Area Code Change: Ademco Vista 50

They should be able to download the appropriate change without a "visit". You'll have to test in the system afterwards. If your company isn't willing to perform this service for you, contact Jim Rojas at

Ask your service provider if he or she has a copy of Compass for Windows. If they don't, or don't know what you're talking about, it would be a good indication it's time to switch providers. What the company might want to do is upgrade the chip inside your Vista 50 panel, especially if it is a really old version. Newer keypads like the 6160 reportedly have trouble with early version of the Vista 50 without the chip upgrade. That means the whole program has to be rewritten within Compass for the upgrade. That would be the only reason to have to send a technician to the site. However simply making a change in the dialer and not testing the system thoroughly afterwards is certainly not a good idea.

His comments about his provider's "excessive" fee makes me wonder just how "excessive" it is. And further... if the area code change involves his provider (and nothing the OP instigated), I'd think that would be a "freebie". He should really have a look at the wording in his contract.

how much is the service call?

Thats absurd

1. Giving an untrained individual Compass would be rather dumb, same with giving him a program sheet and letting him fat finger it

1. Just because they may not have Compass doesn't mean it's time to change providers, I know many companies that don't download which do excellent service

The OP needs to define what "excessive" means, I have a feeling it isn't excessive at all

"Mark Leuck" a écrit dans le message de news:

your the absurd one..where in hell did Roland ever said the OP to get a copy of Compass?? he asked him to ask his provider so that the OP can se what type of alarm dealer he has..

and at the same he is educating the OP about the fact that his provider could reprogram the dealer by software preventing the visit of him home by the alarm company technician..

and we know some that do download some panel and leave no protection

Excessive for you must be the amount that some dealer received from a well known company lately ;-)

For once you are correct, I was wrong

On each of these you little worm you have no clue what you are talking about

Yes we all know about his standard for "excellent service". But you forget that is not his department. He is in the don't give a s*it department. The other guys at fault are in the oh s*it or deep s*it departments. It such a big place it is hard to know who works where, and even harder to remember once you know. And as for keypad programming I know how to do that as well as foiling windows, installing lace wire and pull traps, using under carpet pressure mats along with vibration sensors and installing transducers on ultrsonic systems. I guess I should get a horse and buggy and go back to installing these on a McCullough loop panel or Potter direct wire? The technology changes with the times and it is important to stay up with it.

Well if he only has one 6139 keypad and it fails, and this is an early Vista

No s*it? He didn't have to pay, so it didn't seem to bother anyone in the don't give a s*it department he works in. It was the big s**ts that paid, blaming it all on the oh s*it department. They would have blamed deep s*it, but everyone is trying to stay out of there.

The only thing more dangerous than some who doesn't know is someone who doesn't know but thinks they do, you fall in that last category

At least you finally got that part right, too bad thats the only thing you've gotten right about me so far

You need a 6139 or 6160 to change a phone number in a Vista-50?

Heh you might want to reconsider going back out in the field

The cost is quoted as "a $150 minimum charge for this service." This is in Chicagoland. I think it is a large provider here in Chicagoland.

The system was installed 10 years ago; the person I purchased the system from 'merged' with the existing company.

My issue is the three weeks it took to notify me when I pay for a monitored service, and what seems to me to be taking advantage of a situation that I believe could be easily rectified.

I have no alarm security experience beyond adding / deleting users, but do have experience in computer programming, so I anticipated being able to follow a set of instructions to change the phone number.

Am I off base here?

Thanks.

To roll a truck, test the system? Thats not too bad

All the more reason for a tech

Ahh computer programmers, they think they can do anything

You are correct. Your provider should have the software available to download your panel and make the necessary changes without an actual service visit. Furthermore, if the area code change doesn't involve anything that *you* did, the provider should be taking the initiative and making those changes necessary to maintain their customer base and their obligations under the contract. You aren't responsible for the area code change. Have a look at your contract wording. I believe you'll be able to argue (successfully) that they must provide the service if you've paid the monitoring fee.

Way off. Access to installer level programming on a monitored security system is restricted for a very good reason.

One more thing.

They should be issuing you with a credit for the three weeks (now four) that you've been without protection. In fact, I'd be so upset that it took them this long, I'd have my wife talk to them. She'd get a year of free monitoring and a month's worth of Starbucks (TM) vouchers.

Absolutely, when they subdivided our area codes here about 8 or so years ago, we reprogrammed 3000 accounts at OUR cost, and some of them were not remote programmable. And you shoulda heard the clients whine! Our only caveat was that we wouldn't charge the client if we could do it during normal business hours....oh the freekin whining!

Yah...like I'm absorbing all the cost as it is...why not double overtime as well? Sheesh.