Vista 20P 5800 series wireless InSaNiTy!

[Airdorn <a-i-r-d-o-r-n@xxxxxxxxxx-m>]

Hello=20friends!

30=20year=20service=20tech=20with=20a=20local=20family-owned=20ala=
rm=20company=20here.=20I've=20been=20installing/servicing=20the=20=
Honeywell=20Vista=20series=20all=20the=20way=20back=20from=20the=
=2010/20SE=20days.=20Man,=20those=20were=20terrible=20panels.=20Th=
e=2015/20P=20is=20obviously=20much,=20much=20better.

I'm=20well=20versed=20in=20the=2015/20P=20--=20they=20make=20up=20=
probaly=2080%=20of=20roughly=205000=20accounts=20we=20monitor,=20s=
o=20I=20see=20the=20Vista=2020P=20multiple=20times=20every=20day=
=20because=20I=20run=20service=20calls=20fixing=20what'd=20you'd=
=20expect:=20Broken=20switches,=20dead=20batteries,=20the=20usual=
=20garden=20variety=20stuff.=20We=20have=20a=20massive=20amount=20=
of=205800=20series=20wireless=20stuff=20out=20there=20and=20I=20se=
e=20that=20every=20day=20too..

I'm=20not=20posting=20this=20to=20boast,=20but=20to=20demonstrate=
=20that=20I'm=20pretty=20darned=20sharp=20with=20the=205800=20seri=
es=20wireless=20stuff=20on=20the=20V20P.=20I've=20seen=20every=20p=
ossible=20problem,=20or=20so=20I=20thought.....

[BEGIN=20THE=20MEAT=20OF=20THE=20POST]

Over=20the=20past=202-ish=20years=20I've=20seen=20a=20certain=20pr=
oblem=20a=20handfull=20of=20times=20with=20V20P=20wireless.=20I've=
=20not=20been=20able=20to=20discover=20the=20cause=20of=20this=20o=
r=20any=20remedy.=20Honeywell=20tech=20support=20is=20baffled=20an=
d=20they=20can't=20offer=20any=20insight=20at=20all.=20Here=20is=
=20what=20happens.

Vista=2020P=20alarm=20system=20with=205881=20receiver=20(L,=20M,=
=20or=20H=20--=20doesn't=20matter)=20is=20installed,=20up=20and=20=
running.=20There=20may=20or=20may=20not=20be=20hardwire=20zones=20=
installed.=20That=20does=20not=20matter.=20Presence=20of=20other=
=20devices=20like=20zone=20expander=20does=20not=20appear=20to=20m=
atter=20either.

In=20every=20instance=20I=20have=20seen=20this=20problem,=20there=
=20have=20been=20numerous=205816=20wireless=20sensors=20enrolled=
=20and=20operating=20fine.=20There=20may=20also=20be=20wireless=20=
smoke,=20wireless=20glassbreak,=20etc.

After=20the=20system=20is=20up=20and=20running=20for=20a=20period=
=20of=20time=20---=20I've=20not=20been=20able=20to=20determine=20h=
ow=20long,=20or=20even=20if=20that=20matters=20--=20the=20system=
=20may=20begin=20to=20act=20erratically=20as=20if=20doors=20were=
=20opening/closing=20very=20rapidly,=20over=20and=20over.=20For=20=
instance,=20when=20a=205816=20sensor=20is=20tripped=20(by=20openin=
g=20the=20door),=20the=20V20P=20displays=20the=20faulted=20zone=20=
approprately.=20When=20closed,=20the=20display=20shows=20appropria=
tely.=20But=20within=20a=20few=20seconds,=20the=20zone=20will=20ap=
pear=20to=20trip=20again=20and=20restore=20very=20rapidly.=20A=20f=
ew=20seconds=20later,=20it=20may=20happen=20again,=20then=20restor=
e.=20If=20clime=20mode=20is=20on,=20the=20keypad=20will=20chime=20=
each=20time.=20Then,=20the=20zone=20may=20stay=20faulted=20for=20a=
=20seemingly-random=20period=20of=20time,=20then=20restore.=20Then=
=20it=20may=20work=20correctly=20for=20a=20while.=20But=20ten=20tr=
ip/restore=20again=20--=20sometimes=20in=20rapidfire=20display.=20=
It's=20quite=20the=20comedy=20to=20watch:=20someone=20opens=20the=
=20front=20door,=20for=20instance,=20and=20the=20keypad=20displays=
=20and=20chimes=20as=20expected,=20then=20does=20it=20again=20and=
=20again=20and=20again=20in=20an=20erratic=20way=20--=20as=20if=20=
someone=20were=20opening/closing=20the=20door=20very=20very=20fast=
,=20faster=20than=20a=20human=20being=20could=20possibly=20do=20it=
=2E

Each=20time=20I=20have=20run=20into=20this,=20I=20have=20deleted=
=20the=20zone,=20and=20relearned=20a=20new=20sensor,=20reasoning=
=20the=20sensor=20has=20gone=20wonky.=20But=20then,=20that=20one=
=20will=20also=20behave=20the=20same=20way.=20Learning=20it=20by=
=20tripping=20the=20sensor=20or=20by=20manually=20entering=20the=
=20serial=20number=20does=20not=20matter.=20The=20loop=20number=20=
(internal=20reed=20or=20external=20contacts)=20does=20not=20matter=
=20either.

