We recently moved into a home with old Ademco Vista 20P, 2 Ademco M6983 keypad panels and a bunch of wired sensors (motion, door, window etc). My new insurance company is asking to submit a professional monitoring certificate so I’m planning to migrate away from the old system (at least the controller and keypad panels) to Qolsys and set up professional monitoring with Surety.
Based on the other support threads and some research I put together a migration plan and would like to run it by you here to confirm that I’m on the correct path.
Set up & install IQ4 Hub (319.5 Radio) (& activate professional monitoring to download the insurance certificate)
I realized that I could use the SEM to port the Vista 20P to Alarm.com but I would prefer to avoid using the old system as I’m not sure how well that was maintained and how much life is left in it.
The 2 devices are compatible with each other. This set up would allow up to 16 hardwires zones on the IQ Hardwire 16-F. Zone 16 is set for 2 wire smoke incase you have any hardwired smoke detectors.
If you are going to use the small enclosure, make sure you route the RF antenna out of the metal can enclosure. The other option would be to use the16-F large enclosure.
Alarm.com backups are not compatible with different systems when performing system upgrades to a different kind of system.
Vista Panels are almost bulletproof. When they do break, parts are readily available, including both newly manufactured parts and used parts. If I were you, I would keep the Vista, as long as the features it supports meet your need. The SEM is alot cheaper than a whole new panel, and adds support for Z-wave devices just like any Alarm.com panel. Just make sure you change all of the codes, including the installer code, and remove any old communicators.
If you do decide to replace the panel, the IQ PRO can takeover Wired modules without having to convert them to wireless. While RF Jamming is rare, it is becoming more and more common.
Thanks for the suggestions. This is one thing that is pushing me away from the Vista. I do not have any of the codes for this system and not sure if I can reset all the codes and start from scratch before installing SEM. Do you think I can reset all the codes? Any pointers would help. Thanks!
Another follow-up, I see that the SEM has compatibility restrictions. Looks like our panel is manufactured in 2003 and the firmware version is lower than v5.2. Does that mean I cannot pair a SEM with this model?
In order for the SEM to be compatible with the panel, the vista 20P needs to be 2005 or newer with version 3.1 or higher.
Since this is a REV 2.5, I wouldn’t recommend replacing the PROM chip as this is a huge jump. I would instead recommend swapping the panel with a newer vista 20p.
With swapping the panel with a newer one, you can reuse the same keypads and alarm enclosure.
Noted. Thanks.
IIUC you are suggesting to replace the PCB with something like this which has newer PROM chip (ignore the enclosure)
While replacing, if I exactly replicate the connections with the new PCB would that be enough. Or is there any additional programming required to pair with the existing panels
Are there any instruction videos that you prefer for this task?
Really appreciate your guidance and prompt responses
You would be required to reprogram the panel. The programming is what tells the panel what each device is, and what the panel should do when a zone is triggered.
Nicholas is correct. You would need to program all the zones and tell it what each is as well as any used codes on the panel. The panel will come with factory settings.
