What is a Telco Fault?

"Telco Fault" is a message that indicates that something may be wrong with the system's telephone communication. If this message is shown, the user should find out what is causing the communication error and fix the problem. A user can also disable this error to stop it from being displayed.

A "Telco Fault" (Alpha Keypad) or "Check 94" (Fixed Keypad) message can be displayed on any Honeywell Panel that uses POTS (plain old telephone service). This includes any Honeywell VISTA Panel and any Honeywell LYNX Touch Panel (except for the L7000). If a user sees this message it could mean a number of different things. But for whatever reason, the panel believes its telephone communication line is currently not working.

If the user's panel uses POTS as its communication path and this error is displayed, then the problem should be fixed as soon as possible. Until this problem is dealt with, the system may be unable to send out any communication signals to a central station. This could be very serious in the event of an emergency. Some likely causes of a Telco Fault include a locally cut phone line, problems with the user's telephone service or a down phone line. In this situation, a user should contact their telephone company to make sure they are receiving service. They should also check the phone lines outside the building to make sure that nobody tampered with or cut their phone line.

However, it's technically possible that a telco fault message could be displayed on a panel that is not supposed to use telephone communication. This includes any panel that uses cellular or IP communication, as well as any panel that strictly serves as a local sounder. If this is the case, then the Telco Monitoring feature should be disabled from the panel. The process for this varies depending upon what type of panel is being used.

Complete the following steps to disable telco monitoring on a Honeywell VISTA Panel:

1. Enter programming. Press [Installer Code] + [8] + [00]. The message "Installer Code 20" will be displayed on an alphanumeric keypad. The message "20" will be displayed on a fixed keypad. This means that programming was successfully accessed. The default Installer Code on a VISTA Panel is 4112.

2. Access Telco Monitor settings. Press [*92]. The message "Telco Monitor 92" will be displayed on an alphanumeric keypad. This indicates that the Telco Monitor settings were accessed.

3. Disable Telco Monitoring. Press [00]. The panel will quickly chime three times. This will indicate that Telco Monitoring was disabled.

4. Exit Programming. Press [*99] to exit programming.

The video below discusses Telco Monitoring on a Honeywell VISTA Panel:

Complete the following steps to disable telco monitoring on a Honeywell Lynx Touch panel:

1. Enter Programming. Press Security > More > Tools > Installer Code (Default is 4112) > Program > System Type.

2. Set Phone Notification option: Press the "Phone Notification" selection until it says "None".

3. Exit Programming. Use the Back Arrow at the upper right to exit programming. Make sure to answer the prompt "Allow Installer To Re-enter Programming?" with a "Yes".