Do a search on the internet for "12 volt battery voltage chart" to find a list of good voltages that you should have. Or watch my You tube play list on 12 volt battery education on my channel. Thanks for the great questions!!
@@bounder97 Thx so much. That clears up many of the questions I had. One last thought. Would it be possible to put an appropriate diode inline from the aux power to the main battery, causing voltage not to flow (stopped) to the battery, but allowing battery voltage to flow back to aux during an outage. If so, would I need diodes on both + and - leads?
@@Buxton252 This is something I would NOT consider doing. If you do do it, you only need one diode on the positive terminals. Current must flow in a complete circuit, so breaking the circuit with one diode in the positive line will stop all current flow. However, remember, you have a .6 to .7 volt drop across most diodes. This means there would not be any current flow until your aux battery drained to a level of at least .7 volt below your primary. (assuming the anode is hooked to the primary battery). The voltage drop across the diode means you have lost that voltage to drive your downline devices. My main problem with this setup is you are still hooking two battery chargers onto one battery. The main battery charger will cross the diode and charge the aux battery as well as the main battery if there is a .7 volt difference. Do you know what will happen to the supplemental power supply when you back feed it with this other charging voltage? I don't. Also, anytime you start putting batteries in parallel, you are entering into a whole new world of complicated. (again, view my video's on batteries). Batteries in parallel need to be the same size, model, manufacture, manufactured date, ect. Basically, as similar as possible. If they are not, the charger can overcharge one of the batteries, or one of the batteries will drag the other battery down to it's level of operation. So a bad aux battery can ruin you good main battery.
@@bounder97 Yes, thank you for confirming my suspicions as I too was thinking: "Do you know what will happen to the supplemental power supply when you back feed it with this other charging voltage?" A UPS style DC switch that does not back charge the battery might work. I found one on Amazon (search for B073QL7YMF) and it seems to fit my needs and is small enough to fit in the cabinet. What do you think.
@@Buxton252 I must confess, I am a bit confused. You seem very determined to do something that I have repeatedly told you is not a good ideal.
Each time I point out the error in your logic, you send a new scenario to support your idea. In my last post, I stated I do not know what would happen if you back feed power into the supplemental power supply battery charger. You then immediately asked me what would happen if the supplemental power supply is back fed with power. This tells me you you are not really reading what I have written. I applaud you for being goal oriented and tenaciously trying to solve your problem, but at this point I do not feel I can help you further. Good luck finding your solution, as I am sure you will. If you do find something that works, let me know. I can make a video and share your solution with others. Regards...Bounder97
would it be ok to put 2 12v lead acid batteries in parallel?
+mark rossi Yes, you can hook batteries in parallel. This will maintain the same voltage, but increase the current capacity. Keep in mind that you are effectively building your own large battery by increasing the cell count. As a result, the batteries you hook together should be as identical as possible. (ie. same manufacture and age.)
@@bounder97 no you will shorten the life of the vista 20p . It's built in charger will burn out. Not designed for it.
@@edwardlassiter1479 Edward, could you please point me toward any documented reference that states the Vista 20P can not handle charging batteries in parallel. The installation manual for the Vista 20P even states that you can purchase a kit (P.N. SA5140-1) to specifically hook two batteries in parallel. Additionally, the installation manual only states a minimum size battery. No where does it state a maximum size battery. A properly designed battery charger would have a current limiter in it to prevent it from burning up while charging.
Hello and thanks for your videos. they are all fantastic, easy to follow and frankly if it weren't for them I'd still be trying to get things working. With that said.. I seem to have run into a road block. I am all but deaf without hearing aids and since I cannot sleep with them I cannot hear even loud sirens, well barely that is. I have successfully connected a System Sensor P2WL horn/strobe indoors but it only sound when the security alarm is triggered not when the smoke/fire detectors are tested. I have tried everything I can think of to fix this but no luck! Funny part is, it will sound the Honeywell wave siren I have mounted outside but not the P2WL even if I disconnect the wave. Not sure it is a power supply issue because it works loud and strobes fine on intruder mode. Any advice? Thanks in advance, hopefully I can save from pulling out the little hair I have left! LOL.
Jim
Hello James, sorry for the delay. I was at work fixing a broken airplane. Anyway, I think I can help you a little. I looked up your P2WL sounder. The specs states that the P2WL requires a constant input voltage from the alarm panel to work properly. The Vista 20P output during a fire alarm is a temporal output (English version - means it is a pulsed output to cause the horn to turn on and off). This means that the P2WL was not designed to work with a Vista 20P for fire output. The Vista puts out a constant 12 volts during a security alarm, which is why the P2WL does work during normal security alarms. To make the P2WL compatible with the Vista 20P fire alarm output, you will need an interface to convert the strobed fire alarm output to a steady 12 volts. It may be easier to look for a strobing alarm that is listed as being compatible with the Vista panel. I hope this helps... On a personal note, I understand your frustration at being deaf. I have worked on loud commercial aircraft for over 30 years. I too am working on achieving deafness.
