Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - 250P1 question

I also bought a house with a Protection One 250p1 alarm system. I think it might be a Vista 10p, but I'm not absolutely positive. It's got 6 unused hardwired zones and uses 58XX series wireless transmitters, but doesn't have any kind of separate reciever so I don't think it's a Vista 10se (actually, I don't see any kind of antenna anywhere in the system...could it be I'm missing something for the system to function?)

I want to reprogram the system to get it functional again (I've installed an Ademco Lynx wireless system in another house so I have some experience doing this), although I'm not going to pay to have it monitored. The alarm was completely disconnected from power, and I was able to reconnect it and enter programming mode. But downloading the Installation manual for the 10p is not helping me get the zones programmed because the instructions assume you have a 2-line kepad display connected and Protection One only supplied a keypad with 2-digit display. Does anyone have instructions on how to navigate the programming with 2-digit display keypads? It doesn't even seem to follow the same procedure. Or will I need to get a 2-line display keypad? And if so which model will work best with this system, assuming it's a Vista 10p? Or is my problem that I actually have a different system and I'm trying to program it with the wrong instructions? Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks...

Yes, if you read back through the thread, you will note that a 250P1 is a modified Vista 10p.

_All_ Vista series panels (and their clones) require a 2-line alpha keypad to access the menu mode programming required to add, delete, or change zones as well as other functions.

One of your keypads is a RF model with the wireless receiver built in. If all you are trying to do is turn off the dialer, then you should be able to do this with the keypads you have.

Be aware, that Protection 1 often disables the local programming functions, but this one sounds open.

Thanks for your help so far. If there was a wireless keypad, it was removed before I bought the house. But I'm not sure there was, because there is a keypad wired to the motherboard (and there were keyfobs programmed, but they're missing). Attached are some pics - is that thick black bar the antenna? It is wired to the board (on its left side - not visible in pic). The Vista 10p manual shows a separate receiver board with regular wire antennas that isn't in my lockbox. Regarding Protection One locking out the ability to program - I can definitely program some fields (*20 installer code for instance), so I don't think they did...unless they can specifically lock out just the *56 field and that's why I'm having problems? That doesn't seem likely though considering I doubt they'd let me edit the installer code if they were going to lock anything out. The keypad pic shows the display immediately after entering *56. I think that's the "Set to confirm?" prompt, and if I select '1' for yes, it then displays "10" which I think may be the first zone number, but from there the display doesn't seem to respond to my entries according to the manual. Without a 2-line display keypad it's difficult to figure out...

http://michaelesser.com/stuff/motherboard.JPG

http://michaelesser.com/stuff/keypadJPG

http://michaelesser.com/stuff/keypad.JPG

If all of your wireless devices are working, then the keypad you are holding in your hand is a 6150RF keypad with a built in wireless receiver.

No, you cannot access the menu mode programing with this keypad (no *56, no *81, etc.)

I pryed it open and sure enough - antennas. Thanks. (It never occurred to me that an RF keypad meant it had a built in RF receiver - I figured an RF keypad just transmitted signals through RF to the base.)

But now I need to know what I need in order to get this working again. Because I wanted to add glass break detectors and move some door/window units around (and clear the Protection One call center data), I reset everything to default with *97 right after I plugged it in. I was looking at a 6160 'alpha' keypad:
V15P-KIT1 | Ademco Honeywell Vista Security System Kit | Home Security Store (http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-910-v15p-kit1-ademco-honeywell-vista-security-system-kit.aspx)
BUT it looks like only the 6150 has an RF receiver option? So do I need to get a separate RF receiver board and mount that in the box (or is there some external programming device I can hook up to the system just for programming)? Do you know the model number of the board/device I'd need to get to work with the vista 10p? (And if I went with a receiver board would the 6160 keypad then solve my programming problems?)

Again, thanks for your valuable and timely input.

Nope, you just need a 6160 keypad in addition to the hardware you already have in order to do the programming.

Leave everything in place, as is, install and address the second keypad and reprogram your system.

The *97 was overkill. All you needed to do, even with the keypad you have, was to delete the dialer info by entering *41*, *42*, and *94*.

Also, before commiting to adding devices, count the ones you have. This keypad receiver only supports 16 devices.

Thanks again. I stumbled upon that other thread in a google search, but I've since gone to the alarm forum page and read your stickys. Good advice! Especially that very first part in bold about not doing *97 without making sure you had the right equipment to reprogram :wall:

I also see that you said it actually is possible to program with my keypad, but it's frustrating enough not being able to see prompts and know what it's asking for that I guess it probably will be worth the investment in the 6160, particularly if I ever have to do it again (and my experience so far with wireless transmitters and the Lynx tells me that may unfortunately be occasionally necessary)

I should be good on the total - this is a tiny house so I won't need many acoustic glass breaks. Have you got any experience with the 5853s? I hope they work well. I had a break in through a window in my previous place. They just grabbed a few easy items (laptop, ipod, etc)...probably to support a drug habit. Even if I had a system there I don't think the motion detector tripping would've stopped them from grabbing the few things they did- they were clearly wanting to get out quickly rather than take everything. I do think though that if an alarm went off right after they broke the glass that they might've just jetted rather than crawling in through busted glass with an alarm blaring. I think I'll even put a chain on an unlocked patio door with a sensor and hope they try that before breaking a window.

I've got new windows on order to replace the circa 1950 ones anyway, so I should be able to test the glass breaks' operation, but if you've got any particularly negative (or positive) experience with them please let me know. And thanks again Ron.

The truth of the matter is that nearly all acoustic glassbreaks work on the same basic tech. The 5853 is a perfectly good unit. Since you aren't going to be monitored, I would suggest setting the zones for the glass breaks as a 24 hour audible zone.

Even smash and grab goons don't like to hang around when there's blaring sirens.