Need Help with odd Ademco Vista 20P problem

[[email protected]]

Hi.

I have an Ademco Vista 20P, using ADT monitoring. I have had the
system a couple of years with no changes made to it.

For the past week, on about half of incoming phone calls, after one
ring the alarm board is answering the incoming call, giving the caller
about 2 seconds of a data squeal, then hangs up on them. Again, this
happens only in about half of calls that are made to me, and it just
started about a week ago. I know it is the alarm board doing this,
because I can hear the relay click when it answers the call and hangs
up.

My Vista 20P is very simple - nothing fancy...
-8 zones (all wired, no wireless) just doors and a few motion
-No X-10, no phone modules, no PC downloading setups, no wireless.
-Made no recent changes to phones or phone lines in house.

I rechecked lines on the RJ31X and everything appears OK, and wired
properly. Line seizing capability works fine in testing alarm
system. No line work was been done on the phones or the alarm.

On a whim, even though I do not use pc downloading with my alarm, I
viewed the settings for *95 and *94 and it is set to 15 rings, with no
download phone number (which I believe is correct.)

Except for having the entire control board replaced, I am stuck for a
solution as to why the alarm would answer half of my phone calls
(after 1 ring) and give a squeal then hang up. Frustrating. Looking
for a solution or a way to bypass please. Thanks!

 

[alarman]

Hi.

I have an Ademco Vista 20P, using ADT monitoring. I have had the
system a couple of years with no changes made to it.

For the past week, on about half of incoming phone calls, after one
ring the alarm board is answering the incoming call, giving the caller
about 2 seconds of a data squeal, then hangs up on them. Again, this
happens only in about half of calls that are made to me, and it just
started about a week ago. I know it is the alarm board doing this,
because I can hear the relay click when it answers the call and hangs
up.

My Vista 20P is very simple - nothing fancy...
-8 zones (all wired, no wireless) just doors and a few motion
-No X-10, no phone modules, no PC downloading setups, no wireless.
-Made no recent changes to phones or phone lines in house.

I rechecked lines on the RJ31X and everything appears OK, and wired
properly. Line seizing capability works fine in testing alarm
system. No line work was been done on the phones or the alarm.

On a whim, even though I do not use pc downloading with my alarm, I
viewed the settings for *95 and *94 and it is set to 15 rings, with no
download phone number (which I believe is correct.)

Except for having the entire control board replaced, I am stuck for a
solution as to why the alarm would answer half of my phone calls
(after 1 ring) and give a squeal then hang up. Frustrating. Looking
for a solution or a way to bypass please. Thanks!

Have you tried calling ADT?
js

 

[Katerina]

Set *95 to '14'. This will disable the answering machine defeat -
which is why the panel is picking up (someone must be calling and
hanging-up, then calling back).- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

THANK YOU APU - That did it. I set *95 to 14 and it worked.
P.S., just curious - any idea why it just recently started to answer
incoming calls - possible change in Telco's ring voltage??

 

[Katerina]

Have you tried calling ADT?
js- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Got the fix - thanks to Apu. But I am curious why the board would
only recently start trying to answer my incoming calls.

 

[JoeRaisin]

Got the fix - thanks to Apu. But I am curious why the board would
only recently start trying to answer my incoming calls.

The fix could end up costing you.

If the panel suddenly started answering the phone at random times (and
not simply after someone called and hung up like it is supposed to do)
then there is something wrong with it and ADT would likely have replaced
it at no charge (assuming the board just went kaflooie all by itself).

If you call them now, having messed around with it they are more than
likely going to charge you for it.

Since you have altered the way that they can get in touch with your
panel they won't be able to contact it in the normal way and will have
to send a tech out and that will be a billable call.

Why on earth didn't you just contact ADT in the first place?

 

[alarman]

The fix could end up costing you.

