How Does RF Supervision Work On a Honeywell VISTA P-Series System?

RF supervision on a Honeywell VISTA P-Series System works by requiring any programmed wireless sensors to check in at least once every 12 hours. You only need to worry about RF supervision if you have added a compatible wireless receiver to the panel and have started using wireless sensors.

A Honeywell VISTA P-Series Security System cannot support wireless sensors right out of the box. Instead, it can only support these devices if a wireless receiver is added. By adding a wireless receiver, you will be able to use wireless 345 MHz sensors from the Honeywell 5800 Series. These are the only wireless sensors you can use with the system. As a result, you will only need to follow one set of RF supervision rules for your VISTA System. Compatible wireless receivers for VISTA P-Series Panels include keypads with integrated transceiver modules like the Honeywell 6160RF, as well as standalone modules like the Honeywell 5883H.

RF supervision involves having the panel make sure that all programmed wireless sensors are communicating with the system properly. This is done by having the wireless sensors send periodic check-in signals to the system. If the system does not receive a check-in signal within a set period of time, then an RF supervision loss trouble condition will occur for the zone. This is usually the result of a sensor either running out of battery power or being taken out of RF transmission range.

Also be aware that sometimes RF transmission issues arise because of environmental changes. Some new environmental condition could be preventing your wireless sensors from checking-in properly. This could be something like a new large metal appliance (e.g. a refrigerator or stove), new walls, or even a large mirror. If you recently made major environmental changes in the building, understand that these changes might be the cause of your RF supervision issues.

The Honeywell 5800 Series Sensors used with a Honeywell VISTA P-Series System that has an added wireless receiver are designed to send out check-in signals every 70 to 90 minutes on a randomized basis. The VISTA System needs to receive a check-in signal from these sensors at least once every 12 hours, or else an RF supervision loss condition will occur. As long as the sensor is powered on and kept within range of the receiver, then no RF supervision loss condition should ever occur.

If a sensor on your system experiences RF supervision loss, then you must fix the issue and perform a double disarm to clear the trouble. Start by making sure that the sensor is powered on and is within wireless range of your wireless receiver. Most Honeywell 5800 Sensors have a wireless range of 200 feet in open air, so keep that in mind. Once the sensor is powered on and within range of the wireless receiver, wait at least 90 minutes so that the sensor has a chance to send a check-in signal. As an alternative, you can also try activating the sensor by faulting and restoring (intrusion sensors) or pressing its test button (life-safety sensors). Remember to put your system on test mode before pressing the test button on a life-safety sensor. Then perform a double disarm to clear the trouble. A double disarm is performed by entering [Master Code] + [1] + [Master Code] + [1]. Remember that the Master Code is the code you should normally use to arm and disarm your system.