About David

B443-ATT communicators do not support SMS messaging of personal notifications when used with a Bosch AT&T data service plan. The solution is to replace the B443-ATT communicator with a B444-A communicator. The B444-A will support SMS Messages when using a Bosch AT&T data service plan. Additionally, the new B444-V communicator with Bosch Verizon data service plans can be used as an alternative to the B443-ATT. The B444-V supports SMS messaging of personal notifications.   ... View more

When attempting to generate a panel report in Remote Programming Software the following error message appears; The type initializer for ‘ChrystalDecisions.Shared.SharedUtils’ threw an exception.  This error message has been seen when Crystal Reports was not installed on the PC running RPS. Resolve the issue with the following steps; Verify the PC has the current version of .Net Framework as well as all current Windows updates. Perform a repair of Remote Programming Software. When possible, install Crystal Reports onto the PC. Otherwise, uninstall and reinstall Remote Programming Software (RPS).  ... View more

The B440 and B444 cellular communicators each come with a unique antenna and they are not interchangeable. Each type of cellular communicator must use the correct standard antenna.   Therefore it is important to identify the correct antenna for proper compatibility. Figure 1 below shows both antennas. Antenna 1, used by the B440 has a more slender design and has a silver connector. Antenna 2, used by the B444 has a more robust design and has a gold connector. Figure 1 B440 versus B444 Cellular  communicator antennas The B40 or B40-P Puck Booster antennas are interchangeable and can be used on either the B444 or B440. Figure 2  B40 and B40-P antennas ... View more

1.   Verify the phone line voltage reads at least 6VDC when measuring voltage across Tip & Ring or 10ma when measuring current in series with either side of the phone line. 2.   Verify proper phone number entry. Enter a phone number for the control panel to dial when communicating. The number should be entered as if dialing from a telephone. In situations where the panel needs to wait for dialtone to dial, enter a 'D' in the location where the control panel should wait prior to dialing (e.g. 9D8005551212 would dial 9 for an outside line, wait for dialtone and then continue dialing 8005551212). In some cases a 2 second pause may be required. In this case enter a ‘C’ in the number to add a 2 second pause.  Note, the control panel dials the programmed phone number as a continuous string. It may be necessary to call the receiver with a cell phone/test phone to determine when a pause or wait for dial tone is needed while dialing. Also note that the control panel will dial the characters [#] or [*] as if they were pressed on a telephone keypad. Add any number required for obtaining access to an outside line or for long distance dialing. This entry should be added in the same way as if dialed from a standard telephone (e.g. dial 9 for outside access). A test may be performed by programming the panel to communicate to the phone number of a cell phone. The cell phone should ring when the panel communicates. 3.   Verify the programmed reporting format is compatible with the receiver. For example, if the receiver only provides Contact ID ACK tones, then the control panel’s reporting format must be set as Contact ID. 4.   Monitor the panel phone line while it sends a report. Listen with a test phone for: Dial tone as the communication begins. DTMF tones as the panel dials. Receiver Rings. Receiver answers with correct ‘ACK’ tones for CID or M3a2. Data transmission tones indicating the panel is reporting data. Kiss-off tone to indicate the report was received. If the panel doesn’t detect the receiver’s Kiss-off tone after sending data the phone line is disconnected and the panel makes another attempt to send the report. The panel makes 10 attempts to send the report and if a Kiss-off tone is not detected after the 10th attempt, it will go into Communication Fail. Communication Fail is often caused by: Noise or attenuated signal on the panel phone line. The panel is using an internet based phone line (see below). Alarm panels require precise timing between DTMF tones or pulses during communication.  The characteristics of IP based phone systems (e.g. latency, codecs, etc.) may impact this timing and cause the communication to fail. Because the existing telephone system is increasingly transitioning from POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) to an internet based system, it may be difficult to know if an IP based phone system is used. ... View more

The [99 + Enter “Setup?” Function], described in section 4.4 of the D1260 Installation Guide, is no longer available in GV2 or newer control panels. Brightness and contrast settings are no longer adjustable in GV2 and higher control panels. Use [Command] + [49] and select Bright Display or Dim Display to affect the backlighting. Selecting Dim Display turns off backlighting for the keypad display and buttons when the control panel is idle. The keypad backlighting turns on only when a keypad button is pressed or an event is active in the control panel.  After approximately 20 seconds of inactivity the backlighting will turn off. Selecting Bright Display turns backlighting on for the keypad display and buttons at all times regardless of button presses or control panel events.  ... View more