How Do I Setup Partitioning On My Total Connect Account?

You can setup partitioning on your Total Connect account by enabling the option. In TC2, the user is prompted to "Enable Partitions". By selecting "Configure Now", the user is guided through the configuration process. If "Later" is selected at this prompt, the option can be set up later.

In 2018, partitioning capability was added to Total Connect 2.0. Earlier versions of Total Connect 2.0 did not truly support partitioning on Vista panels. Instead, TC2 only displayed events and provided notifications for partition one. In order to get around this limitation, Alarm Grid used a tactic that we called "the partition trick". We assigned all zones to partition one. We then synced TC2 to pull all the zone information from the panel. Finally, we put the zones from the other partition back to their regular assignments in zone programming. We advised the customer to then never sync zones unless it was unavoidable. If they did have to sync, the process would have to be repeated. This worked, but it wasn't true partitioning.

Now, TC2 supports true partitioning with all compatible Vista panels. Partitioning works slightly differently on the Vista-20P and Vista-21iP Panels versus the Vista-128BPT and Vista-250BPT Panels. On the Vista-20P and Vista-21iP, three partitions are supported, and all partitions are always enabled and available for use. On the Vista-128BPT and Vista-250BPT panels, partition one is enabled by default, and up to eight total partitions can be enabled in programming location 2*00. When a partitioned panel is connected and synced with TC2, any zones assigned to partitions other than partition 1 will trigger the "Enable Partitions" prompt.

To enable partitioning within Total Connect 2.0, follow these steps:

1. Access Total Connect. Log-in to a Total Connect 2.0 account associated with a panel that supports partitioning. After account creation, it may be some time before the partitioning option is enabled in Total Connect. If you log in and are not prompted to "Enable Partitions", wait an hour and try again. It can take up to 24 hours for the option to become available.

2. Select "Configure Now". A popup window will provide you with the option to "Configure Now" or "Later". Choose "Configure Now". If you choose "Later", a blue "Enable Partitions" button will appear at the upper-right of the Security tile in Total Connect. With it, you can complete partition setup at any time. Selecting "Configure Now" will allow you to continue the process immediately.

3. Sign out. You will be prompted to sign out of TC2. Once you do, you will be automatically signed back in.

4. Customize the setup. You will be logged back in to this page. Here, you can name each of the partitions for your panel. Simply click on the current partition name (Partition 1, Partition 2), and begin typing. The partition number and name will be added to events (log) and notifications (email, text or push notification). Once changes have been made, make sure to select "Save" at the bottom right.

5. Review partition capabilities. Once partitions have been configured, you will be able to control the partitions and change configuration settings as needed.

At the Keypad screen, partition 1 will automatically come up. You can choose the drop down to go to another partition. From there, you can control that partition. Just like a keypad at the panel, the "Go To' command will timeout after a period of inactivity. The length of this period of inactivity depends on the panel that is being used.

From the security screen, you can choose either or both partitions, then arm:

From the Partitions screen, you can see individual status, bring up a list of sensors for each partition, and arm or disarm:

From the Sensors screen, you can see a list of all sensors with their respective partition assignments. From here, you can bypass zones as needed:

If you want to change partition descriptions, or enable/disable partition access, click the gear icon in the upper-right. This will bring you back to the Partition Settings screen: