Re: VOIP for home securit system? in VOIP Tech Chat http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r13167218 en Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:07:53 EDT Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:07:53 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13177434 lestat99 :
said by karimkb See Profile:

Yes, i am considering alarmpath (if paid full year, its only $9 a month) w/ a dryline broadband and no phone line, which will save me about 40$-45$ monthly, was just wondering about power outages etc, and the wireless option lestat provided, for which i have some questions:

Is alarmpath a monitoring company or does it just provide the hardware for you?
Is there a monthly fee for alarmpath or just the hardware that works w/ your monitoring comapany? If so, whats the fee.
So can i just cancel my phone line all together and just use alarmpath?

thanks
The way AlarmPath works and all wireless backup for that matter is that they receive all of your alarm signals over wireless back to their site. From there they send it out over the PSTN to your central station monitoring company. With this type of setup they are completely independent of the monitoring company that you chose. NextAlarm, BTW, does support the use of AlarmPath.

As far as the fee is concerned. You purchase the wireless hardware upfront which also includes two years of wireless service. After that they bill you on a yearly basis. The fee will vary based on the local installer.

Yes, technically you could just cancel your phone line and use alarmpath. Just be aware that AlarmPath will only send Burg and Fire signals to the monitoring company. If your panel sends our test messages, low battery notices, arm/disarm messages, etc this wouldn't be carried by AlarmPath. So the best bet is to have a primary reporting method, either the PSTN or VOIP and use AlarmPath as a backup. BTW, when your alarm trips the signal goes out simultaneously over both your primary reporting path and AlarmPath. In most cases the wireless signal will reach the central station before your panel even has a chance to dialout.

Also, the AlarmPath hardware on your end uses the battery backup on your panel so it will still work during a power outage. Just make sure that your battery is big enough to handle both.

There are other options for wireless backup, mainly control channel cellular. I did some research and AlarmPath had the best technology, best solution at a competitive price when you factor in equipment and recurring costs. AlarmPath doesn't sell directly to endusers but they will refer you to a local installer. Also make sure if you live in a rural area that you are within the wireless footprint of AlarmPath. They have a coverage map on their website.

»www.alarmpath.com/services.php

Bottom line was that I wasn't willing to make the investment in a security system without wireless backup. This was regardless of VoIP. What would the point be of purchasing an expensive security system and pay monthly monitoring fees if the system can be disabled by using a pair of wire cutters outside your house? This also has the side benefit of backing up a VoIP reporting method if your VoIP service goes out.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13177434 Fri, 15 Apr 2005 11:42:02 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13176988 karimkb : Yes, i am considering nextalarm* (if paid full year, its only $9 a month) w/ a dryline broadband and no phone line, which will save me about 40$-45$ monthly, was just wondering about power outages etc, and the wireless option lestat provided, for which i have some questions:

Is alarmpath a monitoring company or does it just provide the hardware for you?
Is there a monthly fee for alarmpath or just the hardware that works w/ your monitoring comapany? If so, whats the fee.
So can i just cancel my phone line all together and just use alarmpath?

thanks]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13176988 Fri, 15 Apr 2005 10:38:06 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13175913 ebubman : i'll second the motion that others have placed to consider nextalarm via broadband. we've had nextalarm for several months. their tech staff are quite supportive & helpful. their web-based interface is quite slick. the price is amazing. the few times we've in advertantly triggered an alarm resulted in a call w/in the advertised 30 seconds. we've been w/o a landline for over 2 yrs now. the landline players whose names start with A & B are grossly overpriced & require a 36 month contract----------get real. nextalarm is the way to go. bub]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13175913 Fri, 15 Apr 2005 06:25:57 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13175855 jig : i have my broadband modem (cable) and routers on battery backup (as is the alarm system). so far, through blackouts that have lasted about an hour, i've been able to websurf without hiccups. so, you probably don't have to worry about power outages if you hook everything up through a battery backed up internet connection. and i doubt the burglars cut the cable tv line, at least so far.

-jig]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13175855 Fri, 15 Apr 2005 05:44:12 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13175275 antwanp : I'm sorry... the name of our alarm company is Protection One, not America One... sorry!

