How to Establish Communications for Director – Detailed Steps (Nov 28, 2008)
*** PLEASE NOTE: This is a sample of how to establish communications – there are some
assumptions made in the steps below such as creating a new account that requires “Intrusion and
Access” control, “Version 4.40 or greater”, “Standard” (N.A. Operating Mode), “Monitor xL” Main Panel,
“Feature Set 3”, and account name “ABC Company”. Please modify to suit your customer’s application.
1. Create a New Account and name it “ABC Company”
Start Director: From your windows XP Desktop, click Start > All Programs > Verex Director V4 >
Verex Director
Login: Click the Login button. Type in the default login Name: Operator and Password 1234 the
Server Location can be left as is (your computer’s name) assuming the PC you are currently logging
into is the server.
Tip: ***VERY IMPORTANT*** If you forget the username and/or password there is no way
to reset this! You will have to reinstall the software and start over! This is a high
security system with no “back door.” After logging in, you can change the Operator
Username and Password by clicking on the Management Tab > Operator > Operator.
Change the login ‘Name’ by changing: “Operator” to something else if you wish. Change
the ‘Password’ by clicking the Password Active […] button to Enter and Re-Enter
Password.
Cancel Wizard, Configure Account Information
The first time Director starts, the Configuration Wizard will appear. For this workshop we will not use
the wizard. Click Cancel then Yes. Essentially, a wizard asks a series of questions to help you create
or edit an account. We will take a look at the Configuration and Communications wizards in a later
workshop.
Configure Account Information:
By default an account folder is created named “Account Folders”. Right-Click on the “Account Folders”
folder and select “Add Account…”
Select the following:
Page 1 of 17
A default account named “New Account” is created. Right-click on the account and select “Rename”
Rename the account “ABC Company”
- Double-click on your account
2. Combined Intrusion and Access system, including LCD Keypad Plus
- Click “Account Information”
- Confirm the “Account Type” is Intrusion and Access
- Confirm there is a checkmark beside “LCD keypads”
Tip: if you don’t add a checkmark here, the option to add an LCD Keypad will not be
available later when adding this module type
3. Central Station connected
Navigate to: “Account Information”
- Confirm there is a checkmark beside “Central Station”
Article I.
4. I.D. plus pin login; with 300 users; single Main Panel application (Feature Set #??)
Select Feature Set 3. Why? All the client’s requirements are met:
- Number of authority levels? 2
- Number of users? 300
- Number of Panels (Prime 1, Enterprise 60)? 1
- Doors (Prime 16, Enterprise 32)? 2
- User Log On? ID + PIN
Whenever you see a ‘+’ symbol next to a node on the tree you must double click the node or one click
on the ‘+’ to expand that node.
Make sure ‘Logical Tree View’ is Unchecked. All the following steps assume you have Logical Tree
View unchecked.
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’ account to select it, click
once on Account Information to highlight it, then right click on Account Information and
make sure Logical Tree View is ‘unchecked.’ Click “Logical Tree View” to toggle
checked/unchecked. There should NOT be a checkmark on the left side of “Logical Tree
View”. Your screen SHOULD display the following:
Double-click on Configuration > double-click Default Panel Group > double-click Default Panel >
double-click System > Communication
Configuration (Tab) Select appropriate On board Modem Type: (North American Bell 103 is the
default)
SIA/CID (Tab)
- Enter a Digital account ID: (this number is assigned by the Central Station, for training
purposes enter 1234)
- Select appropriate Format: SIA/Contact ID/SIA Plus Text
- Enter the Phone Number: (this is the number to dial the Central Station, for training purposes
enter 1234567890)
- Select appropriate Call sequence: (US Default is UL)
- ***IMPORTANT: Select Alarm Report Mode: Primary/Dual *** - if left at the default (None)
no alarms will be transmitted to the Central Station!
5. Add Main Control Panel and Establish Communications
In addition to proper wiring and modem configuration setup, here are the steps necessary to
successfully establish communication with a panel. These steps can be used as a trouble shooting
procedure and will solve 96% of communication issues:
NOTE: Panels that are ‘factory defaulted’ are plug and play and DO NOT require a keypad to
be configured. This exercise assumes a ‘factory defaulted’ panel.
