Honeywell VISTA-15P Posts

Alarm Grid is happy to announce that the Total Connect 2.0 Alexa Skill has finally been released. This makes it possible to use an Amazon Alexa device to control a Honeywell Alarm System. Users can check the status of their alarm system and arm their panel using simple voice commands.

The TC2 Skill is compatible with any Honeywell Lyric Controller, Lynx Touch or VISTA Panel that uses the Total Connect 2.0 service. This service is included with all of our no-contract monitoring plans, other than our basic bronze plan.

At this time, the following voice commands are compatible with the Total Connect 2.0 Alexa Skill:

“Alexa, ask Honeywell, What is the status of my security system?”
“Alexa, ask Honeywell, Is my security system armed?”
“Alexa, tell Honeywell to Arm”
“Alexa, tell Honeywell to Arm Away”
“Alexa, tell Honeywell to Arm Stay”

After providing the command, a message will be sent from your Alexa device to your Total Connect account. Your Total Connect account will then forward the command to your Honeywell System so that the action can be performed. This is a quick and easy way to control your system without having to get up or log-in to your Total Connect account.

Please note that you will not be able to use Alexa to disarm your system. This must still be done directly at the panel or through the Total Connect 2.0 Mobile App. Another important consideration is that the TC2 Alexa Skill cannot be used to control home automation devices at this time. However, we expect this to change in the future.

To get started using the Total Connect 2.0 Alexa Skill, simply find the Total Connect 2.0 Skill using the Alexa App on your Android or iOS device. Enable the skill, and follow the prompts on the screen to get started. After completing the setup process, your Honeywell Alarm System will be integrated with your Alexa device.

If you have any questions about the Total Connect 2.0 Alexa Skill, please contact us online via chat or over the phone at 888-818-7728 during normal business hours (9am to 8pm EST).

This is an important message for anyone with a Honeywell VISTA System that uses an LTE-XV Verizon Cellular Communicator. Honeywell will be sending out an automatic firmware update to these communicators. This firmware update will install version 4.0.30 on the communicator. With this automatic update, users can expect a performance upgrade and an enhancement of the module's auto-detect recovery mode.

During this update process, the following messages will generate::

These messages are completely normal, and they are nothing to worry about. The update will take place automatically sometime in the next few days. The update will not affect the usability of your security system. You will also not need to make any changes to your panel's settings. However, we recommend keeping your system powered on and connected to the cellular network during this time. This will allow the firmware update to go through as normal.

If you have any questions about this update and what it means for your panel, please contact support@alarmgrid.com.

AT&T has been announcing a deprecation of the 2G radios for a number of years. At midnight January 1, 2017, the network was turned off.

If you're one of the many Americans who has a 2G alarm system, and you've been caught flatfooted for one reason or another, Alarm Grid is here to help. For those who upgrade their 2G radio programmed to a different company's service to a new radio, Alarm Grid will provide 2 months of free monitoring.

If you have a bf error showing on your panel or a Check 103 error, we have some great FAQs explaining what you need to do to fix the error. Additionally, below, you will find a guide explaining how to go about fixing the problems. Generally you will need to replace your radio - a move that is dependent on the type of system you have. The following alert is on our FAQs pertaining to this issue, and will walk you through what you need to do to upgrade.

Just a little while back, we wrote about how Honeywell had introduced the new Honeywell 6162 and 6152 keypads. These new wired keypads have some awesome new features that make programming a little less confusing, and a little more "GUI" (graphical user interface) based. Honeywell is calling the new programming interface VIP and it is only available to users with VIP compatible keypads if their alarm system has the newest 9.18 PROM chips on their Vista 20P and VISTA 15P circuit boards. Honeywell is shipping the new V20P/V15P panels that have the 9.18 chips already installed for those that are purchasing new systems. However, if you are interested in upgrading an existing system to support the VIP programming, you don't need to purchase an entire new system. We offer a standalone VISTA-20P PROM chip and a standalone VISTA-15P PROM chip that you can use to to upgrade the panel without needing to reprogram any settings. Until this week, we were distributing the older 9.12 prom chips that supported Total Connect 2.0 as Honeywell had not released the standalone 9.18 chips. We are happy to announce that as of this week, we do have the new 9.18 PROMs.

