New construction Honeywell System --> ADC. Pitfalls?

[skiaddict]

Hello, we are building a home currently and talking to a local installer to have a wired system put in, they are recommending the a Honeywell Vista 20 panel with 6290 keypads, door and window sensors, PIRs, glass breaks, smoke/carbon monoxides all wired. I will not sign a contract with them nor ultimately monitor through them due to exorbitant costs. Any drawbacks to this system? Should I consider the Tuxedo panels instead? My understanding is I can easily add the SEM to get monitoring through Surety/ADC. Open to all suggestions and or learning of any pitfalls with this route. Ultimately will probably not do much automation with the system and/or Z-wave. Looking to go the HomeKit route and may add HOOBs to integrate at some point.

[jwcsurety (Jason)]

The programming is less intuitive for DIY use, but if you are not planning on using it for automation, only security purposes, the Vista is a commonly used panel and you can get it connected to ADC via the SEM.

I do not have a lot of experience using the Tuxedo keypads to give a recommendation on them. We typically recommend having an alpha-numeric programming keypad like the 6160, but it looks like the 6290 keypads have a “Console Emulation Mode” which allows you to use them as a programming keypad, according to the manual.

Honeywell/ADEMCO Vista System Enhancement Module (SEM) Compatibility and Setup Guide

If you have a Honeywell Vista series panel, you may be able to connect it to Alarm.com using the System Enhancement Module or SEM. This guide will cover how to determine if your Honeywell/ADEMCO Vista panel is compatible with the Alarm.com SEM and how to connect it to the SEM if it is. Is my Vista Panel Compatible? Supported The SEM is compatible with the Honeywell/ADEMCO VISTA: 10P 15P 20P 21 IP Panels should work as long as they were manufactured in 2005 or later and version 3.1+. You…

[skiaddict]

Would the Vista panel be compatible with the ADC smart water valve? If we were interested in the automation features, what would be your be your recommendation for panel? Not sure I will go this route as I was not a huge fan of Z-wave in. previous home but open to all options. Thanks.

[tyler (Tyler G)]

Would the Vista panel be compatible with the ADC smart water valve?

The System Enhancement Module has the Z-Wave radio installed and would work with the water valve.

Steps on how to add/remove Z-Wave devices from the SEM can be found here:

How To Manage Z-Wave devices on a SEM-Honeywell/ADEMCO Vista

The Z-Wave controller on the SEM-Honeywell/ADEMCO Vista is built into the Alarm.com cellular module, so swapping the panel requires no action in regards to Z-Wave, while swapping the module requires the deletion and addition of any existing Z-Wave devices. It is recommended to enroll no more than 60 total Z-Wave devices and up to 5 thermostats to ensure network stability. Z-Wave network stability depends on many factors, including the number of enrolled devices, network layout, environmental in…

The SEM lacks the ability to run a Z-Wave Network Rediscovery locally. This should be run any time you add all Z-Wave devices, or remove a Z-Wave device, from the network. Thie feature maps out the best communication pathways for the network. Z-Wave Network Rediscoveries would be run remotely.

Alarm systems like the Qolsys IQ Panel 4 are easier to work with from a DIY aspect over the Vista/SEM, espeically when it comes to Z-Wave.