Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - ADEMCO Vista 20p help

Hi Gang.. Brand new here.. spent quite a bit of time before posting to see if someone else had asked the same question.. Completre novice with security systems, so assume I know NOTHING. Anyway, Here goes. My Girlfriend bought a wireless security system from ADT. I'm going to assume this system has 16 zones (please correct me if I am wrong) In any event we moved it from her house to "our" house and have it all up and functioning properly. My dad is an electrician, and I am sure it is hoked up correctly. Here is the issue. For some reason one of the wireless window sensors (item 5816) won't work. I don't know if it is broken, not programmed into the system or whatever. AT her house she had 12 functioning window sensors, a fire detector, and two motion sensors. We are using 10 of the window sensors (thats why I assume it has 16 zones..???) I have changed out batteries, etc etc... come to the conclusion the sensor isn't working (If anyone else has any suggestions please let me know. I called ADT about buying an addition window sensor from them (They want $120 - not an option) I found the same thing on live for $30. Then the lady there said I couldn't just "add" a new replacement window sensor, because it would have to be assigned a "new" zone number (and of course there'd be a fee for coming and doing that. I figure either the program got messed up some how, and it has "dropped" this zone. Now as I stated I have two sensors not currently being used. One works (I can hold the magnet to the sensor, and pull them apart, and the system goes off (or chimes) The other one does nothing. I guess what I need to know is there anyway to FIX the sensor I have,.. or too buy a NEW one, and then "add" it to my current alarm system myself. I don't mind buying a couple extra sensors @ $30 each, but I want to do it myself. If I do have a 16 "zone" system,. it's possible I could add three more total sensors to total the 16. I need one on the basement window,.. and if possible I'd like two add two to the outside buildings. Sorry so long, but I wanted to try and explain everything going on clearly, so there would be less confusion. OH.. in her owners manual the installer listed "#13 to 22 - Window sensors". So that would show me everything in that range SHOULD work. The one not working is #21 10 - 11 - and 12 are fire detector and motion detectors... so I should have 3 "open" zones yet to add sensors to..??

OH... I did find this (Maybe other can use it)
I'm not sure if it has the instructions on how to do what I need or not.
Down in section 5 it has something that "Sounds" like it may be kinda what I need to do... but I really have no clue, and hope someone can walk me threw it
http://www.alarmeengros.com/installation15P.pdf

I know it talks about:
Zone Programing (*56)
Serial number
loop number
etc...

Hope someone can tell me what I need,.. and how to do this on my own (and not screw up my system so it don't work at all... LOL)

First of all, if you have a 15P/20P with a wireless receiver, do you have a 6160 (2-line alpha) keypad? If not, you can't add any new devices or change zone programming with a fixed alpha keypad (at least, not with your current level of knowlege).

The transmitter that isn't working probably needs a battery.

Thanks MrRonFL
I thought I had said that I had tried the battery and that wasn't the issue.. My bad I should of covered that.
I bought a brand new battery today and put it in and... nothing.
Put it in the other 'extra' sensor I have and it works perfectly...
So I can eliminate the "dead battery" option... There's NOTHING to them but a little circuit board, and a steel wire that trips the alarm when it is seperated from the magnet.

Now you stated something about
you can't add any new devices or change zone programming with a fixed alpha keypad (at least, not with your current level of knowlege).
I know what you are driving at... but I can do about ANYTHING if someone can explain to me how.
Heck I even stripped a truck down to the frame rails, and am rebuildiung it into a show quality street rod now.. and I had no mechanical knowledge what so ever when I started... I've learn by researching stuff on the internet, and talked to people that do work on cars frequently...
Taught myself how to weld, do interiors, installed a new Mustang II front suspension, etc etc I could go on and on... LOL
SO I KNOW this can't be as hard as building a truck from the ground up. ROFLOL
Like I said, my dads an electrician, and between us we can do about anything.. We rewired the entire control panel when moving this unit to my home, and it works as perfectly here as it did there (just have this one sensor problem )
I also have built web sites for YEARS.. back before they had all this fancy software that was "point and click" and everyone can do it now. I used to buld web sites when you had to have all the commas, spaces, etc etc in the EXACT right place or the page wouldn't work at all... so I am fairly technical,.. this is just "new" right now -- thats why I said to "assume I know nothing".

