How Many 5881s Can I Hook Up to My VISTA Wired Security System?

The Vista P series alarm panels can only support a single receiver. Most transmitters have a nominal transmitting range of 200 feet. If range issues arise, one or more 5800RP wireless repeaters can be added to the system. Each 5800RP can increase the coverage area by up to 200 feet.

A wireless receiver, such as the 5881ENH, is needed for wireless devices to be used with a VISTA panel. This will give you the freedom of using both wireless and hard-wired sensors with your system. Many users prefer to use wireless sensors because they are generally easier to install than hard-wired sensors. For example, a wireless sensor will never require a wire to be fished through a wall.

Even though the 5881ENH supports an unlimited number of wireless zones, you will still be restricted by the number of wireless zones that can be supported by your VISTA panel. This number varies between different VISTA systems. The VISTA 10P can support up to 24 wireless zones, the VISTA 15P can support up to 34, and both the VISTA 20P and the VISTA 21iP offer support for up to 56 wireless zones.

The commercial Vista panel models differ from the P series panels in several ways. Among them, the VISTA 128BPT can support 2 receivers and up to 127 wireless zones, and the VISTA 250BPT is able to support 2 receivers and up to 249 wireless zones.

If the user intends on only adding a small number of wireless devices, then their best option is usually to use a 5881ENM or a 5881ENL instead of a 5881ENH. These two wireless receivers provide the same function as the 5881ENH, but they only support a finite number of zones. The 5881ENM supports up to 16 wireless zones, while the 5881ENL can support up to 8. If the user requires support for 17 or more wireless zones, then their best option is to simply use a 5881ENH.

Additionally, on the Vista P series panels, multiple 5881 wireless receivers cannot be used to extend the range of a wireless device to the panel. Instead, a Honeywell 5800RP Wireless Repeater should be used for this purpose. With a 5800RP, you can effectively double the range of any wireless device that is used with the VISTA system. This can be very helpful for situations in which loss of RF supervision is a reoccurring issue.