-Antwan L.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13175275 Fri, 15 Apr 2005 01:26:32 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13175229 antwanp : Our alarm company, I think it's America One, installed a wireless system for our alarm system. It uses the SprintPCS network to contact our monitoring station and call the authorities. They did this after they sent a letter stating that since a lot of customers are getting rid of their home lines for wireless or VoIP that they will install an antenna that looks like the ones that they put on cars for onStar so that you won't have to rely on land lines anymore. You may want to check and see if your company does this.

-Antwan L.
--
Bawls, the official drink of Lan Parties, Paintball Matches, and anything else that requires extreme energy! »www.bawls.com]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13175229 Fri, 15 Apr 2005 01:14:53 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13174689 CCTVTech : We are using NextAlarm with their broadband adapter. Works Great!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13174689 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 23:37:37 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13173293 lestat99 : Yes, most don't realize that the wholesale rate for alarm monitoring is $2-$3/month. If you own your own equipment there is no reason to pay the average retail rate of $25/month for the like of ADT, Slomins, etc. Most of this is to recover the costs of the equipment that they basically give away up front to get your monitoring contract. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13173293 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 21:06:56 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13173087 electrode5 : I have Vonage and use Nextalarm.com, with the monitoring done over my Internet cable modem connection. It works great, is very cheap, and flawless. They give you several months free, which basically covers the cost of the adapter, or most of it. It is far cheaper than regular alarm monitoring. Plus, if you pay annually it is really cheap, $8 or $9 a month, or something like that.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13173087 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 20:46:12 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13172790 lestat99 :
said by karimkb See Profile:

what happens if theres a power outage or dsl is down? I guess those r the disadvantages of using this type of service?
You should never have an alarm system without wireless backup anyway. I use AlarmPath as a wireless backup. »www.alarmpath.com Any intruder with half a brain is going to cut your phone line before the break-in rendering your system useless. We had a series of break-ins in my neighborhood were the intruder did just this to the alarm systems. They ransacked the house, hauled off a cartload of stuff and the alarm did nothing. This isn't something that the big alarm companies like to point out but your system is giving you a false sense of security without some sort of wireless backup connection. Alarmpath is nice in that it is two way ackowledged. This means that when signals are sent they are acknoledged by the receiving side. Some wireless backup systems simply send the wireless report and hope it got there. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13172790 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 20:17:32 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13172408 karimkb : well i wasnt planning on getting voip, but just a dry dsl line along w/ nextalarm.
voip was a choice if it would work w/ my existin monitoring servicek.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13172408 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 19:40:19 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13172162 dipswich : There are a couple different types of "phone line" alarm circuits. One is voice-grade circuit that really uses the phone line as you're used to. Data modem, DTMF, voice playback or whatever method. A G.711u codec, perhaps disable echo-cancelling on your ATA, and you're gold with VoIP (err, should be).

The other is a special "alarm circuit" from the telco. This is essentially dry-pair service, either via copper or these days with a fiber-in-circuit alternative (point-to-point DSL killer). The circuit doesn't support voice or telephone signalling, only open/closed (and *slow* toggling for "data"). Alarm companies use them because they are less expensive than phone lines. Because it isn't "voice," "voice over IP" isn't a substitute.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13172162 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 19:10:49 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13171458 WhyADuck : Power outage: Use a good uninterruptable power supply. Make sure your DSL modem, router, alarm unit, and any other equipment associated with the alarm (such as the device that NextAlarm sends you if you use them) are all plugged into the UPS.