If connecting by IP though standard network cable, disable any wireless network connections
first. Procedure: Start > Control Panel > Network Connections > right click on any Wireless
network connections and “Disable”.
Step 1: Add Power to your Main Panel and check connection from your PC to your Main Panel to
ensure proper wiring and modem configuration setup.
Step 2: Tamper the Main Panel by opening the metal door cabinet. You cannot login as Service
without tampering the Main Panel. On the Main Panel circuit board, look at the green Status
LED (MONITOR xL Modular Panel).
•
•
•
•
No Status LED = no power, check power supply
“Status Grn LED” fast flashing (2x per second) = factory defaulted, no configuration
“Status Grn LED” (1x per second) = panel has been configured
“Status Grn LED” (LED lit, not flashing) = a RAM chip may be missing or not inserted properly,
remove power and check RAM
If the Main Panel is factory defaulted (or RAM cleared using program reset jumpers), only the following
panel configuration information is needed:
Main Panel Serial Number: see white sticker with handwritten serial number on Main Panel
Panel Code: 1
Third Party Password: 0
Take note of the configuration above and proceed to Step 4.
If the Main Panel has been configured, the following panel configuration information is needed proceed
to Step 3.
Step 3: Login as service using your LCD Keypad.
The default login for a Keypad configured Main Panel is:
User ID: 000
PIN: 2482
The default login for a Main Panel that has previously communicated with a Director software PC is:
User ID: 000
PIN: 7378
Firmware and LCD Keypad Screen Chart:
Note: For full details regarding Configuration (Config) screens, see “Advanced Installation Guide”
(firmware V4.4 and later).
Firmware V4.25 Firmware
Fill in your Panel
and earlier
V4.4 and
Configuration below
later
S002:00
S002:00
Needed for Step 10: Feature
Set (Memory Model)
First ‘Config’
First ‘Config’
Needed for Step 11: *Firmware
Screen
Screen
Version
S005:00
S005:10
Needed for Step 13: Main
Panel Serial Number
S001:05
S001:02
Needed for Step 14: Panel
Code (UID)
S005:01
S001:03
Needed for Step 15: Third
Party Password
*Tip: The firmware version is usually on a sticker on the firmware chip for ISM Main Panels, it is
not written on xL Main Panels. If the sticker is missing or for any reason you are not sure of the
version number, you can connect an LCD Keypad to the Main Control Panel and on the first
advanced ‘Config’ screen you will see which version of the firmware is currently installed.
For example: 4-44 = Firmware Version 4.44
The following “Step 4:”only has to be done once on each PC, and this is only necessary if you
are using a direct wire (RS485) connection.
Step 4: Windows Direct-Cable-Connection Setup
To allow connecting to panels through a physical cable, you must ensure that support for this has been
installed and set up through your MS Windows.
Procedure: (Windows 2000/XP):
Note: Windows 2000 and XP treat a 'direct-cable-connection' the same as a modem.
1) (Shut down Director if applicable).
2) From the Windows Start Menu, select Settings, Control Panel, and Phone and Modem
Options.
3) Select the "Modems" tab, and click [Add].
4) Select "Do not detect...", and click [Next].
5) Under "Standard Modem Types", select "Communications Cable between two
computers", and click [Next].
6) Select the listed serial port (COMx – the x can represent port 1,2,3,4 etc.) that the cable will
be using, and click [Next].
7) Click [Finish].
8) In the next screen, click [OK] to close the screen.
Note: The name of the direct-cable-connection will be set as "Communications Cable between
two computers".
9) Close all open windows.
Step 5: Assign the comm port to the comm client. This is only performed once during installation of
the comm client or when changing comm ports. Note that you must have run ‘Direct Cable
Communications’ once on your computer for the comm port to show up.
Procedure: Start the Comms Client Start > All Programs > Verex Director V4 > Verex
Director–Communication. In the bottom right corner of your windows screen in the task bar
you will see the MONITOR ISM Director Communication icon which looks like a white LCD
Keypad with a yellow phone in front of it.