I=20have=20deleted=20the=20zone=20and=20moved=20to=20a=20new=20one=
=20with=20a=20new=20sensor=20--=20same=20thing.

I=20have=20deleted=20all=20zones=20and=20started=20over=20--=20sam=
e=20thing.

On=20a=20couple=20of=20occasions,=20when=20programming=20a=20new=
=20wireless=20zone,=20when=20the=20system=20is=20in=20learn=20mode=
,=20seemingly-random=20serial=20numbers=20will=20sort=20of=20"lear=
n"=20into=20the=20system=20over=20and=20over.=20None=20of=20the=20=
serial=20numbers=20displayed=20on=20the=20learn=20screen=20are=20o=
nes=20on=20the=20system.=20And=20no,=20my=20service=20truck=20does=
n't=20have=20any=20rogue=20transmitting=20sensors=20in=20the=20tra=
shcan=20in=20the=20back!=20:)

The=20learn=20mode=20behavior=20lead=20me=20to=20believe=20that=20=
a=20nearby=20system=20V20P=20--=20maybe=20a=20next=20door=20neighb=
or=20--=20is=20interfering=20with=20programming.=20Honeywell=20tec=
h=20support=20seems=20to=20believe=20that=20may=20be=20the=20right=
=20track,=20but=20they=20offer=20no=20further=20help=20along=20tho=
se=20lines.

I=20just=20don't=20know=20why=20aready-programmed=20sensors=20woul=
d=20be=20affected=20in=20such=20a=20way=20that=20the=20weird=20run=
-mode=20behavior=20happens.=20All=20I=20can=20think=20of=20is=20th=
at=20there=20is=20some=20kind=20of=20wireless=20data=20spamming=20=
from=20the=20offending=20neighbor.

---

As=20anecdotal=20example,=20I=20once=20had=20to=20put=20all-new=20=
wireless=20on=20an=20existing=20Vista=2020P:=2019=205816=20window=
=20sensors.=20So,=20to=20save=20myself=20time=20at=20the=20custome=
r's=20house,=20I=20went=20ahead=20and=20put=20batteries=20in=20all=
=20the=20devices=20at=20the=20shop=20and=20got=20them=20ready=20fo=
r=20fast=20enrolling.

That=20was=20a=20mistake!=20When=20I=20brought=20them=20all=20to=
=20the=20customer's=20house,=20I=20found=20that=20I=20could=20not=
=20get=20ANYTHING=20to=20program.=20I=20had=20to=20take=20all=20ba=
tteries=20back=20out=20of=20them=20and=20then=20put=20them=20back=
=20in=20one-by-one=20while=20programming=20each=20zone.=20My=20the=
ory=20is=20that=20since=20they=20were=20all=20unprogrammed=20and,=
=20thus,=20unrecognized=20by=20the=20system,=20they=20were=20all=
=20talking=20gibberish=20to=20the=20V20P=20and=20the=20receiver=20=
was=20rejecting=20all=20that=20noise=20and=20kind=20of=20flooding=
=20out=20with=20the=20nonsense.=20Only=20after=20each=20one=20was=
=20enrolled=20one-by-one=20did=20that=20system=20work=20properly=
=2E

But=20this=20post=20is=20about=20existing=20systems=20that=20work=
=20fine=20but=20begin=20displaying=20the=20weird=20run-time=20beha=
vior=20either=20after=20adding=20a=20single=20new=20wireless=20sen=
sor,=20or=20a=20whole=20new=20system=20that=20just=20beings=20to=
=20fail=20on=20it's=20own=20relatively=20soon=20after=20initial=20=
install.

One=20last=20thing.=20Normally=20on=20the=205881=20receiver=20the=
=20red=20LED=20will=20flicker=204=20times=20very=20rapidly=20when=
=20it=20receives=20any=20sort=20of=20message=20from=20a=20sensor=
=2E=20If=20a=205816=20sensor=20is=20tripped,=20the=20light=20will=
=20flicker.=20When=20restored,=20it=20will=20flicker.=20That=20is=
=20normal=20behavior.

When=20this=20weird=20problem=20is=20happening,=20the=20red=20LED=
=20will=20flicker=20as=20expected=20when=20the=20sensor=20is=20tri=
pped.=20But=20while=20the=20weird=20behavior=20is=20happening,=20t=
he=20red=20LED=20is=20NOT=20flickering,=20which=20leads=20me=20to=
=20believe=20a=20sensor=20is=20not=20actually=20transmitting=20any=
thing=20to=20the=20receiver=20at=20that=20moment.=20It's=20as=20if=
=20the=20V20P=20system=20itself=20is=20roiled=20in=20some=20intern=
al=20turmoil.


If=20anyone=20has=20seen=20this=20problem=20and=20has=20any=20insi=
ght=20that=20could=20shed=20some=20light,=20I'd=20appreciate=20a=
=20reply!


Airdorn