Re: Radioncs 9112 lockcode

[Nomen Nescio <nobody@xxxxxxxxx>]

Roland Moore said:

>If you've been to RPS class they tell you about the unlock code. It is not a
>secret. The bad guys already know about it. I didn't say what the code was
>or where to put it or fully explain the process. Why not let the good guys
>that don't know about it yet find out. Once they know it exists they can go
>through proper channels to find out the particulars if they need to unlock a
>panel. If they're the bad guy they'll keep guessing. Bosch panels end up in
>some pretty high security areas. If you've data locked a panel and think it
>is bullet-proof I think it is important to know that there is a way to
>defeat it. I just explained that there is a hole in the data lock feature
>and how it came to be. You might rely too much on data lock when you should
>actually do more to protect the panel and its data from attack

I've never felt the need to go to an RPS class, since I've been using RAM
since before it had Roman numerals.  Do they actually give you the back
door code in class, or just tell you that it exists?

Datalock was never intended as a way to keep bad guys out of programming.
It was developed at the request of the big alarm companies, who wanted to
prevent their smaller competitors from reprogramming their panels.  This is
why there is no way to use a 5200 to restore a panel to the factory
defaults if the lock code is unknown:  that feature would allow one alarm
company to take over another alarm company's panel.

Personally, I think if the customer owns the panel, then any Bosch dealer
should be able to default it and reprogram it.  Bosch disagrees.  But what
really pisses me off is that if the lithium battery in a panel dies, and AC
and main battery are disconnected, the panel cannot be reprogrammed by
anyone except the Bosch factory.  I'm locked out of panels that I paid for!
And I have to pay Bosch an extortion fee to get them fixed.  It's doubly
bad, since in some of the panels, the lithium battery is soldered into the
board, and changing it is no easy matter.  Preventive maintenance is not an
option.

- badenov