Right- click on the icon and select Port Configuration as seen below:
A “Device Configuration Screen” will appear – for a “Direct Wire” connection, click the down arrow
under “Communication device” and select “Communications cable between two computers” and click
the down arrow under “Modem/Direct” and select “Direct”, then click “Save”:
To add additional devices, (modem, IP network connection) right-click under “Communication
device” and select Add as seen below:
From the drop down menus select the appropriate Communication Device: and
Modem/Direct: type.
Step 6: Login to the Director Software.
Procedure: Start the Director software Start > All Programs > Verex Director V4 > Verex
Director. Click the Login button. The default login is:
Name: operator
Password: 1234
Please make sure you are using “Form” view at all times while using these steps – when
you are in “Form” view you will see the “Grid” button near the top left hand side of the
window. Your screen should display the following:
Please make sure you are using “Tree” view at all times while using these steps – when
you are in “Tree” view you will see the “Tree” button near the top left middle of the
window depressed. Your screen should display the following:
Step 7: Assign the comm port to the comm pool.
Procedure: In ‘Tree’ view, click
(1) Communications
(2) Communication Pool
(3) Type in a logical Pool Name: (i.e. Direct Wire Pool) The next steps [4] [5] [6] are done
automatically for the first port / pool.
(4) Click the communication device that is not in the pool
(5) Click Add
(6) The communication device will move to the left column to the right column and appear under
Devices in Pool
Step 8: Make sure ‘Logical Tree View’ is Unchecked. All the following steps assume you have
Logical Tree View unchecked.
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’ account to select it, click
once on Account Information to highlight it, then right click on Account Information and
make sure Logical Tree View is ‘unchecked.’ Click “Logical Tree View” to toggle
checked/unchecked. There should NOT be a checkmark on the left side of “Logical Tree
View”. Your screen SHOULD display the following:
Step 9: Assign the comm pool to the account. This is done automatically for the first account.
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’ account to select
it.
(1) Double-click on Configuration to expand the node
(2) Click Default Panel Group
(3) Click the Connection tab in the main window
(4) – assign a Communication pool
(5) PC Connection type (and Speed. For Modem connection types, you will need to
type the panel Telephone number here. For modem and IP connections also
refer to Step 15.)
Step10: Select a Feature Set (memory model). Default is Feature Set #3. If panel is already
configured see Firmware and LCD Keypad Screen Chart above.
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click “Account Folders”, double-click ‘your’ account to select it, click
once on “Account Information”. Select a ‘feature set’ (memory model). If the panel is already
configured, go to the first Config > Advanced screen. (WARNING: changing the Feature Set
using keypad configuration clears all existing configuration such as users, modules, etc. – it’s
like formatting your hard drive! This is a big advantage of using the software; if you do a ‘get
from’ panel and then change the Feature Set no information is lost.)
Step 11: Select the Firmware Version. Default is for firmware version 4.0 or greater. If panel is
already configured see Firmware and LCD Keypad Screen Chart above.
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’ account to select it, click
once on Account Information. Select the firmware version from the drop-down box.
Step 12: Select the appropriate Panel Version.
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’ account to select it,
double-click on Configuration > double-click Default Panel Group > double-click Default
Panel > click System > Select the appropriate Panel Version (MONITOR ISM or MONITOR
xL):
Step 13: Type in the Main Panel serial number in the ‘communications’ node. Look for the white
sticker with hand written serial number on the motherboard OR if panel is already configured see
Firmware and LCD Keypad Screen Chart above.
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’ account to select it,
double-click on Configuration > double-click Default Panel Group > double-click Default
Panel > double-click System > Communication. Type in the panel serial number in the Serial
Number: field.
Step 14: Type in a Panel Code in the ‘communications’ node. Up to 6 digits. Must be a number
greater than zero. If panel is already configured, see Firmware and LCD Keypad Screen Chart
above and ensure that the value is not zero AND that the number matches the value in the software.
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’ account to select it,
double-click on Configuration > double-click Default Panel Group > double-click Default
Panel > double-click System > Communication. Type in the panel code in the Panel Code:
field.