DSL down: In that case you're screwed, but that would be the case if you phone service is interrupted using your present system, so unless your DSL is far less reliable than basic phone service it shouldn't be an issue. Of course some alarms do use a backup method of communication that travels over the cell phone network, but I would guess those are pretty expensive.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13171458 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 17:48:25 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13171454 Tom867 :
said by karimkb See Profile:

what happens if theres a power outage or dsl is down? I guess those r the disadvantages of using this type of service?
Well, if there's a power outage your cable modem goes out and guess what? So does your VoIP service that would have to dial to send signals for your panel. So it's cancels each other out if you ask me. If you UPS your cable modem and router and you use a broadband monitoring service it will continue to monitor even if your power goes out. There's a lot of options to do...and everyone has different applications for what they need. I'd trust Broadband monitoring before I'd trust touch tones with VoIP.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13171454 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 17:48:06 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13171419 Tom867 :
said by Trimline See Profile:

All of the suggestions here are quite good. I personally contacted Brinks and they do support VoIP (ADT is still in the 70's). I found more interesting alternatives by contacting a security consultant via the yellow pages. They act to sell various products from different vendors. The latest item now offered by some companies is an ethernet connection directly plugged in to your router.

Since many folks are now dropping POTS altogether and only have a cell phone available, I see this as the best alternative.
Ethernet connection right into your router? Have you read this thread? If you read my previous post in this thread it's already indicated about using alarm monitoring through your Broadband connection. It's also been avaiable for several years now. So, I doubt it's the "latest" as you put.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13171419 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 17:45:03 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13171355 karimkb : what happens if theres a power outage or dsl is down? I guess those r the disadvantages of using this type of service?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13171355 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 17:38:14 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13170024 txcas : You do not have to upgrade your alarm panel. You give NextAlarm your panel model and they will help you program it for their service using the key pads. It takes 15-20 minutes to do it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13170024 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 14:49:59 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13168338 Trimline : All of the suggestions here are quite good. I personally contacted Brinks and they do support VoIP (ADT is still in the 70's). I found more interesting alternatives by contacting a security consultant via the yellow pages. They act to sell various products from different vendors. The latest item now offered by some companies is an ethernet connection directly plugged in to your router.

Since many folks are now dropping POTS altogether and only have a cell phone available, I see this as the best alternative.
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FWD#537129]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13168338 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 11:31:07 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167897 karimkb : heh, well true, havnet really had any repairs or anything done in a LONG time, i could just upgrade the panel n stuff and then switch to nextalarm, but the cost looks like the same as if i decided to go cellular way.
How hard/easy is it to setup w/ nextalarm? Am in required to go into the alarm box or is it just plug it in and ur set?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167897 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:32:48 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167885 Network Guy : I'm using Slomin's with Broadvox direct, and it works fine.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167885 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:30:56 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167875 WhyADuck : Well, be sure to give him the URL for that web page »michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html because some of the information there may well be helpful to him.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167875 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:29:33 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167829 txcas : Dude when was the last time you alarm panel stopped working? In the last 13 years all I had to do in three different alarm systems is change the backup battery with a replacement from Radio Shack. I switched to NextAlarm and could not be any happier. With the money I am saving I could easily pay for any repairs in the future, but I doubt I will have to.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167829 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:23:58 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167772 karimkb : Well, i called up my security system and they said they dont really know how it works thru voip or if thats possible for them to do (he said we've never had to do anything like this b4, but says it should be possible, he just doesnt know how yet), but hes looking into it. (its one of our friends, so hes gonna call up other companies/ppl and see if he can get some info)
He suggested cellular transmission, but the equipment for that is like $200 or so and like a $7 charge extra a month, which in the long run would save more money.
Nextalarm sounds good, but i dont really wanna switch, since nextalarm doesnt provide any equipment or repairs, and right now i get free repairs and equipment and upgrades thru the company im with.
Hes gonna call me back and tell me what he finds out.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167772 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:15:19 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167689 Tom867 : I've been through this. I have had 4 VoIP provders and only 1 of them worked with my alarm system out of the box. VoIP providers do not care or would not want to support your alarm problems. They're not even good enough to want to care to make it work....so they just don't bother.