If the panel suddenly started answering the phone at random times (and
not simply after someone called and hung up like it is supposed to do)
then there is something wrong with it and ADT would likely have
replaced it at no charge (assuming the board just went kaflooie all
by itself).
If you call them now, having messed around with it they are more than
likely going to charge you for it.

Since you have altered the way that they can get in touch with your
panel they won't be able to contact it in the normal way and will have
to send a tech out and that will be a billable call.

Why on earth didn't you just contact ADT in the first place?

Cuz it's not rocket science.... Right?
js

 

[Katerina]

The fix could end up costing you.

If the panel suddenly started answering the phone at random times (and
not simply after someone called and hung up like it is supposed to do)
then there is something wrong with it and ADT would likely have replaced
it at no charge (assuming the board just went kaflooie all by itself).

If you call them now, having messed around with it they are more than
likely going to charge you for it.

Since you have altered the way that they can get in touch with your
panel they won't be able to contact it in the normal way and will have
to send a tech out and that will be a billable call.

Why on earth didn't you just contact ADT in the first place?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I have been with ADT for 9+ years, but ADT doesn't own the equipment -
I do. I did NOT contact ADT because although they perform the monitor
service, I own every component of hardware (NOT a leased system.)
Experience has taught me that any call to them is met with the same
response... "we need to take a look at it, and there is a base tech
charge of $100+ just for someone to come over, blah, blah." Three
years ago a lightning strike fried the panel, and I called them - paid
$200 labor plus $125 for the board. That was before I learned that I
could buy a board from a 3rd party and have it programmed for a lot
less.

ADT is great for monitoring, but I never made a simple inquiry call to
them without either a sales pitch or the sinking feeling that "this is
gonna cost me."

 

[GROUP MODERATOR]

I do. I did NOT contact ADT because although they perform the monitor
service, I own every component of hardware (NOT a leased system.)
Experience has taught me that any call to them is met with the same
response... "we need to take a look at it, and there is a base tech
charge of $100+ just for someone to come over, blah, blah." Three
years ago a lightning strike fried the panel, and I called them - paid
$200 labor plus $125 for the board. That was before I learned that I
could buy a board from a 3rd party and have it programmed for a lot
less.

ADT is great for monitoring, but I never made a simple inquiry call to
them without either a sales pitch or the sinking feeling that "this is
gonna cost me."

bzzzt. wrong. ADT is not great for monitoring. what is your monthly ?
25-30$ per month? Will they call more than 1 # before they dispatch? like
cell or work number? probably not. you can do better for less if you own
the equipment. find a local company that will monitor for less $ and
service for a reasonable fee.

 

[Robert L Bass]

I never made a simple inquiry call to

them without either a sales pitch or
the sinking feeling that "this is gonna
cost me."

Pardon me if this has already been
covered. I wasn't following this thread
carefully but it sounds as though the
panel is programmed for answering
machine over ride. If so, have you tried
turning that function off?

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Katerina]

Pardon me if this has already been
covered. I wasn't following this thread
carefully but it sounds as though the
panel is programmed for answering
machine over ride. If so, have you tried
turning that function off?

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

Thanks Robert, but the issue was solved earlier in this thread.

 

[Robert L Bass]

Thanks Robert, but the issue

was solved earlier in this thread.

That's good. What was it?

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[alarman]

bzzzt. wrong. ADT is not great for monitoring. what is your
monthly ? 25-30$ per month? Will they call more than 1 # before they
dispatch? like cell or work number? probably not. you can do
better for less if you own the equipment. find a local company that
will monitor for less $ and service for a reasonable fee.

No reputable alarmco will do business with a diddler, and I suspect this
person caused this by, well, diddling.
js

 

[GROUP MODERATOR]

No reputable alarmco will do business with a diddler, and I suspect this
person caused this by, well, diddling.
js

didn't know that could be done with an alarm system! :0

 

[GROUP MODERATOR]

Only in VERY dark closets.

So that's what I heard going on in there!

 

[GROUP MODERATOR]

Read the thread, asshole.

thank you