Vista SAMS20P checkout

[w2vy]

Just moved into a new house (to me) and there is an alarm system installed and it appears to be in good condition.
What is strange is that the motion sensors clearly have power but the two keypads do not.

Tonight I am going to check the voltages on the various terminals and see what I find.
There is also what appears to be a wireless remote.

Is there a normal use case where the wired keypads would not be on?
It could be they are not fully connected...

Tom

[kevin]

This is not normal behavior for a keypad - it will be on if there is proper hookups and no issues with the panel

[w2vy]

This is not normal behavior for a keypad - it will be on if there is proper hookups and no issues with the panel

Simple problem... power and DI removed at each keypad...

Display said CHIME BATT and CHIME with a big 02 to the left

I assume the battery is dead and zone 2 was faulted.

Not sure why it was beeping constantly

More later...
Tom

[JJsLegacy]

Don't they beep repeatedly when the battery is dead? (I think)

[w2vy]

Don't they beep repeatedly when the battery is dead? (I think)

That sounds plausible.

If I pull power and connect a keypad and re-apply power it will show D1 for a while and then seems to work normally.
Open door it chimes and gives a zone number.

So this begs the question does the alarm system work when the battery is dead and AC power is applied?
If not then maybe I need to get a new battery next...

tom

[JJsLegacy]

I believe it should functionally work without the battery as it's just used for backup power if/when needed.

[w2vy]

I believe it should functionally work without the battery as it's just used for backup power if/when needed.

So I removed the battery and not surprisingly things did not change much.

I tried to get the installer code by removing all power, re-applying it and pressing # and * together and wait for a 20 on the display.
I read that you have 50 seconds to press the buttons.

When it first powers up the display shows "dl" (DL or maybe D1) it stays with that display for maybe 50 sec maybe 2 mins I did not time it.
But then moves to what appears normal operation, open entry door and zone 02 beeps, etc

But then later (5-10 mins?) the keypad starts beeping repeatedly, I think hitting the keypad causes it to pause and resume.
I know that opening the entry door shows Zone 02, chimes and then after maybe 5 sec resumes beeping.

One other, possibly unrelated thought, there are some sensors that seemed to be added after the fact...
How can i tell if there is too much load on the Aux power? Would the voltage just be lower or would the system detect it and report it somehow?

Tom

[w2vy]

Well at my realtor's suggestion I called the phone number on the keypad...

ADT they said they do not release Installer Codes and I asked if they could change it for me so I could control the system.

In short she said I could remove it if I wanted to.

I am surprised they wouldn't even offer to release it to me for an extortion fee...

A real good reason to stay away from ADT, IMHO

So now to find a panel that works with the rest of the hardware I have...
Unless I can replace the NVRAM...

Tom

[kevin]

You can buy a factory vista20p panel off ebay for cheap. But if you have an alarmdecoder device we do have a module for the keypad software that can try and find the installer code for you.

[w2vy]

You can buy a factory vista20p panel off ebay for cheap. But if you have an alarmdecoder device we do have a module for the keypad software that can try and find the installer code for you.

I am going to pick one up this weekend, so getting the unlocker is a no-brainer.

Will I be able to disable Installer Lockout once I have that code?

Tom