Trying to wrap my head around it

Had a service call that has me scratching my head.

Monday the customer kept getting calls from the monitoring center saying they were getting a fire trouble on zone 5.

Panel is a Safewatch 3000. Zone 5 is an entry/exit point programmed correctly. There are no fire devices on the system and no unused zones are programmed as fire though they are programmed and resistored out at the panel.

The customer is using phone service through their cable company and their data guy was on site during the time they were getting these calls.

I had heard some time ago about ADT monitoring centers seeing telco line faults as a fire trouble (why, I don't know) so that could explain the fire trouble, but they insist it was coming in on zone 5.

The zone 5 part is what bothers me. I don't like not understanding something. If it was a one time signal I could let it go as a an electron forgetting to turn left at Albuquerque - but it happened several times throughout the day (my guess would be every time the data guy f***ed with the cable/phone equipment).

I checked the program and ran the system through its paces and everything is (and 'was' as far as I could tell) programmed and functioning correctly, btw.

Reply to
JoeRaisin
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LMAO... Enjoy, dealing with ADT's CS. I refuse to.

Reply to
G. Morgan

And who are they to redefine CID for proprietary panels? What a joke.

Reply to
G. Morgan

Are you sure your panel is the offender and you do not have some one else programmed on your acct number have had this problem several times in past where some one mis-programmed a panel with active number I was using. have them check caller id where number is coming from its the only way we solved it when i had the problem.

Reply to
nick markowitz

They rewired the rj-31 blocks too.

Reply to
JoeRaisin

The people I talk to are generally very nice, and in most cases, helpful.

It's the hold times that are the major PITA.

Reply to
JoeRaisin

It would be a joke if they did it which they don't

Reply to
mleuck

That, and you're lucky to get one who understands what you are asking for.

Reply to
G. Morgan

Huh? Like change the protocol sent by the onboard computer? I don't think so, Tim.

No, it makes no sense. I have panels out there that vibrate (slightly) because there was no where else to mount them.

Reply to
G. Morgan

Not the last time I looked. I know they have "extended" codes for proprietary use on new-gen panels, but not on a SW/3000 over a dozen years old.

Reply to
G. Morgan

Once in a while I'll get someone who doesn't know what they are doing, but for the most part they seem to know what they are doing. The folks at programming even seem to have a bit of field experience.

Special projects is the real crap-shoot. I have had to interact with them many, many times and it seems like they either really know they are doing, or they totally fubar the program.

Supplies are the real bitch. We are constantly trying to get the parts we need. We get OH dr contacts with no magnets, one job had us installing 11 pull stations on a focus pnl with no sims and door contacts are always all of one type or another like no one ever even laid eyes on the place to know that recessed contacts are not going to work on half the doors. Don't even get me started on them shorting the wire estimates...

Reply to
JoeRaisin

Just finished a job for ADT, that was subbed, then re-subbed finally to us. Those idiots had already mounted 4 Spectra-domes (conduit and all on break-away towers) but didn't put the mini-fiber x-miter inside the domes. I looked in the NEMA box and they had seperate *receivers* in there? WTF? I was missing receivers.

I finally get the worthless PM from ADT out there (they had this job for

10 mos.) Bidded it site-unseen.

I asked how the hell I was supposed to get a fiber up the cam now, "can't you just take it apart and fish one?" Lol... I said "sure", if you want to pay me and do a change-order to take this whole thing apart and re-do it. I got my rack-mount receivers 5 days later. and he took a case of mini-transmitters back to ADT's warehouse, I wonder how he explained that?! lol...

Reply to
G. Morgan

Having dealt with ADT as a sub for a year now I have determined it isn't worth getting real worked up over it. When my concerns about parts is ignored early on all I have to do is wait until the deadline is coming up and I get called from some muckity muck who is in charge of all mom and pop stores that begin with the letters 'D' or "W" east of the Mississippi river asking if I am going to be done on time.

The only time they listen is when I say, "No." When they ask why, I tell them about the parts needed and reference the email I sent out two months ago. Next thing I know the parts have been special ordered and are being shipped overnight.

It only strays from the realm of "frustrating but amusing" when the missing parts include a shortage of wire. Then it is always a bit of a scramble calling around to the other guys to find out who has a roll of

16/19 red trunk line (which is another joke) on their truck.

Many of the jobs we get from them are last minute - seems like they finally figure out they don't have enough organic techs (because they have trimmed their tech staff way too much) to get it done and approach Dick with an "emergency install" that they have known about for months but we now have two weeks - while all our techs are busy on the current crop of "emergency installs." LOL

I keep thinking my boss should add a picture to his email sig. The one that has all the guys rolling on the floor laughing with the caption, "You want it when?"

Here's another interesting tidbit. I was talking to a salesman from another company who was absolutely convinced that everything dealing with a focus panel was proprietary *including the wire.* He was lamenting the fact that if her were to sell a takeover of a focus system they would have to replace all the wire...

Reply to
JoeRaisin

If the idiot tech was 'trained' by ADT, S.O.P. is to use that white (18/2 x 22/4) cable and cut it in mid-span to solder on a jumper to the device below. They also like to hide the V-plex/poppits/whatever they call the modules now in walls and above air ducts, why?

Reply to
G. Morgan

Extended codes yes but redefining old codes no, besides the 3000 is a Vista-20P and one can go into the configurable zone section and reprogram zones to send anything

Reply to
mleuck

This one wasn't programmed as a configurable zone - simple entry/exit.

Mark, been meaning to ask you something but I'm not sure if I remember something right. I think I have seen posts in the past indicating you may have some knowledge of ADT systems.

I can't figure out what point type a motion detector should be on a Focus panel. There is no "interior follower" or anything that seems like one. The ADT techs I have asked say they just make them either delayed or instant perimeter types based on where they are.

Why do they have to rename stuff?

Reply to
JoeRaisin

This was an idiot salesman.

For the focus panel they call 'em sims.

We're seeing a lot of v-128 panels lately. Since the focus doesn't have an isolator mod they're using the 128 on all hybrid installs.

Personally I prefer to see the burg and fire on separate panels - I done a few places where I put in both a burg panel and a fire panel. But that's probably 'cause I prefer fire to burg and can work the fire while supervising the burg part.

Reply to
JoeRaisin

It depends on the Focus panel, they had everyone from Moose, DSC and Ademco making their stuff

Reply to
mleuck

You have the CS check Call ID?

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Yep, it came from there.

Reply to
JoeRaisin

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