HoneywellVISTA-20P Ademco Control Panel, PCB in Aluminum Enclosure

I purchased this to replace a proprietary system,installed by a prior homeowner, that had been inactive for several years. With a little bit of Google research of of the model number it was clear that the old unit had been manufactured by Honeywell. I was interested in self monitoring and did not want to commit to an expensive, multi-year contract to re-activate the old system. The Vista system seemed well recommended as a neutral platform.On the physical side, I was able to re-use the existing wiring and Honeywell branded wireless sensors, but the speaker, keypad, and wireless receiver all had to be replaced. I paired this with a 6162 keypad, a WAVE-2 siren, and a 5881 wireless receiver. If I could do it again I would have probably went with the 6162rf keypad, since it has a RF receiver built in and my sensors are all relatively close to the unit. On the wiring side, you need to be comfortable stripping wire and using screw terminals, and for new installs there is the issue of routing wires through the wall for the power, keypad, and siren -- everything else can be wireless if desired.A keypad that supports Vista Intelligent Programming, such as one of the 616X series keypads, is essential. The control unit shipped to me had a v10.x firmware, so I was set under the requirement to have version 9.18 or higher to use the menu programming. In line with other comments, the programming menu is more oriented towards installers and requires navigating through several menus, but I was able to complete basic programming and enable ~5 wired and wireless zones over an afternoon by following along with online guides and YouTube videos. There are some great YouTube videos that basically walk from initial start up to configuring and naming a few zones.I'm not sure if you need the software engineer background others mention to program it, but comfort with technology and a willingness to treat it as an adventure helped. So far the system is working great, and I've added an Envisalink 3 for web based monitoring and control, which I was able to get up and running in about 30 minutes.The end result is that I have a system with plenty of capacity to grow that does everything I need -- I am very happy with the system. Day to day operation is very smooth, with the full text display again helping (as you can name zones and be notified of issues).The added features (web monitoring/control and text/e-mail alerts) from the EnvisaLink are great as well. While there are an increasing number of all wireless or "home automation" oriented systems out there, I am more comfortable with the idea of having a solid, stand alone, reliable system like the 20p for security, with home automation on its own platform until there is a little more standards convergence.Next steps include adding a sensor for the garage door and possibly wireless smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. I will eventually look into the Honeywell Connect and/or Tuxedo Touch add-ons as they continue to mature.

I replaced my Vista10Se that was doing weird things. This model is very close in layout but the wiring was slightly different. If you are switching from a different model the resisters they ship with the panel are likely different from your old one and you will need to swap all of those out. What you could put on each port was more flexible than my 10SE, but there was a restriction on what you could put on one of the ports on the 20SE.I switched to two 6160 key pads with my upgrade so I have full text on both keypads. One of those keypads is a 6160RF so I can use things like key fobs. Make sure you copy all of the setting out of your old panel if you have access to the programming... otherwise just fill out options sheet as to what you may want to change from the default. You can likely just call your security company to get setting like the dial in number and responses if you need. Each company will vary.All of my wiring went back in without a problem. I like that I can put real words on my zones now so you don't need a chart to see what is open. The relays are a little louder. I can hear them clicking as I lock and unlock the system.The messaging off this unit is much better than my old one. I also saw some after market devices to have the messaging go direct a phone w/o the need of the monitoring company to forward it. Those devices and the app can let you remotely arm and disarm as well. Keep in mind that some monitoring companies just bundle all that in to their offering now so you may be able to get it that way.I was able to keep my old cellular backup and the IP adapter that allows my monitoring to work over the internet as well.If you have not programmed these before they can be a little frustrating... and understanding resistive loops might have you scratching your head. There are a lot of online videos for these panels. I have to say the programming my first RF device was a task even with the videos... I probably should not have started with trying to customize it to my desires and gone with the defaults as a starting point for the RF (as that would have worked). In the end all is good and as I want it.