STEP 13
STEP 14
STEP 15
Step 15: Type in a third party password up to 6 digits in the ‘communication’ node. If panel is
already configured, see Firmware and LCD Keypad Screen Chart above.
Third Party Password Rules:
1. If the software Third Party Password number is zero, and the Main Panel Third Party
Password number is zero, then the software will make up a number and add it to the Main
Panel and software.
2. If the software Third Party Password has a number, and the Main Panel Third Party
Password is zero, then the software Third Party Password number will be added to the
Main Panel.
3. If the Main Panel Third Party Password has a number, then the same number must be
typed in the software communication node.
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’ account to select it,
double-click on Configuration > double-click Default Panel Group > double-click Default
Panel > double-click System > Communication. Type in the Third party password in the Third
party password: field.
Step 16: OPTIONAL – If you selected a modem or IP connection in STEP 3, then you must insert
the appropriate IP address or phone number in the ‘communication’ node
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’ account to select it,
double-click on Configuration > double-click Default Panel Group > double-click Default
Panel > double-click System > Communication. Type in the Interface IP Address or
Director Phone number into the appropriate field.
IP Address:
Phone Number:
Step 17: Do Send to or Get From panel
Procedure: In ‘tree’ view, click Management Tab. Note: It is common to see a message when
communications fail “This account transaction is pending. The communications port may be in use by
another account or application.” We need to make sure that there is not another account still trying to
use the port. We click the Management tab to exit out of any one account. This way when we view
“Communications Pending/Online” we will see ALL pending/online communications rather than just
communications for a particular account.
Click the Communications tab >
Switch to Grid View (In ‘Grid’ view, the ‘Form’ button is displayed as seen below) >
Are there any panels Pending/Online (Click ‘Pending/Online’ as seen below) >
If there are any panels Pending/Online, right-click on the … button under “Edit” and select disconnect.
If you get a “Transaction Locked” error this may be the problem – make sure you always disconnect
your laptop’s communication (as above) before you leave a site or physically disconnect a
serial/IP/modem connection to avoid this problem.
See next page…
Once there are no panels listed under ‘Pending/Online’, click on the … button under “Edit”
See next page…
(1) Double-click ‘your’ account
(2) Double-click the Panel Group
(3) Double Click the Panel – you will see green checkmarks appear on the Panel Group and Panel
icons
(4) Click the appropriate Action from the drop-down list. Panel/software updates can be:
·Normal (bi-directional / synchronize)
·Send To Panel (sends Director software settings to the Main Panel)
·Get From Panel (gets settings from the Main Panel from Verex Director)
***For first time connections, ‘Send To’ or ‘Get From’ must be used***. After the first time
connection, you can get updates to and from the Main Panel/Director Software using a “Normal”
connection.
(5) Select "Stay Connected" for on-going data synchronization, event transmission, and/or checking
status or controlling items.
(6) Click OK button.
Step 18: Am I Connected?
Return to ‘Form’ View (Grid is selected). In ‘tree’ view, click Account Folders, double-click ‘your’
account to select it.
(Check Status) Account Connection Status: The status bar at the extreme bottom of the screen
continually shows the connection status for your selected account, and whether or not specific updates
are in progress. So, to check the communications status of an account, simply check the status at the
bottom of the screen. (Grey Box Flashes)
Not communicating? Check….
Is the Communications Client Running? Check the Windows task bar for an LCD/Telephone symbol
near the right-hand end. (If present, the communications software is already running):
If the LCD/telephone symbol is not present, start the communications software:
From the Start menu, select Programs, Verex Director V4, and Verex Director-Communication. To
ensure the software started: Re-check the task-bar for the LCD/Telephone symbol on the right.
Are the VEREX Services Started? Make sure your USB HASP Key is plugged in and the light is on.
Check the task bar in the lower right side of your Windows desktop.
If the LCD/Telephone symbol on the right is greyed out (as seen a below), the Communications Service
is not running. Right-click on the icon and select “Start Communications”.
If the LCD/Folder symbol on the right displays an exclamation mark (as seen a below), the Server
Service is not running. Right-click on the icon and select “Start Server”.