How Do I Program a Honeywell Vista-20P Alarm System?

You can program a Honeywell Vista-20P alarm system by first accessing the programming menu of the system. From there, you will enter into different data fields in order to make specific changes to the system settings. Once finished, you will exit programming mode and save your changes.

The first step when programming a Vista-20P is to enter programming mode. You can do this by entering your [Installer Code] + [8] + [00]. The default installer code on a Honeywell Vista-20P is 4112. If you have lost your installer code, you can alternatively use the backdoor method to get into programming. This is done by pressing and holding the * and # keys within 50 seconds of powering on the system.

Once programming has been accessed, the message “Installer Code 20” will be displayed. If "20" is displayed, this indicates you're using a fixed English keypad, such as the 6150. It is recommended that you press [*99] to exit programming, and return when you have an alpha keypad, such as the 6160.

When making programming changes, we strongly recommend consulting the Vista-20P Programming Guide. This guide will provide you with a full list of programming fields, and it will tell you what kind of entries can be made for each programming field.

Once you have accessed programing, you will need to enter into the appropriate data field. You can do this by pressing the [*] key, followed by the data field number. For example, the data field number for exit delay is 34, so you would enter in [*34] to access the exit delay setting for the system.

After you have accessed the appropriate data field, you will use key commands to change the settings. Upon making an acceptable entry, the keypad will beep 3 times, and the next data field in sequence will be displayed. This will indicate that the settings for that data field were changed.

The process for changing the settings for a data field varies between different fields. For instance, if you are programming exit delay, then you will enter in the number of seconds you want for the exit delay on the system. The Vista-20P and the Vista-20PSIA have different options. Since the minimum exit delay on a Vista-20PSIA is 45 seconds, entering in "45" or lower will give the system an exit delay of 45 seconds. The Vista-20P Exit Delay can be set all the way down to 00 seconds, or no delay. Entering in any number from "46" to "96" will give the system an exit delay with the number of seconds that you selected. So if you enter in "73", the system will have an exit delay of 73 seconds. Entering in "97" will give the system an exit delay of 120 seconds, the maximum exit delay on the Vista-20P. When partitioning is used, the exit delays for partition 1 and partition 2 can differ.

Once you have finished making your changes, press [*99] to exit programming and save your changes.