Short answer
Most VISTA owners need a cellular-only communicator (the LTE-X or LTEM-X family) or a cellular-plus-internet one (LTE-I / LTEM-PI). The last letter is the carrier: A for AT&T, V for Verizon, C for Bell in Canada. Pick the carrier with the best signal where the panel sits. A VISTA-21iPLTE has a slot for the matching LTE-21 radio instead. All of them must be activated through a dealer's AlarmNet account.
On this page
Why you might need one
- Your landline is gone, or the panel cannot communicate over VoIP or fiber phone service.
- Your old GSM/3G communicator stopped working after the carriers retired those networks in 2022.
- You want a backup path so a cut phone line or internet outage does not silence the alarm.
Signs: an FC or COMM FAILURE message on the keypad. See communication failure.
Decode the model names
| Family | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| LTE-X | 4G LTE cellular communicator for VISTA panels | LTE-XA (AT&T), LTE-XV (Verizon), LTE-XC (Bell) |
| LTEM-X | LTE Cat-M1 cellular communicator for VISTA panels | LTEM-XA, LTEM-XV |
| LTE-I | Multi-path: cellular plus internet | LTE-IA, LTE-IV, LTE-IC |
| LTEM-PI | Cat-M1 cellular plus internet | LTEM-PIA, LTEM-PIV |
| LTE-HS | High-security multi-path for applications that need it | LTE-HSV |
| LTE-21 | Plug-in radio for the VISTA-21iPLTE board | LTE-21A, LTE-21V, LTE-21C |
Cat-M1 is a low-power version of LTE designed for long-lived connected devices such as alarm communicators. Either family works on current networks; ask your monitoring company which they prefer.
Choosing a carrier
- Check signal where the panel is mounted, which is often a basement or closet. Your phone's signal on each carrier there is a reasonable first guide.
- The carrier choice is about coverage only. You do not need a phone plan with that carrier; the communicator's data service comes through the alarm dealer.
Activation and setup
These communicators report through Resideo AlarmNet, and have to be registered and activated on a dealer's AlarmNet account. If you are self-installing, find a monitoring company that will activate it before you buy. The communicator connects to the panel's keypad bus, and the panel's programming needs to be set to use it. See VISTA installer programming. Always send a test signal through the new communicator with the monitoring company on the line.
Other Honeywell panels
- Lynx Touch and Lyric use their own plug-in modules. See Lynx and Lyric troubles.
- ProSeries / VISTA-H panels use the PROLTE module.