I am going to assume you are correct about having a 6160 2 line alpha system.
The owners manual says 20P and also 15P.. then it goes on to say -- the "differences" in the systems will be noted where applicable. --
SO they seem to be implying they are virtually the same, but not exactly.
So I could have the Alpha system (manual says the "Fixed Word system" is virtually the same). I know I don't have the third option which is a "Voice Keypad"
It's also entirely possible we "may" have the "Fixed word display, (she said she didn't know, she's not to mechanically inclined, and she has never looked to see if she could put in 'words')
Lots of reading to do in the manual, and I'm just learning about it as we moved it from my girlfriends house to our new home. Figured if it was possible to do,.. some person like yourself could explain it to me much easier than finding it in the book, or refer me to somewhere...

SO if you know of ANY WAY that it is possible for someone to do what I am looking for THEMSELVES,... please shoot it at me. I can probally swing it.. or I'd sure try.

Oh,.. I mean to ask, did you (or anyone) check out that link I posted at the very beginning of the thread. That is completely different info than came with the owners manual. It looks more like an "installers" instruction book. Section 5 looked like it MAY be in the area of what I'm trying to do,.. but not sure.

OH.. on other thing I meant to mention. We do NOT currently have a phone line running to the main box, so there is no way to 'download' anything or monitor it right now
My Girlfriend lost her job of 20 years recently, and I'm on disability so paying someone to do this isn't an option, nor is paying for monitoring.

oh..
I meant to tell you..
I was reading your alarm FAQ, and I was able to get my installers code... (I assume it's a four digit code??)
I hope since I have it I can add sensors or replace this one I have problems with

i did have one oddity happen... I hooked up the unit AC first then battery, and it said "No AC" (power) on the display panel. I unglugged everything, and did the same things agaion, and everything was OK. Every heard of this happening..

One other thing I tried to get into the program mode (pyut in installers code, and then 8+00 and when I come upstairs it said "
No AC again..??
What can you tell me...
I just feel like I am ALMOST there..hahah

Sorry, your statement about checking the batteries was buried in the block of text you initially posted.

"No AC" shows when you are in programming mode (it's in the manual), so that's normal.

The point I am making about the correct keypad is that if you try to do this, you will be programming blind, without the prompts that the programming system is designed around.

If you are determined to program "blind" you have to follow the *56 programming, step by step.

Example in this thread: http://forum.doityourself.com/electronic-alarms-home-security-devices/331175-ademco-6150-delete-default-rf-zone.html

That one is for removing a zone, but it's a good example of the sequence.

Write out your steps, and remember, if you get off track, don't key around blindly, just pull the plug and start over.

so thankful of your help...
I found a place that looks like it tells which unit you have (6150 or 6160)
What I found in an manual says
6150 measurements = 4 7/8 x 6 1/4 x 1
6160 measurements = 5 5/16 x 7 3/8 x 1 3/16

So after measureing mine It seems I have the 6150 (instead of the 6160 I assumed.
I suppose programming for both is about the same.
I checked out the link you provided for removing the sensor (??)
Doesn't look 'complicated', just have to be very careful as you stated.
If I understand it right, even if you mess up you can unplug it and start over

It's not that the programming is any different, it's that the 6150 _cannot_ display the menu mode programming prompts.

oohh I see...
If I understand correctly, when you get into the 'programming" mode it doesn't "ask" you or tell you what you are doing...
I know I was trying to set the time and date, and it never came up and "showed" me the time / date, etc so I KNEW what I was looking at and changing...

So unless I'm mistake what you are saying is that I just have to punch in numbers without being sure what is going on...?

That's what "program blindly" means.

Also why it's a bad idea for a novice without any familarity with the programming syntax.

thanks for the help..
even though it don't sound like I can end up doing anything, the info is sorth a lot just in itself.

I had assumed that if anyone could do the 're'programming, I could do it as good as anyone.
However, since it is a 'blind' input... that would be difficult as you said.
Don't suppose I could go anywhere and "learn" what all the numbers SHOULD be, and the order to put them in..??
I'd have no idea who to search for or find something like that.
If so I still think I could swing it... ;)

OH... I did find this (Maybe other can use it)
I'm not sure if it has the instructions on how to do what I need or not.
Down in section 5 it has something that "Sounds" like it may be kinda what I need to do... but I really have no clue, and hope someone can walk me threw it
http://www.alarmeengros.com/installation15P.pdf

I know it talks about:
Zone Programing (*56)
Serial number
loop number
etc...

Hope someone can tell me what I need,.. and how to do this on my own (and not screw up my system so it don't work at all... LOL)
thank you "Hopeless" for the link to the PDF file, which turned out to be the Installation and Set-Up Guide for the vista -20P/PS and Vista-15P series of security systems. I had been looking for this guide for quite a while without success. As a result of a failure of a recessed door transmitter, I could not just buy a new one because it needed to be "enrolled", and that needed knowledge of the programming language. Without the "guide" I had to pay a "security" person ~$200 for replacing a $50 item.