Re: Napco P3200 firmware update options

[Remote Enabled Home <fkuozbpk-remote enabled home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob & Jim,

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 guess I just got to buy "V11E" and try it for myself or get someone elses alarm panel to integrate with my control system.  Note that in my weeks of investigating this I found out that the OLD FIRST GENERATION GEM-P3200 DOES support home automation as is said in the NAPCO document "WI987B" found here:

http://www.napcosecurity.com/images/panels/GEM-P3200_V11D_WI987B_ADDM.pdf

Specifically for "Crestron Home Automation system" noted at the bottom of page 2.  But NAPCO has no "V11D HA" or even record of it anymore.  If they did then people would have no reason to use the "new" NAPCO home automation systems at a monitoring cost per month.  NAPCO is all about the Recuring Monthly Revenue.

The NEW generation NAPCO GEM-P3200 panel which uses firmware V20+ do NOT do home automation.  Home automation is available for only the NAPCO GEM-P9600 for the NEW generation boards and or firmware.  ALL NAPCO tech knows is THEIR NEW home automation which again requires their central station at a cost per month.  Looking over Crestron's NAPCO first generation control software from 2002 I will be able to do everything the "new" NAPCO home automation does and much more at no cost per month.  Yes Crestron is expensive upfront and complicated to program for the inexperienced but I know Crestron very well.

I can get a firmware that supports home automation for my old NAPCO GEM-P3200 and then I will be set.  Getting the firmware should have been the easy part.  The Crestron system is all programmed and waiting to talk to the GEM-P3200 now.

Thanks again from,

REH
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