Customer ServiceHome Security Hack: Backdoor Into The Honeywell Vista
What's up guys? As you know, today we're going to be back dooring into the programing over the Honeywell Vista system. However, this is a channel for DIY buyers. So after we do our little demo here, I am going to be following up with reasons why you might do this, what you can do in programing. Things like that for newbies that are looking for information on why they might need a backdoor into their system to begin with.
But anyway, for those that came just to see how it is done real quick, I'm going to show what it looks like when we go into programing the normal way, and then I'll show you how to backdoor into the Vista's programing. So first thing you do if you're just going into programing normally is you enter the installer code followed by 800. And basically that tells the system: installer code, enter programing. And once you do that you'll see installer code 20 pop up. And basically that is just the first section of programing that comes up. So that's what we're looking for whenever we go to do our backdoor into the programing to make sure that it worked. So to exit programing it's star nine nine.
And if you are needing to backdoor into your Vista system, you must disconnect all power from the system which includes the battery as well as the transformer which is over here off screen. So I'm going to do that real quick. On the battery, just disconnect the red cable from the battery and that will unhook it from there, and then unplug the transformer or turn off the outlet, however you have it set up. And now from here, you can actually hook the battery back up if you wish. And then once we power up the system, while while it is going through its boot phase, all you have to do is hold down the star and pound buttons. So once you see on the screen, it'll pop up here in a second and it'll say: busy standby.
So now hold star and pound. And as you can see, it popped up with installer code 20 whenever I did that. So we successfully back door backdoored into the Honeywell Vista's programing. Now you can enter star followed by whatever section you need to to go adjust your programing as needed. Now, one thing to keep in mind is that if you do not have a full English keypad, this is a 6160, there are what are called fixed English keypad, which do not show as much information on the screen. If you're trying to backdoor into programing, it does still say installer 20, but it drops the code so you won't see installer code 20. It'll just say installer 20. So just keep that in mind if you have like a 6150 or another style of fixed English keypad.
Now for those of you that are just looking into reprograming your system or whatever the case might be, I'm going to swap the camera round so you guys can see me and we're going to talk about why you might need a backdoor into programing and what can be achieved if you do so.So give me one second and I'll be right back.
All right guys. So for those of you that are out there that may be new to the Honeywell Vista or may have come into one and you don't know what to do with it, backdoor into the programing is a very good place to start if you do not already have access to the programing of the system.
If you're unfamiliar with programing alarm systems, that is where all of the functionality of the system comes from. So that is where you set up the different zones that are going to be on your system. That's where you set your delay times for how long it takes to get to and from your door, so you can arm and disarm the system, etc., etc..
That is where you will go to change anything major on the system. If you have access to it. However, a lot of people might not have access to the programing, so most of the time if an installation style company comes out and installs a Vista system for you, they're not going to give you the installer code. Even if you cancel service with them, they might default the installer code for you, but even that's pretty unlikely.
A lot of times they just remove their service and say you deal with it, and if that's the case, then you're not going to be able to get into the programing of your alarm system. And the only way to set up further service or make any edits to your system is to have access to programing. So you can use this backdoor method to override whatever installer code they might put in the system. And you can put your own code in. So that installer code 20 that I showed you at the beginning, which basically means that you're in programing that is actually a section number. So that star 20 gets you into the installer code and you can change it for yourself. And that way you don't have to backdoor in every time you want to access programing.
You can just enter the code and then hit 800. And then It'll let you into programing the normal way. And that is one of the main reasons why we, at alarm system store, have to teach people how to backdoor into their system. It's so that they can either take over a system that was used by another company previously, or installed by another company previously, or if somebody moved into a new home and they have a vista in the house, but no information was left with it, they don't have any of the codes, so on and so forth.
So it is a very good way to be able to reuse existing equipment, even though you might not have access to it right away. So if you follow that procedure, you'll be able to get into the programing. You can set that installer code. And then from there, programing a system isn't simple by any means. There is a process to it that's pretty decent sized manual, but once you have easy access to the programing menu, then you can go through, learn whatever you need to and make any changes that you might want.
So another reason why you might need to backdoor into programing is in the programing menu. As I showed earlier, if you hit star nine nine that backs you out of programing and that is the normal way to back out of programing. However, if you hit star nine eight, whether it's by accident or perhaps somebody did it on purpose, whatever the case might be, that actually locks out programing on the system.
