Why Am I Getting Supervision Trouble On My 2GIG DW20e?

You are getting supervision trouble on your 2GIG DW20e because either the wrong process was used when replacing an existing sensor or switching to a new Smart Area Partition, or the wrong Equipment Code was assigned to the zone. Fixing the issue and acknowledging the trouble will clear it.

The 2GIG DW20e is a recessed door and window sensor. The wireless device is part of the encrypted lineup of 2GIG eSeries Sensors. While these sensors work great with the 2GIG GC3e and 2GIG GC2e Systems, they have been known to present some rather unique quirks. These quirks involve supervision trouble being displayed for zones used with these sensors, even though the traditional causes of supervision trouble are not being met. Normally, you only see supervision trouble when a sensor is unable to send check-in signals to the panel. This is typically the result of the sensor being moved too far away from the panel, new obstacles being placed between the sensor and the panel, and/or the sensor being powered off due to a dead battery or destroyed entirely. For traditional supervision trouble, you can get the notification to go away by fixing the issue causing the problem, and then acknowledging the trouble to clear it.

But if you are using a 2GIG eSeries Sensor like the 2GIG DW20e, then there are three (3) other things that might result in supervision trouble. The first is that supervision trouble can appear if you do not follow the proper steps to replace a sensor. By that, we mean that if you go into zone programming and simply delete a Serial Number for a sensor and replace it with the Serial Number for a replacement sensor, then you will likely get supervision trouble. This will occur even if all the other programming information is correct and kept the same. The proper way to replace a sensor is to delete the zone entirely, and then reprogram it from scratch. This will take longer, but it will help to ensure that supervision trouble does not occur. More information on the subject can be found here. 2GIG GC2e users may want to check out this page in particular for help programming that panel.

A similar instance can be seen in regards to the Partition Assignment setting in zone programming for the GC3e. The 2GIG GC3e has four (4) available system partitions, that 2GIG likes to refer to as "Smart Areas". To enable the partitions on the GC3e System, you may need to adjust Q69 in System Configuration. That setting is what enables or disables partitions on the system. Even if Smart Areas are "disabled", you can still technically assign a new sensor to any of the four "Smart Area" Partitions. However, for proper operation, Q69 should then be set to enabled. But if you ever intend on changing the Partition Assignment setting for a 2GIG GC3e zone, then you must follow a specific process. This process involves deleting or clearing out the zone entirely and then reprogramming the zone from scratch, this time making sure to assign the device to the proper partition. Unfortunately, many users try to cut corners in this task, and they try to simply change the Partition Assignment, without clearing the zone and starting over. While that may sound more convenient it is also a known cause of supervision trouble. To learn how to properly switch Partition Assignments, please review this FAQ. And remember, this issue will not occur on a 2GIG GC2e, as it is only a single partition system.

One final cause of supervision trouble is using the incorrect Equipment Code in the zone for a 2GIG eSeries Sensor. The Equipment Code setting on the 2GIG Systems used to be of very little importance. But for the 2GIG eSeries Sensors, it actually becomes very important. Using the wrong code will likely cause supervision trouble that persists until the sensor is deleted, or the zone is updated to have the correct Equipment Code. For reference, the Equipment Code for a 2GIG DW20e is 2863. To learn more about Equipment Codes, see this guide.