AJ_ Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 I have the commercial grade Honeywell Ademco Vista 128BP alarm system. It is already integrated into C4. I am getting rid of my home phone line and want to install a cellular communicator. I see that Honeywell has a few options available but wanted to know if there are any universal options where I could simply add on a line with T-Mobile and use their SIM with the Honeywell or alternative brand cellular communicators. Anyone have any recommendations or suggestions? Thanks, AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannemi Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 I am looking to do the same, I just started investigating. If I find anything will post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstafford388 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 It's likely not any cheaper to add a line to your current t-mobile plan than to just let whoever is doing your monitoring to bill you for a cellular communicator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 1 hour ago, mstafford388 said: It's likely not any cheaper to add a line to your current t-mobile plan than to just let whoever is doing your monitoring to bill you for a cellular communicator. Yes but I'm just trying to figure out if there are other options that I can possibly DIY, at least to some extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstafford388 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 18 minutes ago, achoudhary said: Yes but I'm just trying to figure out if there are other options that I can possibly DIY, at least to some extent. Do you want it monitored? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 41 minutes ago, mstafford388 said: Do you want it monitored? So I already have the alarm panel integrated and monitored. I just want to get rid of my phone line and switch to cellular so the monitoring can continue. My dealer can do this all of course but I'm trying to DIY some of the work so I can save some $$ - like install the communicator so all they have to do is register and setup the cell line. The system I have is Ademco Vista 128 BP ADT. I'm not sure if the ADT at the end makes a diff, but AlarmGrid.com techs were thrown off with the ADT at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstafford388 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 10 minutes ago, achoudhary said: So I already have the alarm panel integrated and monitored. I just want to get rid of my phone line and switch to cellular so the monitoring can continue. My dealer can do this all of course but I'm trying to DIY some of the work so I can save some $$ - like install the communicator so all they have to do is register and setup the cell line. The system I have is Ademco Vista 128 BP ADT. I'm not sure if the ADT at the end makes a diff, but AlarmGrid.com techs were thrown off with the ADT at the end. Are they really charging you that much for the labor to set this stuff up? Have you communicated with your dealer that you plan on doing some of this work yourself? My company would not even entertain an end user working on a security system that we are monitoring. Liability nightmare. Security is not at all our main business so it'd be easy for us to walk away from that but just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 1 minute ago, mstafford388 said: Are they really charging you that much for the labor to set this stuff up? Have you communicated with your dealer that you plan on doing some of this work yourself? My company would not even entertain an end user working on a security system that we are monitoring. Liability nightmare. Security is not at all our main business so it'd be easy for us to walk away from that but just my two cents. They said it would be at least $500 (labor and parts, typical scenario) plus setup, registration, etc. It never ends up being typical. I'm taking donations if its chump change for you Some companies allow some DIY and some don't. Everyone can make their own decisions. I don't know why dealers freak out when end users mention DIY. I change the oil in my cars myself. I am a mechanical engineer and I am taking my motorcycle apart and will put it back together and it will only be better. If another person cannot do those things and wants to take their vehicles to the shop, it's their choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 I have a cellular communicator you can use It doesn't interfere with the control4 integration at all. But it will only work for you if your company can use it. It's actually version CDMA-x and it all depends on your company. I can send you the MAC address from it and you can check with your alarm company? If it works for you $30 shipped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstafford388 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 2 minutes ago, achoudhary said: They said it would be at least $500 (labor and parts, typical scenario) plus setup, registration, etc. It never ends up being typical. I'm taking donations if its chump change for you Some companies allow some DIY and some don't. Everyone can make their own decisions. I don't know why dealers freak out when end users mention DIY. I change the oil in my cars myself. I am a mechanical engineer and I am taking my motorcycle apart and will put it back together and it will only be better. If another person cannot do those things and wants to take their vehicles to the shop, it's their choice. Seems really steep to me just to switch you from land line to cellular. We don't freak out over most DIY stuff, really just security. You're not going to sue ford if you change your own oil and get in a wreck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 1 minute ago, msgreenf said: I have a cellular communicator you can use It doesn't interfere with the control4 integration at all. But it will only work for you if your company can use it. It's actually version CDMA-x and it all depends on your company. I can send you the MAC address from it and you can check with your alarm company? If it works for you $30 shipped. Works for me. I’m happy to change monitoring companies if it will work. