what provides the range of the viper 5900

I have a viper 5900 installed in a car that I will be selling soon. The thing I loved about that alarm was the range that I could get on the pager, aside from that I have most basic install. Turns the alarm on and off, and I know if the shock sensor is triggered or the doors are opened.

My new car needs an alarm but I dont want to spend as much as I did on the 5900, if I bought one of the cheaper viper or DEI alarms that only have the 1/4 mile range, would I be able to just exchange the antennas and remotes (if the remote is compatible) and get the same range on the cheaper alarm?

the antenna and remote are the main in the one mile range. i never tried using a one mile remote and antenna with another DEI product usually the plugs are different but you might be able to get away if you get like a 791 xv but am not sure if it would give you the one mile range other DEI antennas are different connectors

u will almost certainly run into the software limitations of the incompatible system..... but hey... giving it a try will not hurt anything...... let er rip... tell us what happens......

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there can be only one.......

Most likely it would be possible to do...DEI, at least 4 years ago when I did a lot more of them, uses about 3 different levels of antenna which increase range as you spend more, but all the antennas/remotes were available as service parts.

The downside is that you may pay just about as much for the cheaper alarm with the upgraded antenna and remotes as you would to buy the more expensive alarm.

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C Renner's Auto Electronix
My service is cheap, quick, and good - pick any two

If the new system is a "responder" system, it should work. You would swap the antenna and remote to make this happen. 791's do work doing this. A base model alarm from DEI like the 350 will now work because it is not a responder system. The antenna is not compatible with the brain.

chriswallace187 wrote:

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The downside is that you may pay just about as much for the cheaper alarm with the upgraded antenna and remotes as you would to buy the more expensive alarm.

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dually noted, i looked into this awhile back, even on ebay. Better off getting the better unit new in the box.

If you are selling the car with the viper 5900 soon, why not take it out before you do? If you had a shop put it in, most will take it out for you free of charge too, provided you have original paperwork. That way you can install that unit into your new car :P


sS

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RTFM

According to DEI all of the sst units have a different brain than the others. An upgrade of a 791 to a 5900 would require a brain change and an antenna change. All of the wiring is the same though.

I know that for Compustar, you can buy replacement antennas and remotes to upgrade their basic systems to long-range systems.

However, it appears that doing it that way isn't cost effective.

I like spookiestylez' idea, but the only thing is, almost no one wants to install a used alarm into a new car. All the wires have already been cut to length.

There might be another option:

--Buy a short-range DEI alarm, that has plugs and wiring compatible with your 5900.

--Remove the 5900 brain, antenna cable, and antenna from the old car.

--Plug in new, short-range unit into the 5900's wiring in the old car.

--Now, for the new car, you have your used 5900 brain/remote/antenna, but all new wiring.

the operating voltage is different on the SST responder units... you would have to replace the brain, antenna and remote.... Chris' idea makes the most sense... buy a cheap viper 2-way alarm to replace back into the unit you are selling and remove the antenna and brain for your new vehicle.... you could even just put in a 1-way unit to the old vehicle, but then you'll have to pull out the antenna cable as well....

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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979

You DO NOT need to replace the brain with a 5900/791 swap. I've done it. I did it in my vehicle and it works great WITHOUT swapping the brain. Just swapped antenna and remote.

i've been told directly from Directed that the antenna operating voltage is different.... will it work?  maybe.... is it working to it's full potential?  likely, not......

swapping the brain takes all of 2.5 minutes... i just did one in my wife's SUV... upgraded her from a 2-way LED unit to a LCD SST unit... took all of 5 minutes start to finish.... what's the big deal in doing it properly?

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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979

I'm not trying to make a big deal out of this, I was simply stating that it will work (very well mind you) without swapping the brains. I know it doesn't take long to swap them out.

What I was able to do was talk to a local DEI dealer and they sold me the antenna and transmitter for about $80. Thats a lot less than retail for a 5900. Because of this, I didn't have a brain to swap, other wise I would have swapped them.