lestat99
join:2000-08-04
Piscataway, NJ
3 edits | reply to karimkb
Re: VOIP for home securit system?
said by karimkb  :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. |
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karimkb
join:2004-10-23
Stone Mountain, GA
2 edits | reply to lestat99
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 |
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lestat99
join:2000-08-04
Piscataway, NJ
1 edit | reply to karimkb
said by karimkb :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. |
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karimkb
join:2004-10-23
Stone Mountain, GA | reply to Tom867
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. |
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WhyADuck
Premium
join:2003-03-05
| reply to karimkb
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. |
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Tom867
join:2004-05-25
Edison, NJ
 ·Vonage
·Comcast Digital Vo..
·BroadVoice
| reply to karimkb
said by karimkb :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. |
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karimkb
join:2004-10-23
Stone Mountain, GA | reply to Tom867
what happens if theres a power outage or dsl is down? I guess those r the disadvantages of using this type of service? |
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Tom867
join:2004-05-25
Edison, NJ
·Vonage
·Comcast Digital Vo..
·BroadVoice
| reply to karimkb
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. |
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