How Many Zones Can a 5881 Medium Board Handle?

A 5881ENM can handle up to 16 wireless zones. The 5881ENM refers to the medium-capacity board from the Honeywell 5881 Series. The smaller 5881ENL receiver can support up to 8 wireless zones, while the larger 5881ENH will provide support for as many wireless zones as the panel will allow.

Honeywell Vista Series control panels have on-board hardwired zones and support for both wired and wireless expansion zones.To utilize wireless expansion zones on a Vista control panel, the panel needs to be paired with either a 5881 Series wireless receiver or an RF keypad, like the 6150RF (Medium Receiver) or 6160RF (High Receiver).

For most of the Honeywell Vista Series panels, such as the Vista-15P, Vista-20P and Vista-21iP, only one wireless receiver is supported. However, the largest Vista panels, those being the Vista-128BPT and the Vista-250BPT, can support up to two wireless receivers.

The number of zones that can be supported varies between different systems. The Vista-15P has six on-board hard-wired zones. It will also support up to 26 expansion wireless zones and eight keyfob zones, for a total of 34 wireless zones. The keyfob zones can also be used as protection zones. Hardwired zone expansion is also supported on zones 9 - 24, using the 4219 8-zone expander. A combination of wired and wireless expansion is supported, with no more than 34 zones in total being available.

Both the Vista-20P and the Vista-21iP have eight on-board hard-wired zones. They will also support up to 40 wireless expansion zones with an additional 16 keyfob zones, for a total of 56 wireless zones. Just like the Vista-15p, the keyfob zones can also be used as protection zones. The Vista-20P and the Vista-21iP can also utilize hardwired expansion zones by using 4219 zone expander. Up to 40 hardwired expansion zones can be used with these systems, so multiple 4219 zone expanders can be installed if needed. Again, a combination of wired and wireless expansion is supported, with no more than 56 zones in total being available.

The Vista-128BPT supports a total of 128 zones. Up to 127 of these zones can be wireless, and two separate 5881 wireless receivers can be used. Meanwhile, the Vista-250BPT supports a total of 250 zones, and 249 of these zones can be wireless. The Vista-250BPT can also utilize two separate 5881 wireless receivers. When using multiple receivers, both receivers should be of the same capacity.

When purchasing a 5881 wireless receiver, you should keep in mind how many zones are available on your Vista control panel. You should also consider how many zones you will need to support. For example, a 5881ENL doesn't make sense if you need support for more than 8 wireless zones. Conversely, it also does not make sense to purchase a 5881ENH if only two additional wireless zones are required, or to put a 5881ENH on a panel like a Vista-10SE, which will support no more than 16 wireless zones.