Honeywell VISTA-20P Ademco Control Panel, PCB in Aluminum Enclosure

After my second home was broken into, and the front door left open for who knows how long, I decided I wanted an alarm. After much research, and not wanting to deal with contracts, salesmen and high monthly fees, I ended up with this panel and a totally expandable professional system that texts me when the alarm is disarmed, armed, fire, trouble, flood, and of course if a break-in occurs. The basics of the system are the 20P panel, the 15P would be fine for most,unless you have more than six wired zones, the EVL-4 Eyezon IP communicator, which requires a hardwired connection to the router, and mounts inside the cabinet, 12 volt back up battery, required as it drives the siren as well as power failure back-up, siren, and don't go for anything less than the 6160RF keypad. The RF denotes that the keypad is capable of receiving and transmitting to wireless devices. Even if you don't think you'll want or need wireless, once you read up and see all the endless possibilities of the wireless devices and sensors, you'll be glad you spent the little extra to go RF. If you don't own a drill, wire strippers, or maybe even a soldering iron, and willing to roll up your sleeves and learn a little about all the well thought out and time proven nuances and actually read the manual-then this is probably not the system for you. Just looking at the manual and all the options are a bit overwhelming, but once you dig in, only a few of the actual programming prompts need to be changed. Each zone needs to be told how to react to the sensor, but just read and check out a few youtube videos. You don't need to be a computer programmer or rocket scientist-Just be willing to invest a little time and energy during the install, and you won't need to touch it again unless you want to do some upgrades and enhancements, which I'm sure most techie types will be fascinated by the possibilities. I'm working to install an electric water valve in the main water line, so the water is shut off when armed in away mode-no flood worries!

So my Journey began with an old Brinks / ADM system that got reset and I couldn’t find installer codes to recover. It was 25 years old anyway. I wanted to keep my existing wired sensors including C0 detector but I also wanted to be able to expand the system by adding zones. The Vista 20 P was just the thing. I was able to replace the old Brinks BHS3000 system by simply swapping the boards within the enclosure. Yes they were the exact same housings. This kept me from having to pull back all the wiring and feed them into the new enclosure. This allowed me to simply disconnect each wire, one at a time, and re land it on the Honeywell board. Took me a total of 20 min. For good measure the enclosure door was a perfect swap so all the labels are correct. That was the easy part.... Then came programming. With the included manual and quite a bit of help from YouTube, the system is now working. It takes a bit of patience to learn how to read the manual. The YouTube videos provided a great deal of clarity. I used a 6160RF key pad to allow for wireless sensor expansion and remote key fob use. After About three hours I had it working at least as well as my old system. There are some tricks to it like in zone 1 you have to use one of the included terminating resistors if you plan to use it for a door or window switch. Also if you want the zone chime to work on the doors or windows only, you have to create a “Zone List” which has to be Zone List #03. Spent at least an hour figuring that one out. Wouldn’t have put so much time into that one item but my wife and kids like having the door chimes. Bottom line is the system upgrade cost me approx $140 with one keypad (I’ll be adding more later) and it was actually more capable than what I had expected. Keep in mind it’s designed for a professional installer so don’t expect plug-and-play but once it’s up and running it’s a solid, scaleable system. I’ll write more as I take advantage of the features.

I had no idea this panel would bring me here. By here I mean due to my OCD the level of expansion it offers all for 70 bucks. In just over a year I've nearly maxed it out. All 48 rf zones utilized, 7 hardwired and 10 button remote zones used. With a 20p & a 6160rf you can easily best any ADT or similar system out there. Add a Tuxedo touch and you can get Total Connect 2.0 with Zwave automated thermostats as I do up to 3 along with dimmers and outlets. With a 4204 relay module and some wiring you can open/close your garage doors. Or you could just get the panel, a 6160rf and an 5802wxt panic pendant and keep an aging parent safe with basic phone line monitoring all for less than 250$ I have opted for full Total Connect premium service for 44$ a month that includes texting of sensor events, video events & alarms. It can set my thermostats back, turn all my lights off and lock my door when I press the arm away button on my key fob saving on heating costs. Granted I spent the additional $ for the Zwave enabled devices but still, it is truly awesome what you can do with this 70$ panel. I could go on and on but simply put. This thing is the cat's ass

This is a great and widely popular panel from Honeywell. I didn't have any issues swapping it out for my old panel, and hooking up my zones and expansion modules was straight-forward. This little panel does everything you'd need it to. It does come with the required EOL resistors and zone doubling resistors, as well as the AC transformer. It does NOT come with a battery (which is clearly stated and I didn't mark off for). The one issue I have, and the reason I marked it down one star, is that the communications interface with external communications devices is less than ideal. The panel reports zone faults in real-time, but does not report zones clearing in real-time. This means that if you're using an external communicator, like the Eyez-On Envisalink, you'll get notices of faults relatively fast, but it can take up to a minute or two before you'll get a notice that everything has cleared up. DSC panels don't have that issue, as they report much more information on their interfaces. It doesn't bother me that much, and it's easy enough to work around, but if you're a perfectionist, it might annoy you a bit. If you're using only keypads and professional monitoring, however, you'll never notice this slight annoyance at all. The bottom line is this panel was extremely easy to hook up, had no issues with installation or programming, and works perfectly for its intended purpose. I can certainly recommend Honeywell panels to others.

