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

Compared to my old alarm system, the Vista 20P has proven to be much more reliable. Im using it with a 6160RF keypad / transceiver, which is centrally located within the house. For entry detection, I use four door-mounted wireless 5816s and six 5800PIR wireless motion detectors, which have operated flawlessly thus far. No missed transmitted signals and no false alarms. I was having to put up with those occasional problems on my old system, but no more. The Vista 20P control panel and associated accessories seem to be well designed and reasonably priced. Mine did come with a 4AH battery, but I had already ordered a Yuasa NP7-12 7AH battery, so I used it instead. I added a 4204 relay board inside the 20P cabinet so that I could disable two garage door openers and light up an alarm status LED when the system is armed. Everything works well. I agree with the previous reviewers comment about not for the amateur because of the steep learning curve when programming the 20P system. I am a previous hardware engineer with some software experience. I did a lot of Honeywell document reading and some internet searching to learn how to program the system, but once the proper commands were entered, everything works as it should. Not all of the programming info is located in a single document, so one must search. After finishing the programming, including authenticating ten detectors and four wireless key fobs, I have a high level of confidence in this Honeywell system. It is interesting to watch the 6160RF alphanumeric display while others are tripping the motion detectors and opening doors. It displays the customized zone name in addition to the zone number, which is a nice touch. My main suggestion for improvement would be to offer a simple step-by-step guide for programming, contained within a single document.

A High quality system that is affordable. Install is not an easy DIY, but well worth the effort and research. The cost was less than $400.00. I used The 6160 Display and hard wired six magnetic sensors, one motion and one smoke detector. Programming was a little tough but after reading through the manual a few times and YouTube videos, I works fantastic.

Good item

This is a great price for a new and up-to-date 20P. Resistors, lock/key and documentation provided were complete. However, be aware that although the image on the main page showed the unit with a battery, the unit received did NOT have a battery. Also, the image did NOT show a power transformer but the unit did come with the necessary power transformer. Neither the battery nor transformer are mentioned in description. Hopefully this will be corrected by the seller, and if not for this Id have rated this listing with 5 stars. As for the batteries: Typical Vista 20P kits that are furnished with a battery include a small (4.5ah) 12V battery. I have learned that this small capacity battery is hardly sufficient to sustain a typical system over repeated or extended power outage(s), as necessary to ensure reliability for security and emergency (i.e. panic & fire/smoke detectors). My practice has been told to use no less than a 7ah battery in a Vista 20P at a minimum. Even then, one must consider that batteries are living things and will degrade over time, even if not used. For this reason I run my Vista systems with two 7ah batteries in parallel (providing 14ah support to the Vista), and also with the power transformer connected to a UPS. Using the UPS helps protect the Vista power supply from utility/power line fluctuations and spikes, from lightening damage, and also prevents discharge/recharge cycles on the Vista batteries thereby extending their service life too. I replace my batteries in my UPS every two years and in my Vista 20Ps every three years. Failure to regularly replace batteries can also lead-to equipment failures because the battery cells can short-circuit thereby drawing higher current from the power supply. Disclaimer: I am not an authority on this subject matter. The statements made are my own opinion and may not be accurate. Use them at your own risk.

Replaced an ADT Safewatch (same as Vista 20P) that was installed before we bought the house and recently taken out in a lightning surge. This version has chip revision 10.24. I only connected the two entry wired zones from the old alarm. We don’t arm it or have it monitored - just use the chime for door open events! Since we don’t have any alpha keypads (6160), I was able to setup and disable all unused zones via the 6150 “fixed” keypad by using the *56 procedure and watching a video. If I ever wanted a monitored alarm, I probably would go with Ring (using the wired sensor adapter) due to cost but this is a dependable alarm. My only knock is it’s susceptible to surges with the AC transformer difficult to place on a surge suppressor.

I purchased a house with an old security system (2007 era, big name company, you can probably guess which one) installed. I wanted a self monitoring option, and didnt want to purchase new sensors. With almost no security system experience I was able to use the manual that comes with this to replace the existing control panel. Saved me hundreds in installation costs for a new system and it works perfectly with my existing sensors. I bought the Honeywell 6160 keypad to program it and an Ademco Wave2 siren for noise. Excellent value and user friendly if you have the patience to read the manual carefully.

Upgraded a lame Vista 10SE, to add bi-directional communications capacity. Shipped with the latest firmware, and my friend who does alarm installs for a living said that it was identical to the parts on his truck.

The metal can is cheap - metal too thin. It deforms and door wont stay closed. Previous purchase from years ago included stronger can

excellent. Working very good.

Used this for setting up my home alarm system with Honeywell and it has worked without any issues now for over a year