I had a recent post about issues with my DSC 832 / PC5010 system. It has a couple of LCD5500z keypads. The cellular communicator is EOL. I’m waiting to hear from my monitoring company as to the cost to upgrade to an LTE unit.

Based on comments to my prior post and reading here, I think I might be up for upgrading the board to a wireless one and getting newer keypads. I can then keep all my hard wired sensors. I may not be in my home long term, and it’s old, so I don’t need top of the line.

Question time.

1. Is replacing the board and keypads something I could do on my own? Or is that really not a good idea? I’ve replaced my thermostat with an ecobee and am reasonably handy. But I’m an alarm system noob.

2. If this is a DIY friendly project, is there a web site or distributor that can provide support if I buy the upgrade products through them? Like help me troubleshoot or program and the like?

3. What product is the best bang for the buck to do a simple upgrade? What board and keypads? I would like to get something that has an app associated with it. Home automation integration would also be good but not a priority. Someone recommended Qolsys, but not sure what models exactly. Any other brands? Any DSC products?

Thanks.