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

had to replace a cheaper system and ordered this one. came very quickly and i was able to get it working in a couple hours, most of it was wiring. had to do some searches to get the default master code, as install doc provided was light. only not positive comment would be the picture showed the product coming with a battery and no ac adapter, it came with the ac adapter and no battery. i was prepared to buy one, so it wasnt a big deal, but picture didnt match what i received

Good clean panel. Current revision. Arrived as expected.

Install in all rentals as feature for tenants. The one piece of advice I’d give is to test it ASAP because I did have one board that had a bad sensor port. I had empty ports so it wasn’t a big deal, so I didn’t bother to exchange. There are great videos on line that show how to program. Setup isn’t as easy as ring or simpli but the end product is much much better and at a much lower cost.

Works fine but as with other Honeywell alarm products, documentation is not aimed at the amateur. Takes a while but with some good DIY video on the internet, you can eventually get there.

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 dont 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 dont think youll want or need wireless, once you read up and see all the endless possibilities of the wireless devices and sensors, youll be glad you spent the little extra to go RF. If you dont 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 dont need to be a computer programmer or rocket scientist-Just be willing to invest a little time and energy during the install, and you wont need to touch it again unless you want to do some upgrades and enhancements, which Im sure most techie types will be fascinated by the possibilities. Im 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!

Once I reviewed many You Tube videos I was able to do the setup. I still do not know how to connect a panic switch.

Broken seal, missing parts, box looked used, finger prints on cover and missing transformer.

Perfect!

Takes some technical know-how to wire up and program correctly. Very reliable hardware. Up-to-date EEPROM on Vista board.

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.