Adding Z Wave to a VISTA System

hi DIYs Joey from alarm grid and today we're going to talk about how to get z-wave on to your Vista security system today we have an unwired vista 21ip right over here and we have the two ways that you can add z-wave on to the system with right here the two methods that you can use to do that is installing a van or Vista automation module or installing a tuxedo touch both of those devices have a regular z-wave controller inside of them and they'll let you communicate with z-wave devices and integrate them and the scenes and rules through your system let's take a look at the two devices the first one that we have is the VAM this is the Vista automation module it's a regular z-wave controller it connects to the system using the 4 wire connection right to the ECB bus and it actually has a little dongle that ships with the unit this has the 4 wire connection built right in you can splice these in if you have to extend it further and on the other end you'll see it has a plastic mod clip now this mod clip this plugs in to the 4 wire connection right on the back of the unit and it makes it really easy to install now this also has a built-in web server so you'll be able to access is right from your local network with a smart device or computer and it's a very convenient device this is most likely the best z-wave option that you'll find for your Vista system as it's much less expensive than the tuxedo touch it's super clean and it works well if you have a tuxedo touch or if you want a keypad option in addition to getting a z-wave controller then the tuxedo touch is going to be your best option just keep in mind that the tuxedo touch is much more expensive than the VAM and it at this point has been around for some time so the graphics Artic are a little dated it still works great though again though if you're looking to just add simple z/f to your system you don't want to change any keypads and you want to keep it economical as far as your budget goes the VAM is gonna be your best option now if you do want to add a tuxedo touch it look fine for you we have one right here the tuxedo touch is a 7 inch color touch screen it can work as a keypad for the Vista system and in addition to that you can actually use it as a standalone control it's not recommended but if you do have one kicking around the house or if you buy one and you just have it stand alone you can use it as a standalone z-wave controller it connects to the Vista system with a four wire connection right to the ECP bus just like the VAM or any other keypad and you'll see right on the back there's four terminal screws that do connect it to the to the system using a four conductor cable we'll do that again it connects just like any other keypad super easy to set up you'll also see that on the back of it there's an Ethernet jack it has a built-in Wi-Fi module inside of it but if you don't have Wi-Fi in the house or if for whatever reason you can't connect it you can always hardwired connect it to Ethernet right with this port it'll work great for you so some of the other benefits that you have with these devices in addition to being able to control stuff locally is that if you have your Vista system monitored and Total Connect 2.0 if you want to use remote control of your automation you'll actually need one of these devices to even get that feature it's a good thing to keep in mind that on the system as its piecemeal when you do install it let's say you have Total Connect 2.0 and you want automation the Vista system is going to be communicating all that security stuff that van or the tuxedo touch will have to directly connect to the Wi-Fi or to the Ethernet network in your home and these will need to be on that network and connected for you to remotely control your automation stuff let's say you have a Vista system and it's connected via cellular and then you have a van that's connected to your Wi-Fi if your Wi-Fi drops down but the Vista system is still able to communicate out via cellular you'll still be able to communicate with the system using your Total Connect net it's still going to work fine as a security system it's just without that Wi-Fi connection you won't be able to remotely control your your automation devices through the van other than that though they're great devices to use it's the only options that you do have if you want to add z-wave to the the Vista system and they are compatible with most panels if you have any questions about this feel free to shoot us an email give us a call or head over to a website if you did enjoy the video feel free to subscribe if you want to be updated about future videos when we do post them click the notification button and we'll do so thanks for watching and have a great day