So if I went in there right now, hit star nine eight to leave, it's going to back me out of programing, but it's also going to restrict me from being able to type in my code and hitting 800. Even if I do that, it won't do anything. It won't go into programing, it won't let you edit anything, so on and so forth.
So you can use the backdoor method that I showed you to get into a locked panel in that same way. And I'm not going to go any more in-depth on the Vista programing because we do have a lot of other resources for that. You can check out our website, alarmsystemstore.com. We have Quick Start guide for the Vista panel. We have the product manuals for the 15P and the 20P. We also have a lot of the videos that are on our YouTube channel posted on our site as well. Or you can just peruse the rest of our YouTube channel. We do have a lot of videos related to the Vista and other Honeywell products, so just to go over it one last time, if you did stick around in case anything was forgotten, we'll go over the procedure for back dooring into the Vista panel one last time.
And basically you disconnect power. So take the red wire off of your battery, unplug the transformer, or shut down the outlet, whatever the case is. Once the system is fully powered down, the keypads are off everything. Go power the system back up, and as the keypad comes back, it's going to say busy standby. When you see that busy standby, hold the star and pound buttons on the keypad until that installer 20 or installer code 20 pops up. Once you see that installer 20 hit star two zero, that's going to take you into the section where you can actually set your installer code. Go in there, type in a new four digit number, and that way that is going to be your new installer code. That installer code cannot be the same as your master code or any user codes that are on the system.
So come up with a new code, something that's unique that you can write down and hide away somewhere in case that you need it and set it as that. And then again, press star nine nine to back out of programing. If you do ever accidentally hit star nine eight, you can backdoor into the system again if you need access to the programing.
So that's going to do it for this video. I hope that was informative. And for those of you out there that are looking to take over a Honeywell Vista or possibly a just a Vista system that you already have, but you don't have access to, use this method to get into the programing and then work your way through the Vista manual. The Vista manual is kind of long, however, it is doable by just about anybody that's willing to put a little bit of time into understanding what it's explaining. So, like I said, if you need any more resources, check out our website alarmsystemstore.com. Check out our YouTube channel. If y'all are on YouTube right now, give us a like and subscribe. If you don't mind, leave a comment and I will catch you guys on the next one.
But anyway, for those that came just to see how it is done real quick, I'm going to show what it looks like when we go into programing the normal way, and then I'll show you how to backdoor into the Vista's programing. So first thing you do if you're just going into programing normally is you enter the installer code followed by 800. And basically that tells the system: installer code, enter programing. And once you do that you'll see installer code 20 pop up. And basically that is just the first section of programing that comes up. So that's what we're looking for whenever we go to do our backdoor into the programing to make sure that it worked. So to exit programing it's star nine nine.
And if you are needing to backdoor into your Vista system, you must disconnect all power from the system which includes the battery as well as the transformer which is over here off screen. So I'm going to do that real quick. On the battery, just disconnect the red cable from the battery and that will unhook it from there, and then unplug the transformer or turn off the outlet, however you have it set up. And now from here, you can actually hook the battery back up if you wish. And then once we power up the system, while while it is going through its boot phase, all you have to do is hold down the star and pound buttons. So once you see on the screen, it'll pop up here in a second and it'll say: busy standby.
So now hold star and pound. And as you can see, it popped up with installer code 20 whenever I did that. So we successfully back door backdoored into the Honeywell Vista's programing. Now you can enter star followed by whatever section you need to to go adjust your programing as needed. Now, one thing to keep in mind is that if you do not have a full English keypad, this is a 6160, there are what are called fixed English keypad, which do not show as much information on the screen. If you're trying to backdoor into programing, it does still say installer 20, but it drops the code so you won't see installer code 20. It'll just say installer 20. So just keep that in mind if you have like a 6150 or another style of fixed English keypad.
Now for those of you that are just looking into reprograming your system or whatever the case might be, I'm going to swap the camera round so you guys can see me and we're going to talk about why you might need a backdoor into programing and what can be achieved if you do so.So give me one second and I'll be right back.
All right guys. So for those of you that are out there that may be new to the Honeywell Vista or may have come into one and you don't know what to do with it, backdoor into the programing is a very good place to start if you do not already have access to the programing of the system.