I purchased this to replace a proprietary system,installed by a prior homeowner, that had been inactive for several years. With a little bit of Google research of of the model number it was clear that the old unit had been manufactured by Honeywell. I was interested in self monitoring and did not want to commit to an expensive, multi-year contract to re-activate the old system. The Vista system seemed well recommended as a neutral platform. On the physical side, I was able to re-use the existing wiring and Honeywell branded wireless sensors, but the speaker, keypad, and wireless receiver all had to be replaced. I paired this with a 6162 keypad, a WAVE-2 siren, and a 5881 wireless receiver. If I could do it again I would have probably went with the 6162rf keypad, since it has a RF receiver built in and my sensors are all relatively close to the unit. On the wiring side, you need to be comfortable stripping wire and using screw terminals, and for new installs there is the issue of routing wires through the wall for the power, keypad, and siren -- everything else can be wireless if desired. A keypad that supports Vista Intelligent Programming, such as one of the 616X series keypads, is essential. The control unit shipped to me had a v10.x firmware, so I was set under the requirement to have version 9.18 or higher to use the menu programming. In line with other comments, the programming menu is more oriented towards installers and requires navigating through several menus, but I was able to complete basic programming and enable ~5 wired and wireless zones over an afternoon by following along with online guides and YouTube videos. There are some great YouTube videos that basically walk from initial start up to configuring and naming a few zones. I'm not sure if you need the software engineer background others mention to program it, but comfort with technology and a willingness to treat it as an adventure helped. So far the system is working great, and I've added an Envisalink 3 for web based monitoring and control, which I was able to get up and running in about 30 minutes. The end result is that I have a system with plenty of capacity to grow that does everything I need -- I am very happy with the system. Day to day operation is very smooth, with the full text display again helping (as you can name zones and be notified of issues). The added features (web monitoring/control and text/e-mail alerts) from the EnvisaLink are great as well. While there are an increasing number of all wireless or "home automation" oriented systems out there, I am more comfortable with the idea of having a solid, stand alone, reliable system like the 20p for security, with home automation on its own platform until there is a little more standards convergence. Next steps include adding a sensor for the garage door and possibly wireless smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. I will eventually look into the Honeywell Connect and/or Tuxedo Touch add-ons as they continue to mature.

The flexibility of the Vista 20P was very impressive to me. It's a popular home and business security control unit compatible with a number of keypads, wired and wireless triggers, and a programmable alarm output. It's equipped with a telephone communication dialer and selectable reporting protocols. An IP adapter or cellular adapter can be purchased separately and remote monitoring stations can be contracted to monitor alarms. I set my system up entirely wired because my house has an unfinished basement and open attic suitable for running wire and fishing walls. Most installations would probably use a mixture of wired and wireless. There's a handbook included and downloadable PDF files for installation details and user manual. If you want easy installation there are other products on the market that can be installed much quicker with stick on modules and pre programmed. The attraction of the Honeywell system is programming and expansion capability. I'd say that only individuals who have technical expertise and patience would want to attempt to install this. See the Honeywell web site for more information.

Note: there are 2 pictures on Amazon of this system. One shows it with the transformer: correct. The other shows it with the battery: not correct. You will need to buy a battery. I ordered our system from Alarm Liquidators, great price, fast shipping, got version 10.23, which supports the 6162 keypad menu programming. We love this system! We bought it to replace a proprietary system that we got tired of not having control over, especially when they remotely locked the panel and disarmed the alarm while we were on vacation! It was no trouble at all to replace: we just swapped out the panel, the keypads, and the horn. Programming is not super easy, but it is straightforward, and there are lots of Youtube videos out there that will walk you through the process. Also, the programming manual comes with the unit, and it is complete. I got a 6160RF keypad, and also a 6162RF. I mistakenly thought I wouldn't be able to easily program the system with the 6162, but that's not correct. The 6162 keypad is very nice looking. (Both are totally functional, however.) Now we can make any changes or repairs needed ourselves, at reasonable prices, and we can choose our own monitoring company, at good savings. There were no frustrations at all programming and hooking up this system. Others have mentioned: connect the resistor to Zone 1 before you power it up, or you'll get a fire alarm, very noisy! Also, if you are replacing an existing panel, it would be helpful to label the wires as you pull them off, so you know what's connected to where.

Our Brinks system from 1998 lost 10-12 zones over the past 8 years. When we were down to the smoke detectors and just the front door I knew it was time to invest in a new system. At least we could update to 2022-wifi-phone-alert-app-ready-newness. But what do I do with the 142 hardwired sensors ran throughout my house that still work perfectly? And a wife and kids that are used to the 4 keypad panels we have at multiple entrance/exits? Enter the Vista 20P. Everything that I need from 1980 but just slightly newer. Even programming the sensors was something straight out of 1980. But it works. And every sensor works. And every zone works. No lost wifi signals... No dead batteries in sensors... Not a single problem (there was one). I had to add more boards to cover all of our zones wired in parallel and series. There is not enough room in the alarm panel for the extra boards? Weird. There is so much empty space under the main board. Adding extra boards is a complete afterthought and many people wire them outside of the locked alarm box and run wires in...that seems counterproductive to a security system...I removed the extra boards from the plastic cases they came in and CNC'd some mounts for inside the box. Also got a DIN-rail and some Wagos. I can also add another board for wifi-internet-app access later but it will have to be mounted on the back of the door. The only thing that did not work, was a LiPo battery to use as a backup. I figured I updated the panel and rewired everything, I may as well add a fancy battery. As soon as I did that, the heatsink on the mainboard got uncomforatbly hot. 142 hardwired sensors, 4 smoke detectors, and 4 keypad panels and that thing was barely warm. Added a LiPo backup battery and that did it. Went back to the old one that I had for now. Panel comes with a new power supply and is straightforward to hookup and program. The average DIY person can tackle this. Do not be afraid.

Works very well as a residential alarm panel coupled with hard wired contacts. Add an RF Keypad (6160RF) and benefit from wireless contacts if you don't want to run wires or it is too difficult to run wires in your application.

Easy to setup panel. Replaced my old brinks pos and was able to reuse the sensors existing in he house