I use Nextalarm.com service. It monitors your panel through your broadband connection using a small adapter you need to buy for about $110. Connects right into my router and was alredy configured and setup. If your panel is not a rarely used panael it will probably work with NextAlarm. The first day I hooked my panel up with NextAlarm all my codes reported just fine and I didn't have to make a change anywhere. Although, you still need an alarm technician to service your hardware if there's a problem. That shouldn't be a problem since these guys charge regardless if you are a paying customer or not. This was my only option...using Nextalarm. I was weary at first, but I've had them for about 3 months and it's been just fine. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167689 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 10:01:11 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167510 WhyADuck : I would agree that NextAlarm is probably your best option, since that would work over the Internet and does not require a phone connection of any kind (I think they actually do use a VoIP adapter, but they ship their own adapter which is used only with their alarm system and presumably is tweaked to work properly). But if for some reason you want to keep using your existing monitoring service and it is not ADT, you can go to the page at »michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html which has a section on alarm systems and VoIP. If it is an ADT system then it seems they are pretty adamant that they don't want their customers using VoIP with their alarms (according to previous posts in this forum) so in that case I would again recommend looking at NextAlarm.

Also, make sure whatever VoIP service you choose will let you place calls using the G.711 codec by default (that is, if there is a "bandwidth saver" feature it should be turned off, or set to high bandwidth/best quality). It's much less likely the alarm will work properly if anything other than G.711 is used (see the sticky thread in this forum, »Who uses what Codec? ).

Edit: Apparently blohner and I were typing some of the same things at about the same time!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167510 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 09:37:55 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167487 blohner :
said by dcurrey See Profile:

Voip doesn't usually work with anything like tvio, direct tv, and alarm systems. Some users have been able to tweak the setups to get them to work.
I would rephrase that to: your milage may vary. Some users - including myself - got it working just nicely.... For the Alarm: You need to use G.711 on your VoIP line - you need to wire it up correctly and ADT will not work (from experience). With other providers it depends on the data format they use for the transmissions.
Using nextalarm.com or a similar gadget as PinkFloyd mentiones is the safest way to go....
--
I am addicted to speed --- OOL speed that is ---
~Help find a cure for cancer~Proud Member Team Discovery]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167487 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 09:34:48 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167334 PinkFloyd :
said by karimkb See Profile:

Well, i was thinking of canceling my home telephone all together, since all we use is our cellphones anyway and have no use for a home phone, and getting a dry line dsl connection from speakeasy, but then realized that i need a phone line for my security system.
I dont know if its possible, but if any of you guys know, will my security system be able to work (dial out if alarm goes off) using a voip service?
Im gonna call the alarm compnay and find out, but thought i'd post here to get some other ideas as well as info from people who ran into the same roadblock.
>>also, what is the CHEAPEST rate available for voip if it is possible (its going to be used mainly/only for security system), cheapest i found so far was $9.95/month
The cheapest phone plan for me w/ my phone company (atlanta, ga) is about $25/month, but with all the taxes and charges, goes to about $32/35

Thanks
You should check with your alarm monitoring company to see if they have an adapter or possibly a different unit that could plug directly into your router or switch using IP to communicate with the alarm co. Then you wouldn't need Voip company at all.. Good luck!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167334 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 09:07:46 EDT Re: VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167218 dcurrey : Voip doesn't usually work with anything like tvio, direct tv, and alarm systems. Some users have been able to tweak the setups to get them to work.

You could also try the one alarm company designed to work of the internet NextAlarm.

»https://nextalarm.com/services.jsp;jsess···B888E7BE]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167218 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 08:42:46 EDT VOIP for home securit system? http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167185 karimkb : Well, i was thinking of canceling my home telephone all together, since all we use is our cellphones anyway and have no use for a home phone, and getting a dry line dsl connection from speakeasy, but then realized that i need a phone line for my security system.
I dont know if its possible, but if any of you guys know, will my security system be able to work (dial out if alarm goes off) using a voip service?
Im gonna call the alarm compnay and find out, but thought i'd post here to get some other ideas as well as info from people who ran into the same roadblock.
>>also, what is the CHEAPEST rate available for voip if it is possible (its going to be used mainly/only for security system), cheapest i found so far was $9.95/month
The cheapest phone plan for me w/ my phone company (atlanta, ga) is about $25/month, but with all the taxes and charges, goes to about $32/35

Thanks]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,13167185 Thu, 14 Apr 2005 08:36:03 EDT