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 Just now, mstafford388 said: Seems really steep to me just to switch you from land line to cellular. We don't freak out over most DIY stuff, really just security. You're not going to sue ford if you change your own oil and get in a wreck Yeah. That’s why I’m looking for opinions here. Thanks for your response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dw886 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Throwing this out there as it may be a lead worth taking a look at, although I don't have experience with Ademco panels: I've used Uplink units connected via Alarm Relay with Elk Panels. Uplink makes a model that can talk to an Elk M1 via a serial link that reports individual zone status, which is how i used it. If Uplink doesn't make a unit that connects to your Ademco panel natively via serial (or something else that would support individual status), I know that they also make a unit that you can hook up to the bell / siren output, where it notifies the alarm monitoring company when the system is in alarm state (when the siren is going off), but then you don't know which individual zone is violated. Alarm Relay is an Uplink reseller, so they allow DIY installs. You can buy an uplink unit for relatively cheap.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted March 7, 2019 Author Share Posted March 7, 2019 Thanks, @dw866. @msgreenf - I'm still waiting for my dealer to respond on your device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaarrEagle Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 On 2/26/2019 at 2:28 PM, achoudhary said: So I already have the alarm panel integrated and monitored. I just want to get rid of my phone line and switch to cellular so the monitoring can continue. My dealer can do this all of course but I'm trying to DIY some of the work so I can save some $$ - like install the communicator so all they have to do is register and setup the cell line. The system I have is Ademco Vista 128 BP ADT. I'm not sure if the ADT at the end makes a diff, but AlarmGrid.com techs were thrown off with the ADT at the end. I am also very tech savvy and a fan of DIY when possible. My C4 system is integrated with a DSC alarm and I recently changed monitoring companies. If you are only changing the monitoring (as I did), there was no work required in C4. The new monitoring company just replaced the cellular communication box with a new brand with their own SIM and did a bit of alarm programming. And honestly, not sure you will save any money trying to use a T-Mobile sim vs using what they provide. My new provider charged me $89 to do this and did not even require a contract. Is your current system monitored by ADT? From what I remember in past research, those systems can be locked down pretty hard to limit the ability to take the equipment to another provider. Not sure about your specific model tho. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted March 7, 2019 Author Share Posted March 7, 2019 I have Honeywell Ademco Vista "128 BP ADT". Not sure what the ADT at the end means, but it sounds like the alarm panel was supplied by ADT. When I first started, the monitoring company was ADT but I have moved on to another company a few years ago (thru my Dealer). Any changes require me to go through the dealer. They installed an interface for C4 as well as cover any changes but their tech hourly rate is higher than typical rates for security company techs. I was thinking that a universal communicator will allow any SIM. I don't really care which provider it is ultimately. Can you let me know who your provider is? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaarrEagle Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 23 hours ago, achoudhary said: I have Honeywell Ademco Vista "128 BP ADT". Not sure what the ADT at the end means, but it sounds like the alarm panel was supplied by ADT. When I first started, the monitoring company was ADT but I have moved on to another company a few years ago (thru my Dealer). Any changes require me to go through the dealer. They installed an interface for C4 as well as cover any changes but their tech hourly rate is higher than typical rates for security company techs. I was thinking that a universal communicator will allow any SIM. I don't really care which provider it is ultimately. Can you let me know who your provider is? Thanks! Where are you located? Do you pay the alarm monitoring fee directly to the monitoring company or to your C4 dealer? What is your basis for saying that all changes must go through the C4 dealer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_ Posted March 8, 2019 Author Share Posted March 8, 2019 I'm in the Philadelphia region. I pay the dealer directly. They offer monitoring services. They are the point of contact for any changes I need to make with the alarm system and/or C4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaarrEagle Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 23 hours ago, achoudhary said: I'm in the Philadelphia region. I pay the dealer directly. They offer monitoring services. They are the point of contact for any changes I need to make with the alarm system and/or C4. If you are budget conscious, suggest you explore decoupling alarm monitoring from your Control4 dealer. I pay a local company in my area $17/mo for cellular monitoring with no contract. At that price, I was not motivated to try and DIY the cellular connection. If internet based monitoring is acceptable for you, there are options that come at $0 monthly fee. Any monitoring company should be able to switch you over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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