What Does FC Stand For on My Alarm System?

FC stands for "Failed to Communicate". This message is displayed on a fixed English keypad when the VISTA panel attempts to dial out and the panel does not receive acknowledgement that the dialing signal was successfully received. A user will need to clear this code to remove this error.

Honeywell VISTA panels include a built-in dialer for sending communication signals via phone line. In some situations, the panel may attempt to use the dialer to send a signal, but it may be unsuccessful in doing so. If this occurs on a panel with a fixed English keypad (such as the Honeywell 6150) then an "FC" message will be displayed. If an alphanumeric keypad (like the Honeywell 6160), then a similar "Comm Failure" message will be presented. For all intents and purposes, "FC" and "Comm Failure" refer to the same problem. In most cases, such messages will be displayed when a user attempts to set up their VISTA panel to use a communication method other than POTS (plain old telephone service).

Fortunately, this code can be easily cleared by an end user. The user can also adjust the dynamic signaling settings on their panel so that the message is never displayed in the future. To do this, the following sequence must be entered:

[Installer Code] + [800] + [*41*] + [*42*] + [*54] + [#15] + [1] + [*99]

Remember, the default Installer Code on a Honeywell VISTA Panel is 4112. If you do not know your Installer Code, then you will need to use the backdoor method to access programming.

By entering in this command, you will clear the phone number that the system was using to attempt to dial out. This command will also adjust the dynamic signaling settings for the system so that it knows not to use its built-in dialer. After entering this command, you should no longer see an FC error displayed on your keypad.