While having an updated, state-of-the-art panel is what everyone wants, getting the 9.18 PROM chip is not necessary for everyone. First, check the revision of your system. Then, here are a few things to consider before you jump in and get the new chip set:

What is different about the new revision?

The only difference so far as we have been told between the 9.12 PROM and the 9.18 PROM is the ability to use VIP programming. So before you jump into a new revision, decide whether the VIP programming is something you want. If you have an old 6160 keypad, the answer is simple. You can't do VIP programming. On the other hand, if you have a 6162 keypad, the VIP programming is something you can definitely make use of if you have the right PROM.

Do I need the 9.18 PROM to use Total Connect 2.0?

Nope! The new 9.18 PROMs do support Total Connect 2.0 service, but any system with at least a 9.12 PROM will support Total Connect 2.0 as well. The 9.18 chips won't give you any added Total Connect features as of yet. We'll let you know if that changes.

Will the old communicators work with the new revision?

Honeywell hasn't made any changes to their communicators. So the 15P and 20P communicators that worked for 9.12 panels will continue to work for 9.18 revision panels: GSMV4G, GSMX4G, 7847i, and iGSMV4G

If you have been thinking about upgrading your existing Honeywell security system, now is the perfect time. In the past, Honeywell security systems did not see major new features added with newer versions of the alarm control panels. Aside from minor tweaks to the programming options, there was never really a compelling reason to spend the money and get a brand new control panel. However, there have been some recent technological changes from Honeywell and their AlarmNet division that finally give customers a real reason to look at making a change.

First, Total Connect 2.0 was released in 2011. Total Connect is an interactive monitoring service that allows you to remotely arm and disarm your security system from any computer or smartphone. It also allows you to receive instant emails and/or text messages whenever new security system events occur. The original Total Connect service was Honeywell's first offering that allowed customers to get more out of their alarm monitoring service but like most new technologies, it needed to be polished. Total Connect 2.0 is bright and shiny and gives customer what they want. Unfortunately, when AlarmNet released the new Total Connect 2.0 service, it was only compatible with newer Honeywell security systems.

The other major technological change that requires a Honeywell security system owner to consider upgrading is the development of 4G cellular alarm communicators. We have talked in the past about how AT&T is discontinuing their 2G cellular network at the end of 2016. The 2G cellular network was very popular in the past before cell phones turned into mobile computers. All cellular alarm manufacturers, including Honeywell, built their communicators to work on the 2G network. Now that AT&T has but announced an end to the network that these communicators work on, everyone that has an existing cellular communicator needs to start thinking about upgrading to a communicator that will work past 2016.

Instead of dealing with the large expense of buying a new security system and a new cellular alarm communicator to take advantage of both these advancements, the GSMV4G-TC2  and GSMX4G-TC2 provide an easy and inexpensive way to upgrade to Total Connect 2.0 and 4G cellular communications. Both AlarmNet Total Connect 2.0 upgrade kits include a 4G cellular alarm communicator and PROM chips for both a VISTA-20P and a VISTA-15P. The PROM chip upgrades an older model VISTA panel so that it will be revision 9.12 and compatible with the newer Total Connect 2.0 service. No wiring changes need to be made and the existing system programming even stays the same. Upgrading couldn't be easier. If you have a VISTA-20P that can't do Total Connect 2.0 or a cellular alarm communicator that will need to be replaced, stop thinking about upgrading and get a new GSMV4G-TC2 or GSMX4G-TC2 today!

While Honeywell won't officially endorse this, we have found that the PROM upgrade chips that come with the GSMV4G-TC2 and GSMX4G-TC2 will even work with an older model ADT Safewatch panel. Therefore, any VISTA-15P or VISTA-20P, even branded versions, can take advantage of the amazing cost savings that these upgrade kits provide.