Hi All, like some others here, I recently bought a house that came with a preinstalled system using the Concord Express. The last owners did not have it activated so they don't know the installer or dealer codes. When I power on the system it's already been armed and I've tried the typical ones you can find here and on google with no success. I bought a chip reader, so I can likely resurrect the system and start using it. but, SHOULD I resurrect this system? When I was first striking out with it, I was heavily entertaining the idea of upgrading the system to something more modern... likely with a touch screen. If I get this thing running, are there any touch screens compatible with it? (assuming i can mix and match like that) or am I stuck with the beige keypad?

I guess I'm just wondering if it's worth saving what I have or if I should upgrade to a newer more modern system. I'm not looking to break the bank though, but a touchscreen with wifi connectivity would be nice and would be cool to have some smart phone app integration. I'll likely have it monitored through a company like alarm relay, so I'll need either VOIP or cellular connectivity, otherwise I'm not planning on adding any new to the system.. I've read some recommendations for the honeywell p20/21ip systems. Is this the best course of action?

Thanks for any help you can give. I appreciate it.

 

In terms of ease of use, DIY friendly install, and having the options and add-ons to do what you you are thinking; the Vista 20p is probably your best "bang for the buck".

The Concords are actually _made_ to be fairly difficult to get into if the installer code has been changed from the default, and the Express model is fairly limited in how much you can upgrade it.

 

TY MrRonFL. I've seen the Vista 20p being recommended here because it's end-user programmable. I'm assuming that means that I can program it all from the keypad. Correct? Or will I need a specific model/type of keypad?

i've read that the Vista 21ip has some extra built in hardware so no add-on modules are necessary for IP monitoring. Wouldn't this be a better option or can the 20p do what I need it to do? (monitoring via IP/VOIP or cellular).

Do both support touchscreens and possibly smartphone app intergration?

 

You need the 6160 (2-line alpha keypad) for programming.

The IP functions for the Vista 21ip only work with the proprietary AlarmNet network. If the service you plan to use is an AlarmNet dealer; then you are set to go.

 

Ok, thank you for the advice! It was a great help.