Re: Napco P3200 firmware update options

["Bob La Londe" <none@xxxxxxxxxx>]

"G. Morgan" <sealteam6@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:7nf2gapkapam9bu55qb5pqopnqokiaa591@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Remote Enabled Home <fkuozbpk-remote enabled home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Wrote:
>
>>Thanks again for your support.  I called NAPCO Tech Support.  The tech has
>>no clue about old "V11D HA" or "V11HA" firmware revisions for the old
>>GEM-P3200.  The tech guy forwarded me to sales to see if it was in the
>>system and "V11D HA" or "V11HA" or even "V11D" is not on their system.
>>They go from "V11A" to "V11E".  No one knows if "V11E" will do the HA.  I
>>am sick of dealing with NAPCO as they do not have very good record for
>>their older products.  Will they have records of the current products to
>>be able to support them in the future say 10 to 20 years from now?  I do
>>not want to take that chance now.  They think people have the money to
>>just buy new systems every few years?
>
> I never understood their versioning system.  I'm partial to Honeywell
> lines,
> and they have a consistent versioning system.  They also maintain
> backwards
> compatibility (to a reasonable point) unlike Napco.  I just never "got"
> the
> reason some dealers swore by Napco products.  For everything a Napco panel
> could do, Ademco could do simpler.  In the alarm business, simple is
> always
> better as long as you're not compromising.
>
> Did you choose Napco? If so - why? I talked an employer out of using them
> when
> he had a couple hundred in the field.  It helped that he was switching CS
> numbers and didn't have the forethought to use his own toll-free dialer
> number.  I told him this would be a perfect opportunity to get rid of
> them. He
> kept the ones that were only a couple of years old and could connect via
> Quickloader to change the CS#.  I'm sure the rest were culled when Texas
> mandated SIA programming defaults, I was long gone by then.

I personally find the Napco Gemini Panels easier to program than the Ademco
panels.  That may be a function of my preference for knowing and controlling
the details of an installation.  If you want simple and easy, there isn't
much that beats a P801 for simplicity.

The current version are all SIA capable.  I admit I hated the Magnum Alert
panels.  My biggest thing though is I get personal service from people at
Napco at any level from senior techs to regional managers.  I can even have
the really busy guys make an appointment to call me on site so I am not
wasting my time on site waiting for the senior guys to have time to work
with me.  I also like the Napco is not a BORG or part of a BORG.  Without
supporting independent manufacturers there is nothing to stop BORG like
entities from just forcing you to be part of the collective, and only
support the BORGs vision of the way things should be.  I used to be an FBII
dealer back before FBII was assimilated.  I tried to keep using them
afterwards, but some of the "new" wonderful stuff just left me hanging.
Ultimately I started treating FBII panels sup[ported by Ademco like I treat
a DMP XR20 after it start acting flakey.  An upgrade or a cancellation.

I don't know why the OP didn't get good support from the first level tech he
spoke with, but he really doesn't sound like a dealer either.  If I didn't
get good help I would have requested some second level support of dropped an
email to Dave Sheffy, Bill Kensler or Maury Wolk.  No offense, but you come
off like a user with one panel you want to do something with.


--
--
Bob La Londe
The Security Consultant
Licenses ROC103044 & ROC103047

*******************************
*******************************
Side Business:
CNC Molds N Stuff
www.cncmolds.com

Day Job:
The Security Consultant
www.yumaalarm.com

Hobbies:
Honesty in Airguns
www.allairgunners.com

Fishing Arizona and the Colorado River
www.YumaBassMan.com
******************************
******************************