Pros Talk Opportunities and Challenges in Alarm Signal Transmission

Due to advances in cellular and IP communications, alarm signal transmission has changed more in recent years than during the preceding century.

Pros Talk Opportunities and Challenges in Alarm Signal Transmission

Accommodating Legacy Panels

There’s no denying that there are probably a million or more legacy alarm panels that continue to report alarms, trouble and supervisory problems over dead or fault-ridden POTS lines. More and more of those phone lines are disappearing and one day it’s likely there will be none left to connect a panel to.

In the meantime, alarm dealers must continue to monitor their clients’ homes and businesses even when they refuse to upgrade to a new alarm panel — one that no longer depends on a waning, dying public switched telephone network (PSTN).

In this type of application, a universal, self-contained cellular or IP-communicator hold the answer. These self-contained systems connect to a digital alarm communicator transmitter’s (DACT) tip and ring connections.

These systems are designed to read the DACT’s alarm data while transmitting a new subscriber ID to the central station. There are IP or Internet modules that work in the same way.

“Napco’s StarLink line was created to be a universal solution for all panel/FACP [fire alarm control panel] brands, old and new, to any central station. We expanded the line from intrusion radios to include connected-home/business and commercial fire. Furthermore, StarLink Connect communicators with built-in Smart Hub provide connected/smart home/business services via cell,” says Judy Jones-Shand, vice president of marketing for Napco. “And beyond alarm reporting they support full bus data, virtual keypad, and up/downloads and hand programming on Honeywell/ADT, DSC and Gemini panels. Plus notifications, smart scenes, schedules and Z-Wave device/appliance control of lights, locks and climate.”

“So that 30-year-old panel that was only good for alarms, and not even good for that because the phone line wasn’t working, now communicates over the cellular network,” says DMP’s Kinder. “Today the customer can have an app where they can arm and disarm, they can turn lights on and off, set schedules where the lights go on and off at predetermined times and days, they can have geofences so if they leave the house and they didn’t arm their alarm system, they’ll get a notice that will remind them to do so.”

Napco also provides full video capability in real-time via multimedia messaging service (MMS), emails or through the iBridge service. This includes the iBridge Video Doorbell, Jones-Shand adds.

As Todd Domer, director of engineered systems at northern Ohio-based GPS Fire, says, there are even legacy solutions for fire alarm systems.

“Many cellular and IP communicators meet NFPA 72’s requirements for being sole or single path,” he says. “Many of them also can have the existing dialer in the FACP plugged into them as long as the FACP is set up for CID [Contact ID] so no programming or changes are needed to the panel. The communicator can still operate as sole path and saves the end user significant money.”

Banging the Sunsetting of POTS

There are those who continue to use plain old telephone service (POTS) when and where it’s available. But public switched telephone network (PSTN) service is not always readily available in every nook and cranny in the United States.

Invariably, for those who pioneered the RMR model using the digital dialer, mixed feelings abound as the technology that made many millions is about to disappear.

“More and more people are turning off their home phone. It’s just not common-place anymore, whether it’s the younger generation or the old. When someone moves they usually do not get a home phone anymore either,” says Steve Shapiro, general manager for intrusion with DSC of Tyco/Johnson Controls. “Not only is POTS on the decline, but so is VoIP. Let’s face it, almost everyone we know owns a cellphone.”

The problem with VoIP is that even though there’s a traditional dial tone, the technology behind it is not the same as traditional PSTN. For this reason, a typical digital alarm communicator transmitter (DACT) may or may not work because the above audio tones are not entirely the same as that of POTS as the phasing is off by comparison.

Todd Domer, director of engineered systems at Gene Ptacek and Son (GPS) Fire Equipment in northern Ohio, says the advent of VoIP lines has grown to cover the vast majority of phone lines, and problems with the signals reaching the central station correctly have grown accordingly.

“I have been guiding end users more and more to cellular the past several years. The majority of alarm manufacturers have warnings on their websites regarding the dangers of using VoIP lines with an alarm system.”

“Frankly, POTS [lines] are no longer needed. Just about everyone under the age of 60 does not have one and those older than 60 may have one but they don’t use it. They can’t seem to make themselves turn it off,” says Scott R. Smith, project manager with Crosby Communications of Montgomery, Ala.

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About the Author

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Al Colombo is a long-time trade journalist and professional in the security and life-safety markets. His work includes more than 40 years in security and life-safety as an installer, salesman, service tech, trade journalist, project manager,and an operations manager. You can contact Colombo through TpromoCom, a consultancy agency based in Canton, Ohio, by emailing [email protected], call 330-956-9003, visit www.Tpromo.Com.

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2 Responses to “Pros Talk Opportunities and Challenges in Alarm Signal Transmission”

  1. Glenn Wimmer says:

    Good afternoon
    Great article on alternative communication in the alarm monitoring industry. Just want to clarify on Mr. Adams statement regarding his reference to DMP communicators. While the FDNY has issued “Certificates of Approval” for both the DMP cellular & IP Network communicators, they are prohibited for use as sole path communication, as NYC code requires dual path technology. I have included the excerpt referenced above…..
    “One of the nice things about our cellular [on the fire side] is that it’s approved by UL, the California State Fire Marshal and the New York City Fire Department for sole-path communication,” says John Adams, product manager of central station products with DMP.” etc.

  2. Mr. Wimmer, we made mention of this in a follow-up piece. I was contacted by another individual who made this known to us. I appreciate your time and effort in making sure that this information is readily available to the field.

    Kind Regards,
    Al Colombo

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