Honeywell VISTA-128BPTSIA

The Honeywell VISTA-128BPTSIA is a commercial alarm control panel that is nearly identical to the standard Honeywell VISTA-128BPT. The only difference between the (2) commercial alarm control panels is that the VISTA-128BPTSIA is certified to be compliant with the Security Industry Association’s (SIA) CP-01 standards. With the VISTA-128BPTSIA, you get all of the advanced features that make the VISTA-128BPT ideal for commercial alarm applications and you get the added bonus of meeting the requirements for all jurisdictions that require SIA CP-01 alarm control panels.

To combat the problem of false alarms, SIA published the ANSI/SIA CP-01 standards document which details all of the required programming settings which will make an alarm control panel CP-01 compliant. Security system manufacturers can use the ANSI/SIA CP-01 standards document when designing a new system so that the control panel will be less likely to trigger a false alarm. Most false alarms are caused by user error, so CP-01 alarm control panels like the VISTA-128BPTSIA have certain programming settings which greatly reduce the chance of a user accidentally setting off a false alarm. All new alarm installations should use CP-01 alarm control panels as false alarms are more than just a nuisance. If false alarms go unchecked, the entire alarm industry is in danger. Security systems rely on alarm monitoring services so that when an alarm is triggered, the proper authorities can be dispatched to handle an emergency situation. Without police response, security systems are just loud noise makers. Unfortunately, most alarms that police respond to are not real emergencies and therefore are classified as false alarms. If police departments become accustomed to thinking that all alarm dispatches are really just false alarms, they will not respond with the same urgency that a real emergency would require. Even more problematic is the fact that local state agencies do not like wasting resources on false alarms. Therefore, some jurisdictions have begun to require alarm verification methods before a police officer can be dispatched to an alarm. Other jurisdictions have enacted false alarm fines which can be very expensive. If we don’t all work together to limit the overall number of false alarms, eventually police officers will stop responding to alarms all together.

Just like the VISTA-128BPT, the VISTA-128BPTSIA supports (9) standard hardwired zones and up to (119) additional V-Plex® zones. Honeywell developed and patented V-Plex technology which allows you to use alarm wire with only (2) conductors for devices that would normally require (4) conductors such as motion detectors and glass break detectors. The VISTA-128BPTSIA can also be upgraded with a Honeywell wireless receiver such as the 5881ENHC commercial wireless receiver which will allow you to use any Honeywell 5800 Series wireless sensors. Of course, you can also add an AlarmNet internet or cellular alarm communicator to a VISTA-128BPTSIA commercial alarm control panel if you want to take advantage of alarm communications that do not require a phone line. Once you’ve added an AlarmNet alarm monitoring communicator, you can also sign up for Honeywell’s Total Connect 2.0 interactive service which allows you remote security system control from any web browser or smartphone.

The following programming settings are what make the VISTA-128BPTSIA certified SIA CP-01. In programming field *09 and *11, SIA requires at least (30) seconds of entry delay which is how the panel is programmed by default. In programming field *10 and *12, the ‘Exit Delay #1’ and ‘Exit Delay #2’ are set to (60) seconds by default to meet SIA requirements. In field *28, the ‘Power Up in Previous State’ feature is turned on by default and must remain on for SIA installations. In field *57, the ‘Dynamic Signaling Priority’ feature must be set to ‘0’ for primary dialer. In field *84, the ‘Swinger Suppression’ feature is set to (2) alarms by default but SIA installations should use (1) alarm. In field *88, the ‘Abort Window Time’ for non-fire zones should be set to at least (15) seconds. In field 1*21, the ‘Exit Time Reset’ feature is enabled by default and should remain enabled. In fields 1*22 through 1*25, the ‘Cross Zoning’ feature should be enabled and (2) or more zones should be programmed. In field 1*42, the ‘Call Waiting Defeat’ setting should be enabled if you have call waiting at your property. In field 1*61, the ‘Abort Verify’ setting should be enabled. Also, within the zone programming menus, the ‘Auto Stay Arm or Occupied Premises’ feature should be enabled, the ‘Abort Window’ feature for all non-fire zones should be enabled, the ‘Swinger Suppression’ feature should be enabled. and the ‘Fire Alarm Verification’ feature should be enabled unless all fire sensors can self verify. By using the SIA requirements when programming your VISTA-128BPTSIA you will ensure your alarm installation is CP-01 compliant and you will reduce the number of false alarms that may occur.