How Do I Upgrade My Honeywell L3000 to a Honeywell PROA7PLUS?

You can upgrade your Honeywell L3000 to a Honeywell PROA7PLUS by installing a Honeywell Home PROTAKEOVER inside of the PROA7PLUS and then enrolling the old sensors from the L3000 with the PROA7PLUS System. Most sensors from the L3000 can be successfully enrolled with the PROA7PLUS.

The Honeywell L3000 supports wireless 345 MHz sensors from the Honeywell 5800 Series. You may also encounter some third-party 345 MHz devices that can also be paired with the L3000. But regardless, those are also 345 MHz devices. The Honeywell PROTAKEOVER is a wireless receiver add-on for the PROA7PLUS that will allow the system to support one (1) of five (5) possible legacy wireless frequencies. And one of those wireless frequencies happens to be the same one used by Honeywell 5800 Series Sensors and other third-party 345 MHz sensors that are supported by the Honeywell L3000. Just set the dial on the PROTAKEOVER to 0 for the 345 MHz Honeywell 5800 Series frequency, install it inside the PROA7PLUS, and begin pairing your existing wireless sensors.

There are some restrictions to keep in mind if you are hoping to use Honeywell 5800 Sensors with a PROA7PLUS System and a PROTAKEOVER Converter. First, only "uni-directional" Honeywell 5800 Sensors that use one-way communication can be used in this way. Any bi-directional Honeywell 5800 Sensors that rely on a House ID for receiving system status cannot be used with the PROA7PLUS. This rules out devices like the Honeywell 5828 Keypad, the Honeywell 5800RL Relay, and the Honeywell 5800WAVE Siren. Second, no life-safety sensors can be used with the PROTAKEOVER. This includes all smoke detectors, heat detectors, or carbon monoxide (CO) sensors. In addition, key fob devices are also incompatible. It is recommended that you check out the PROTAKEOVER Compatibility Chart to see what you can or cannot use. Some devices are questionably absent from the compatibility chart, including the Honeywell 5800MINI Door/Window Sensor and the Honeywell 5800C2W Wired to Wireless Converter. But if a device is not listed on there, then it is not guaranteed to work.

Anyone still needing to purchase both a PROA7PLUS System and a PROTAKEOVER Converter can purchase one of the bundled kits below. Each kit comes with a PROA7PLUS Panel, a PROTAKEOVER Module, and a Honeywell LT-Cable. The difference between each kit involves the communicator options. One kit is WIFI only, with no included cellular communicator, and the other two include an added cellular communicator, in addition to the built-in WIFI communicator, for dual-path connectivity. Of those two dual-path options, one of the kits is AT&T LTE, while the other is Verizon LTE. Remember that the choice between AT&T and Verizon has nothing to do with your personal phone service, and you should instead decide which to buy based solely on which provider offers better service in the area where the system will be used. It may be useful to check coverage maps if you are unsure. Also, remember that you will need a monitoring plan that includes cellular connectivity if you decide to go with a dual-path system kit.

PROA7PLUS RF Takeover Kits

Once you have your PROA7PLUS System and your PROTAKEOVER Converter, you can complete the following steps to upgrade to a PROA7PLUS from a Honeywell L3000:

1. Install the PROTAKEOVER. The first thing you want to do is install the PROTAKEOVER Module inside the PROA7PLUS. Start by powering down this system if you haven't already. This is done by unplugging the system's AC transformer from the wall outlet and unplugging the panel's backup battery from its connection port. You can access the battery by removing the bottom set screw on the panel and then pulling the system off its backplate.

If you were using the PROA7PLUS System with its original stock backplate, then you will need to switch to the backplate that came with the PROTAKEOVER. There is an important antenna inside the new backplate that is used by the converter module. There are two (2) metal prongs on the PROTAKEOVER Module that make direct contact with this inner backplate antenna. If this connection is not completed, then the PROTAKEOVER Wireless Receiver gets pretty much no useful communication range. The typical practice if you had the system mounted on its original backplate is to just dismount that original backplate and install the new PROTAKEOVER backplate in that exact same spot.

