atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Security, Alarms and Paging ademco compass

Anthonyh,

Thank you very much for the quick feedback.

My home line connects to the alarm panel. I plugged the CIA modem to the wall jack (so it is the same line).

If I understand right, you have two lines to the Ademco CIA modem, Line#1 to panel via RJ31 and Line#2 to Viking unit. The Viking unit has two jacks, labeling 1 and 2. Does the Line#2 connect to the jack 1 or 2? Where did the other jack of the Viking unit connect to? Do I need to connect it to the wall jack?

Isn’t that the Ademco CIA and the Compass software should do the job? Do we need the vicking unit?

It may be my CIA modem is defected – no sure, I tried couple ways and the modem got no response. I unplugged the modem and its power, getting the same error "no response from modem". I may have to contact the seller.

You cannot use the modem on the same line as your panel, it does not work that way.

The second line on the compass modem is just a pass threw so you can plug the modem into your phone line and then plug a phone in as well...it will not connect you to your panel. The CIA is nothing more then a standard modem.

You either need a second phone line or the Viking unit (or something similar).

If you use the Viking unit then you do not connect anything to your phone line. You connect jack one to your modem and then jack two to your panel. Via an RJ31X. I wired an rj31x to a mod plug to make this easier, just unplug the panel from the rj31x installed and plug it into the one connected to your modem, when you are done just reverse the process.

If you use the second phone line then you just plug the modem into any line not attached to your panel and dial that lines number. I do not think your modem is defective, I just do not think it is being used properly.

Good luck.

Thanks Anthonyh for the very helpful comments. So in my case, I only have one phone line, I tried the modem with the Viking unit as you mentioned.

I removed the home phone line that connected to the panel (with a phone jack already there, doesn’t like RJ31, it is a RJ11 – regular phone jack with four lines to the panel connection bar) and hooked it up to the Viking jack 2, then the Viking jack 1 to the modem “TO LINE” jack. The modem is connected to the PC via a serial cable (I also check each pin of the cable on both ends to make sure the cable is working).

I put a phone to the modem “TO PHONE” jack and picked up the phone, and I heard the ring down tone from the Viking unit. Then unpluged the phone.

Then I tried the connection via Comm Port 3, modem selected as Ademco CIA 2400. The modem's LED "TX" is always on. No other LED was on or flash at any time. Initialized from TelCo. First I got same error “Command AT&F timed out. No response from modem” and then a message “Unable to Initialized Modem, check modem selection and try again. No response from modem.”

I realized that the command on the default “Reset Command “ from the Ademco CIA 2400 is “&F”, it was different to the spec sheet form the "Ademco Group Compass Downloading Modem" that I bought (it didn't labeled CIA 2400), so I added custom modem with the command “Z&F”. I still got no response. The error said “Command ATZ&F timed out. No response from modem”. There was an extra Z on it which I added to the custom modem.

Would you remember during the connection should the modem sound a little bit like computer modem? Or any LED on the modem should be changing? Like CD, OH, RX, TX, and DTR leds? My TX led is always on and nothing changed during connection trial and didn't sound at all.

I did switch to different computers but still didn’t get through yet.

not really sure what is going on their, sounds like your pc is not communicating with the modem. When my modem connects it sounds like any other modem would. Looks like it may be a lot easier just to program this one from the keypad.

I might have to check with the seller if the modem is defective next week when they open.

My keypad is not an English keypad, that will be difficult to deal with. Do you have any suggestion of models of English keypad that easy to program/add devices to the Vista-10SE? Thanks a lot Anthonyh.

The 6160 is your best bet for programming

Appreciate that Anthonyh.

Where did you get the panel and keypad and what language is the keypad?

The modem and system may not be designed for US standards. I don't know much about foreign standards from Ademco but that may be part of the problem.
Just a guess on my part. :confused:

Bobby, thanks for the post.
I have Vista-10SE panel and an alpha keypad (labelled as ADT), few years ago installed by ADT in New York.

It is possible that ADT locked out the panel for remote programming or changed the default programming code. Just a thought