If you're unfamiliar with programing alarm systems, that is where all of the functionality of the system comes from. So that is where you set up the different zones that are going to be on your system. That's where you set your delay times for how long it takes to get to and from your door, so you can arm and disarm the system, etc., etc..
That is where you will go to change anything major on the system. If you have access to it. However, a lot of people might not have access to the programing, so most of the time if an installation style company comes out and installs a Vista system for you, they're not going to give you the installer code. Even if you cancel service with them, they might default the installer code for you, but even that's pretty unlikely.
A lot of times they just remove their service and say you deal with it, and if that's the case, then you're not going to be able to get into the programing of your alarm system. And the only way to set up further service or make any edits to your system is to have access to programing. So you can use this backdoor method to override whatever installer code they might put in the system. And you can put your own code in. So that installer code 20 that I showed you at the beginning, which basically means that you're in programing that is actually a section number. So that star 20 gets you into the installer code and you can change it for yourself. And that way you don't have to backdoor in every time you want to access programing.
You can just enter the code and then hit 800. And then It'll let you into programing the normal way. And that is one of the main reasons why we, at alarm system store, have to teach people how to backdoor into their system. It's so that they can either take over a system that was used by another company previously, or installed by another company previously, or if somebody moved into a new home and they have a vista in the house, but no information was left with it, they don't have any of the codes, so on and so forth.
So it is a very good way to be able to reuse existing equipment, even though you might not have access to it right away. So if you follow that procedure, you'll be able to get into the programing. You can set that installer code. And then from there, programing a system isn't simple by any means. There is a process to it that's pretty decent sized manual, but once you have easy access to the programing menu, then you can go through, learn whatever you need to and make any changes that you might want.
So another reason why you might need to backdoor into programing is in the programing menu. As I showed earlier, if you hit star nine nine that backs you out of programing and that is the normal way to back out of programing. However, if you hit star nine eight, whether it's by accident or perhaps somebody did it on purpose, whatever the case might be, that actually locks out programing on the system.
So if I went in there right now, hit star nine eight to leave, it's going to back me out of programing, but it's also going to restrict me from being able to type in my code and hitting 800. Even if I do that, it won't do anything. It won't go into programing, it won't let you edit anything, so on and so forth.
So you can use the backdoor method that I showed you to get into a locked panel in that same way. And I'm not going to go any more in-depth on the Vista programing because we do have a lot of other resources for that. You can check out our website, alarmsystemstore.com. We have Quick Start guide for the Vista panel. We have the product manuals for the 15P and the 20P. We also have a lot of the videos that are on our YouTube channel posted on our site as well. Or you can just peruse the rest of our YouTube channel. We do have a lot of videos related to the Vista and other Honeywell products, so just to go over it one last time, if you did stick around in case anything was forgotten, we'll go over the procedure for back dooring into the Vista panel one last time.
And basically you disconnect power. So take the red wire off of your battery, unplug the transformer, or shut down the outlet, whatever the case is. Once the system is fully powered down, the keypads are off everything. Go power the system back up, and as the keypad comes back, it's going to say busy standby. When you see that busy standby, hold the star and pound buttons on the keypad until that installer 20 or installer code 20 pops up. Once you see that installer 20 hit star two zero, that's going to take you into the section where you can actually set your installer code. Go in there, type in a new four digit number, and that way that is going to be your new installer code. That installer code cannot be the same as your master code or any user codes that are on the system.
So come up with a new code, something that's unique that you can write down and hide away somewhere in case that you need it and set it as that. And then again, press star nine nine to back out of programing. If you do ever accidentally hit star nine eight, you can backdoor into the system again if you need access to the programing.
So that's going to do it for this video. I hope that was informative. And for those of you out there that are looking to take over a Honeywell Vista or possibly a just a Vista system that you already have, but you don't have access to, use this method to get into the programing and then work your way through the Vista manual. The Vista manual is kind of long, however, it is doable by just about anybody that's willing to put a little bit of time into understanding what it's explaining. So, like I said, if you need any more resources, check out our website alarmsystemstore.com. Check out our YouTube channel. If y'all are on YouTube right now, give us a like and subscribe. If you don't mind, leave a comment and I will catch you guys on the next one.