Once you have the PROA7PLUS off its backplate, you want to be facing the backside of the panel. Flip the system over if you are not facing its backside. On your right-hand side, there should be a slot cover that you can pull off. Once the cover is removed, you can then insert the PROTAKEOVER Module into the slot. Make sure that the dial on the PROTAKEOVER is set to 0 before you insert the unit. Once the module has been fully seated, you can apply a set screw to secure it in place. The way to tell that the PROTAKEOVER has been properly seated is by seeing that the hole for the set screw lines up properly with the hole in the panel plastic. Reapply the side cover. Lastly, restore power to the system by reconnecting the backup battery first, and then reapply AC power second. Mount the system on the new backplate that came included with the PROTAKEOVER. You can refer to the PROTAKEOVER Install Guide if you need help.

2. Enroll old L3000 sensors. Now that the PROTAKEOVER has been installed, with its frequency selector dial set to 0, you can now begin to enroll the existing L3000 sensors with the PROA7PLUS. Remember, the only sensors that can be enrolled are uni-directional "one-way" 345 MHz sensors. In addition, any device not included on the official compatibility chart is not guaranteed to work. Since you can only use non-encrypted devices for this task, there is no need to delete them from the L3000 System. They can technically be enrolled and function with both the L3000 and the PROA7PLUS if you wish. Most users ultimately end up doing this, as clearing the devices from the L3000 serves little purpose.

Unfortunately, as of March 2021, local programming for the PROA7PLUS System is not yet available. Instead, all programming is performed remotely by the user's monitoring provider. With that in mind, your PROA7PLUS System must be activated for monitoring before the existing L3000 sensors can be successfully enrolled.

If you are keeping your existing monitoring provider, and you had your L3000 System set up for monitoring service, then your monitoring provider may be able to access the programming information for your L3000 System and use that information to program your PROA7PLUS. But if you are switching monitoring companies, or if your L3000 was not set up for remote access, either through AlarmNet or through a phone line, then you will need to access local programming on the L3000 and share zone information with your monitoring company so that they can successfully program the PROA7PLUS System.

To begin, start from the main screen of the L3000. Enter the command [Installer Code] + [8] + [00] + [*] + [56] to access Zone Programming. Remember that the default Installer Code for the L3000 is 4112. Then enter the two-digit Zone Number for the zone you want to access. The available selections range from 01 to 41. Once you have the appropriate Zone Number displayed on the screen, press the [*] key to continue. From here, you press [*] to move to the next option within the selected zone, or [#] to go to the previous option. The important fields here are A Zone Number, B Zone Type, E Loop #, 1AL Serial Number, and 1C Zone Descriptor.

We recommend compiling this information zone by zone into an organized and easy-to-read document or spreadsheet. Remember, you only need to do this for sensors that will ultimately be brought over to the PROA7PLUS. Sensors not being brought over, like smoke detectors and CO detectors, do not need their zone information obtained. Once you have finished, enter Zone Number [00] to exit zone programming. Then press [*] + [99] to exit programming entirely.

Since the L3000 only has forty (40) zones, you will be able to bring over every compatible sensor, with plenty of room to spare. The PROA7PLUS has room for (123) legacy RF zones, plus an additional (127) encrypted zones for PROSIX Sensors and Honeywell SiX Sensors. This gives the PROA7PLUS a total of [250] system zones.

3. Test the system. Once all the zones have been programmed, it is important for you to Walk Test your system. You can access Test Mode on the PROA7PLUS by pressing the three (3) horizontal bars button at the bottom, followed by Tools > enter Installer Code (default 4112) > System Tests > Test Sensors. All programmed sensors should appear on the screen. Click the Start Test button in the upper-right to initiate the test. Then go and fault (activate) each enrolled sensor. Once the PROA7PLUS recognizes a signal from a sensor, it will move the associated sensor from the bottom of the screen to the top and display it in bold. Activate every sensor, and ensure that each one is acknowledged. Remember to put your system on Test Mode with the central station before conducting the Walk Test as a failsafe for preventing false alarms.