Alarm Communications Crisis Looms
How We Got Here
Early on, fire alarm signaling literally hung on a wire. Common means of signaling included McCullough loop, direct connect, leased line and just about any other variation you can think of. In due time the industry moved toward the transmission of digital data over traditional phone lines using what came to be known as a digital dialer, or digital communicator. Today, in the life-safety world, we know this device as a digital alarm communicator transmitter (DACT).
The DACT began to gain in use and popularity simply because nearly every home or business had a plain old telephone service (POTS) line in it. This fact, combined with ease of installation, monitoring became easier to sell and the opportunity to do so can largely be attributed to the proliferation of POTS throughout society. Up until now the client would have had to pay for a leased, or dedicated line in order to transport their alarm signals to a central station. You can see why POTS became the predominant method employed for alar
m signaling.
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