What Is a Honeywell VISTA-50P?

A Honeywell VISTA-50P is an older hardwired panel that includes a polling loop for supporting V-Plex devices. Today, the panel is considered somewhat archaic, as it has no way of accessing the Total Connect 2.0 service. It is also unable to support any smart home functionality.

The biggest selling point of the Honeywell VISTA-50P is its included polling loop that allows it to interface with hardwired V-Plex devices. The advantage to using polling loop V-Plex devices is that they can be used with more flexible wiring setups, including longer wire runs. It can also be used with standard hardwired sensors if desired. The system will only support nine hardwired zones out of the box, but it can be expanded to support up to 87 zones. Another major feature of the Honeywell VISTA-50P is the ability to set up up to eight unique system partitions. These features make the VISTA-50P a decent option for commercial applications that don't require any interactive services. The VISTA-50P is also considerably less complex than the more advanced VISTA-128BPT and VISTA-250BPT Alarm Systems.

However, the lack of interactive services for the VISTA-50P is a major let-down by today's standards. Interactive services offer many great conveniences for end users. A user can access the Total Connect 2.0 platform at any time through a web browser or the TC2 Mobile App on Android and iOS devices. From there, they can arm and disarm their system, check the status of sensors, control Z-Wave devices (which the VISTA-50P does not support), view the live feed of security cameras and more.

Upgrading to a new system is the best option for users who want to gain Total Connect 2.0 functionality. The easiest option is usually to go with a Honeywell VISTA-128BPT or a Honeywell VISTA-250BPT. Just like the VISTA-50P, these systems also support polling loop devices and multiple partitions. Being able to use Total Connect 2.0 makes this a worthwhile upgrade for many users. Additionally, the 128BPT and the 250BPT can also support a greater number of zones than the VISTA-50P. Alternatively, if the system does not use any polling loop devices, they may be able to use a Honeywell VISTA-21iP instead. This system is able to use Total Connect 2.0, and it is easier to program than the 128BPT and the 250BPT.