Suggestions for wired alarm system?

[JimS]

Have a NX8e and having some trouble with it. Currently using a Alula cell box for monitoring. Hoping to get the problems resolved but if it turns out to be much cost wondering what my options are for different model/brand replacement that is currently in production. This is a 20 year old system and I know some companies have gone away. Have 16 zones in main partition and 8 in a separate building with wire connection between. All wired zones. Have thought of using the serial port for home automation things but haven't gotten around to it so would consider that capability a plus but not mandatory.

 

[dwalt]

Honeywell/Ademco has been around forever. The Vista 20p,21p have sold in huge quantity.
DSC is available.
This is an automation-centric forum so I would suggest Elk as its been around a long time, is reliable and can do much much more than Honeywell or DSC.
An Elk system will cost significantly more. That's to be expected as it is a more feature rich system.
Honeywell or DSC will get your basic alarm system functions handled.
If you are looking for assistance on this forum, your odds of getting help from a number of folks is best with Elk.
I believe it is easier to program a system using a PC. You can program the Honeywell but you need a phone line, their Compass software and their CIA modem which is hard to find. The DSC is easier to program but you need to get the software normally only given to dealers and you need a serial port on the pc or you need an ethernet port add on board on the DSC.
The Elk is easy to set up (compared to Honeywell and DSC) and the programming software is free. Basic Elk comes with a serial port but you can add an ethernet port to it.
With most modern PCs you'll need a usb to serial port adapter like the Keyspan USA-19HS.