Re: Why Don't You Like DSC? (Addressed to those that don't.)

["Mark Leuck" <m..leuck@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1115870558.327412.4690@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> >
> > Walk someone through changing a user code on a DSC 832 or Ademco
> Vista-15P
> > or a Caddx NX-8 and compare that to any Napco panel from the P816 on
> up and
> > you'll know why Napco isn't popular
>
> Hmmm, I don't seem to have any customer problems with user codes. Just
> follow the user manual, step by step, and it must be pretty easy
> because I can't remember the last time someone called me to help them
> change/add a code....... unless they've misplaced the manual. Course,
> maybe all my clients never changed/added a code .........(?)

Yes as you say follow the user manual, don't need it with a V15P or DSC 1550

And in my opinion most people don't change user codes

> Could be there's easier panels out there, but I don't need them at this
> point. As long as I don't have any problems with Napco, over the long
> haul, I've been able to teach my clients how to use them and the
> programing's a snap, for me ......But it's obviously because I've
> evolved with their products. But, even so, it's doesn't make any
> difference (to me) if other panels are easier to program ..... for
> other people.

I can only tell my own experiences which isn't positive, it's always been
that way with Napco dating back to the Magnum series. The only exception is
the P400/800 and XP400/600 series panels and even then it's because it looks
like they copied a lot from DSC

> Now another story is ...... from NAPCO's point of view, if they are as
> hard to program as people seem to think they are, even if it's only a
> perception and not reality, it behooves Napco to attend to it. I've
> taught some novice installers ( electricians with no experience
> whatsoever) how to program Napco and it takes about a half hour, to an
> hour with a few follow up questions about some details. I'd guess that
> most people who perceive Napco is hard to program, probably tried to do
> it with  ..... either no, little or not good training.

Its always the same story

Tech can't get into programming unless they know which keypad is address 1
which ends up being time consuming to figure THAT out, then trying to
explain how to keypad program

I won't attempt walking someone through keypad programming on a Gem-P3200
with the 2-digit low end keypad but I have no problems at all working with
the binary display on a low end LED keypad connected to a DSC panel. Hands
down the Napco panel is much more difficult and time consuming to do even
the most basic programming compared to anything else out there. I could see
the complexity back in the MA2600/3000 era but in this day and age it is
neither acceptable or required, everyone else has moved on to easier
programming (check out an ITI/GE Concord sometime) and so should Napco


> I have very
> little to compare to, but when I do have to program another panel, it
> only takes me a few minutes to figure it out. I assumed it was because
> Napco was so detailed and with so many options, compared to other mfg's
> and because I'd been doing Napco for so long.

Could be since Napco is so complicated it makes everything else so much
easier :)

> Looking back to the beginning, it was just something that came easy to
> me in comparison to what Ademco was doing at the time. If it didn't, I
> would have likely sought another mfg. Go figure. Recently had to return
> a 9600, bad out of the box, but thats the first time in many years,
> that I've had a problem. So there's no reason for me to consider
> changing, simply because programing may be simpler on another make of
> panel. However it *has* to be an issue with Napco.

Yup, many in this newsgroup don't seem to realize most techs program via the
keypad not downloader and I will not download a panel unless I know how to
keypad program it first