Alarm monitoring service like ucontrol that uses DSC native communication hardware?

My alarm (a DSC 4020) is monitored (and supposedly maintained) by the company that installed it, and for several years I was happy with their service, but for the past six months they're not responding to troubles and not returning phone calls.

Ucontrol seems like it has a nice feature set, but I don't really like the fact that it uses add-on hardware. Does anyone offer a similar service compatible with DSC's IP interface (and dial for backup)?

On a related note, does anyone have suggestions for obtaining the 'installer' code for the alarm? It's not the default from the manual, and I don't want to reset and re-program the alarm.

Thanks, Heath

Reply to
Heath Roberts
Loading thread data ...

Absolutely. Try 911.alarm.com for a start. Several of my DIY customers use them and have spoken well of them. They are competititively priced, charging homeowners only a few dollars more per month than what the dealers pay.

Many alarm companies mark up the monitoring (which is farmed out anyway) by as much as 2,000%. One large nation-wide monitoring service charges alarm dealers $2 per account per month. The service is resold for anywhere between $20 and $40 per month (nice margin).

Jim Rojas (posts here all the time) is a decent guy who offers a service to default alarm panels. Unfortunately, you'd then need to reprogram the whole panel. On the plus side, DSC panels aren't hard to program.

Another alternative is to replace the main board. They are not expensive. If you sign up for monitoring, some companies will program your panel as a courtesy. Don't overlook local alarm dealers either. Although there are some bad apples, most are honest and you may be able to get someone to help you just to win your business. Whatever you do, make certain they state *in writing* that they will give you all of the codes they program into the system. Otherwise, you may be right back where you started some day.

I sell DSC though I'm not fond of it. A lot of people who already have DSC systems call asking for parts. I'd offer to provide a board but it sounds like you're not too thrilled at the prospect of programming it.

Reply to
Robert L Bass

Oops! Make that

formatting link
Sorry.

Reply to
Robert L Bass

Uh-huh... quite similar to the way you "marked up" the first year monitoring from your old provider. Didn't they give that to you "free" with the purchase of a Napco panel? So, when you sell something for $151.00 US but haven't paid anything for it, what's the markup?

Before you go off the deep end, maybe you should have a look at the

4020's programming manual. For a residential system, the 4020 could be considered "overkill", however some of it's more advanced features may be in use here (which would make reprogramming it a bit more of a challenge than you realize).

Probably for good reason...

Reply to
Frank Olson

They also have no employees on record.

formatting link

Reply to
Frank Olson

Makes you wonder, "don't" it??

Reply to
Frank Olson

Olson misled you. The cited page only lists the owner who is indeed licensed and bonded. Olson knows this so it wasn't an oversight. The page lists similar information for each licensed business.

Reply to
Robert L Bass

As he always does. He's gotten so hung up on stalking Bass he's no longer capable of actually helping people. It's a shame really, but it's gotten entirely predictable.

Reply to
Bill Kearney

Oh, well.

BTW, there's an article in one of the alarm industry trade magazines we get about

formatting link
They're now offering video alarm verification. The service may be a tough sell to homeowners since it sends images from inside the home to the monitoring center. However, with many police departments across the country insisting on verification or (worse) refusing to respond to alarms, this may be the only option in a few years.

Many independent alarm dealers hate companies like

911 Alarm and Next Alarm because (like me) they cater to DIYers, bypassing alarm installers entirely. Regardless what anyone likes though, DIY is a growing portion of the market. I decided early on to include it in my business. So far so good.
Reply to
Robert L Bass

If it's anything like the "video clips" you see on the X-10 website, I'd say now is the time to get into alarm monitoring! What was that licensing website again? :-P

Reply to
E. Lee Dickinson

It's usually a lot better that that. Video verification can use anything from cheap and basic to top of the line cameras. The quality can be excellent if you use the right stuff at the installation site. Services limit the frame rate and image size. Lighting is a major issue. If the home automation system kicks the lights on the image should be fine.

Reply to
Robert L Bass

Bass has misled you again. The "cited page" lists the company's credentials with a disclaimer that the "owner" certifies that he has no employees therefore there is no need for Workers Compensation coverages. In point of fact, they haven't had workers compensation coverage since 2001. How does "911 Alarm" monitor clients with no operators? Who answers the phones there (and more importantly, who makes the call to the authority when your alarm goes off?

Reply to
Frank Olson

The only thing "predictable" here is your response. And Bass'.

Reply to
Frank Olson

Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.