Hello Bounder97, thanks for the great video's on the Vista 20P installation. I am running the V20p with a 6120RF as the primary. Later installing a 5828 as the #2 with it's on power adapter. But, the main concern I have is the sounder alarm Ademco 748 with a 1200ma draw, how would you wire the siren with a supplemental? I can get the similar siren 748LC that draws 550ma when active. If this was you, how would you proceed? Thanks Marvin!
+Sandra G Smith (Sandra n Marvin) 6160RF, sorry for the typeO!
+Sandra G Smith (Sandra n Marvin) If I wanted to wire my output alarm to a supplemental battery, I would use a relay. I showed how to wire relays in my home security video part 10 (installing an autodialer).
th-cam.com/video/G7wkoTQybJc/w-d-xo.html
The relay will be activated by the alarm output, and the current to drive the siren would then be passed directly from the battery, thru the relay and out to the siren.
nice clean work sir. I have a question. if there is a fault with the 2nd battery, will you get a notification on the panel?
Thank you. That is a great question. I actually have no idea what the answer would be. Logic would dictate to me that the panel would not know there was a fault since the second battery is not on the circuit that the battery monitoring is on.
Dear Bounder, your Vista 20P videos are amazing Sir! If Honeywell hired you to do all their "how to" video, they probably would no longer need a tech support line because you provide such GREAT details and have helped me many times during my installation process. Can I please ask for a recommendation on how to add additional power to my Vista 20P in case of a power failure. I have an expansion module and currently use about 12 zones that consist of MANY devices connected such as 6- is335 PIR' s, 5- System Sensor 4WTA-B smokes with audible alert, 1 - C02 detector, 3 Wave 2 sirens and 3 System Sensor Horn/Strobes. I added the total mA which comes to about 2315mA, then subtract 600mA which the panel originally supplies leaves me needing 1715mA. The system is 100% operational right now, however I am just wondering what I should do to add a second battery to make sure all these devices will continue to work for a few hours if there is a power failure. I would gladly pay you for the help and support of what I need to buy and how to connect it. Thanks in advance
Jimmy
Wow, thank you for the kind words. I am a bit confused, you said your system requirements are 2315 mA. Are you driving the extra equipment with additional power supplies? The Vista draws considerably less current when just monitoring then it does during an alarm condition. Remember that most alarms (like the sirens and strobes) do not draw current until they are activated during an alarm situation. Other items, such as possibly your audible smoke alarms draw minimum current until activated. Have you tested you system in the alarm condition to see if it still works? Anyway, the way I increased power failure battery time on my own alarm was to simply get much bigger batteries. The larger batteries will not fit into the Vista Panel. I just extended the wiring out of the panel to the batteries next to the panel. In choosing your batteries, keep the voltage the same, but look for an Amp Hour rating increase on the battery. To educate yourself on batteries, see my videos on BATTERY EDUCATION. The first video is at 9sFKMyL37Cw. Additionally, hooking batteries in parallel will also increase the Amp Hour rating while maintaining the same voltage. Good Luck and thanks for the comment.
@@bounder97 Note, Vista panels are only designed to charge one 7 ah battery unless you have a Vista high panel such as the vista128bpt. That panel can charge 2 7ah batteries.
It would be better to find an aux power supply that can charge the larger batteries and move all the powered devices to it. That way the main battery would only be powering the panel in an outage.
@@edwardlassiter1479 Edward, could you please point me toward any documented reference that states the Vista 20P can not handle charging batteries in parallel. The installation manual for the Vista 20P even states that you can purchase a kit (P.N. SA5140-1) to specifically hook two batteries in parallel. While using this kit with two NPG18-12 batteries, your capacity is 17.2 AH. This is directly from the installation manual. Additionally, the installation manual only states a minimum size battery. No where does it state a maximum size battery. A properly designed battery charger would have a current limiter in it to prevent it from burning up while charging. Since the Vista 20P is capable of a UL installation, I'm confident it was designed properly.
Thanks for another well needed video! Question about power. I have a current running through my hardwire zones. Is this normal?
Where do you buy the double backed foam strips from? I see it's made by 3M. What is the item #?
Also, your videos are excellent. I learned so much about electronics from them.
Hello, thanks for the question. The tape in the video came with the power supply. But you can buy the tape in many big box stores or off the internet. Example: search the internet for "#302208270". That will take you to home depot. Or just search for double back tape. Thanks for the complement!!