Honeywell VISTA: *92 Telco Fault

Hi, DI Wires. This is Frank again at AlarmGrid. And we're working on the 6160RF keypad with our VISTA 21iP ethernet ready panel. So today we're actually working on a *92 Telco Fault. That is a field in programming where you can set the system to monitor your phone line. Nowadays, a lot of us are moving away from analog POTS phone lines and integrating ethernet modules, if you have the 21iP, or the 7847i or long range radios in the form of GSM modules, usually the 4G-ready units like the GSMV4G, GSMX4G, or the IGSM4G. If your system previously had a phone line, maybe you're stripping it out, or maybe you're disconnecting service, either way the panel previously was probably set up with what's called a phone line monitoring option, OK?

This is an option on the system that allows your panel to monitor the physical connection of that tip and ring, the phone line on terminals 22 through 24. So 21, 22, 23, 24 rather, incoming and outgoing back to the handsets. So this video today, we're going to show you how to fix the issue. If you do have a phone line Telco Fault, and you have live monitoring on a phone line, that's usually a good indication that the phone line connection went bad or was somehow disconnected or severed or potentially compromised in some way.

If you don't have a phone line, and you're just simply trying to disable the field, we can show you that, as well. So let's take situation one which is we have gotten rid of our phone line, and we no longer want to have that field enabled. So what we would do here is go into programming. We'd use 4112800, now, that's our default code on the panel. If you have change your Installer code, you want to use that. If you're not sure of your code, you can use the backdoor method which you have in a different video.

So now that we're in programming, you see Installer code 20. We would do *92, and that's going to show you the Telco Monitor setting. So there's two fields. The first field is going to determine whether or not you get a trouble. And then the second will basically tell the system what to do, whether to display it at the keypad, issue some beeps or do a full on siren. So we'll get into the nitty-gritty on that momentarily.

For now, assuming that you just simply want to disable it, you just enter a 00 to clear it out, OK? So that would bump you to the next field, *93, and then you would hit *99 to exit programming. So we can go ahead and do that. So now when we exit programming, you'll notice that now it says Disarmed, Ready to Arm, and there's no longer a Telco Fault.

Now, if you did have a phone line connected, obviously, we don't want to do that. We want to keep the phone line monitoring option enabled, you don't need to go into programming at all. What you need to do is you need to restore the connection. So you want to go to your alarm cabinet, physically check the wiring at the cabinet, if you have an RJ31X, a little brown phone plug that is connected to a little patch cable going to the phone incoming tip and ring, then you want to check those connections, as well.

Sometimes that modular plug becomes loose, especially if you were in the panel doing anything else, maybe moving the battery around. Also you want to check the connections at the phone box, or if you're using a modem, you want to do that. Be aware, if you are using a modem and a digital phone line, you definitely want to eventually move over to something like an internet or GSM module. We always recommend cellular just because of the reliability factor.

A lot of these phone line companies are transitioning away from the infrastructure of an analog structure, and the signals are not carrying through to the central station anymore in some cases. So there's been documented instances of phone lines just stopping work. Basically, all of a sudden one day, they are no longer reporting. Now, we at AlarmGrid check our signal history, make sure signals are coming through daily, so we would notify you of that.

But you definitely want to eventually move over to a cellular or internet module to avoid any issues like that. But if you do still have phone line, and you're getting this error, it means the physical connection is somehow compromised. So you want to remedy that physical connection. If you need to call an installer you can, or do it yourself. Once it is remedied, it will not clear on its own.

So what you want to do is enter your master code followed by off, in other words, a disarm twice. So any time you have a trouble, if you restore it, and you fix the issue, it does not clear automatically. You have to then do a double disarm. So you can do a 1, 2, 3, 4, off. That's our master code by default. You probably have a different code. You can use your user code you use to arm and disarm, and then the one key. And you want to do that twice. If you do that twice, and the phone line is physically restored, it'll go away, and you will no longer see the Telco Fault.

If it doesn't go away, then you still have a physical wiring issue, and you may need to get a professional out to deal with it. If you have any other questions regarding the Telco Fault error on your keypad, which if you have a fixed English keypad you would get a 94 on the screen-- just a 94 with nothing else-- then you can email us at support at alarmgrid.com don't forget to subscribe to our channel.