Ademco Custom Zone Type for outdoor chime

Using a Vista 20P panel. Created a custom zone type for outdoor sensors to chime and never trigger an alarm. The system will voice announce the outdoor sensor that is faulted when the alarm is off, but when the alarm is on, the outdoor sensors announce "Alarm Away" or "Alarm Stay" and do not announce which sensor is faulted. Whether the alarm is on or off, I want the system to tell me if someone is approaching the front door, driveway, side gate, etc. Is it possible to program the panel so that it will announce the faulted sensor when the alarm is both on and off, or is this a limitation of the Vista panel?

Best, Christopher

Reply to
Christopher Glaeser
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You can add a 2nd voice keypad and place the outdoor motions on a separate partition. You will need to program the keypad for partition 2 only as well...that will do it.

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Reply to
Jim Rojas

Thanks, I was wondering if a second partition would be the best solution. Currently, in addition to the Vista panel, I'm using a LYNX and 5828V keypads to monitor the outdoor sensors, and am trying to get everything to work on the one Vista panel. Using a second partition would be a better alternative to two alarm systems if I can get it to work.

Quick question. What are the implications for the second partition and Total Connect? In particular, would it be possible to get a text message when an outdoor sensor is faulted? I'm guessing there may be two issues.

1) Can a single Total Connect account work with two partitions, and 2) can Total Connect be programmed to send a test message for a non-alarm event such as a chime?

FWIW, I'm surprised this outdoor sensor chime isn't a more common feature.

Best, Christopher

Reply to
Christopher Glaeser

It might work for you, but if someone were to do that around here, it would drive them crazy. We have raccoons, possum, deer, fox, cats, dogs and every other indigenous memeber of a menagerie you can think of.

I have a chime on my motion light in my driveway and sometimes I have to shut the damn thing off, it gets so annoying. Then I forget to turn it back on, so it's basically ..... useless.

Reply to
Jim

Yes, you definatelly have to get quality motions and dial them in or the outdoor critters will drive you crazy. My favorite motion is a Optex Redwall SIP-100. It is a long-range narrow-beam motion that I use to monitor a foot path 90 meters from my house. It can easily detect a cat at

100 meters (330 feet) on the highest sensitivity. I have it set up so that even large dogs do not set off the long-range sensor, but people do. It works flawlessly rain or shine, day or night. In addition to adjusting sensitivity, it requires precise aiming. Optex sells a spotters lens that attaches to the Redwall for precise aiming, but I was able to do it with a series of careful adjustments and about a dozen climbs on the ladder. Of course, a quality motion like this costs six to seven hundred dollars.

The Optex VX-402 is also a fine motion. My 85 pound golden retriever walks past them all the time and has never triggered them. We have ferrel cats, raccons, turkeys, possums, skunks, ... none of them are a problem for the VX-402. The Crow Daredevil recive good reviews, but I've yet to use one.

I also have sensors on outdoor gates, shed, and mail box. I don't want any of these devices to trigger an alarm, but I do want to know when any of these devices or motions are faulted. Apparently, that is not a feature supported by the Vista panel, at least not on a single partition.

Best, Christopher

Reply to
Christopher Glaeser

Hmmmm ..... well then, in view of all that, I guess it's true .....

Just because one it paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't out to get you.

Reply to
Jim

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