avoiding being "locked out"

The main reason for locking the panel is to protect proprietary monitoring information and protect the owner from having programming changed (possibily by a moonlighter that doesn't know enough abt the system), all my panels are locked. If a client wants to change monitoring co's all they have to do is call for it to be unlocked and I remove our proprietary info.

Unfortunately, some less than ethical companies may use this feature to hold their clients hostage.

hmmm.... I have to admit that it may be useful if the client hasn't paid for monitoring in 9 months.

There does not appear to be any easy way to do this. Generally, installing companies in the area get to know those who engage in this shady practice, but an individual consumer never knows until he goes to change monitoring suppliers. Since I unlock quite a number of boards for local (and not so local) companies, I have come to know the companies in our area that do it. If I were to generalize (with all it's inherent flaws), I would have to say that the smaller the alarm company, the more you should be alert for this. For example, in our area, ADT never lock their boards, nor do Protectron. But I can think of a half a dozen other small to medium companies that always do. But I have heard that some "authorized dealers" of ADT in other areas do. So the field is wide open.

Most equipment has a check for this during a power up and down cycle. Unfortunately, some makes destroy a measure of the existing programming if you try, thereby effectively disabling the panel for local use.

R.H.Campbell Home Security Metal Products Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

hehee... I'm reading your reply and I get to the end and I'm saying...hmmm WHO is this Mr. Gordon :-)

X Boschman...does the mean you usta work for Radx?

I agree Crash... Any panel I monitor stays locked out, if the customer cancels I remove my CS information and restore the installer/download code to factory default.... Regards, Russ

The big difference is you use the lockout feature for it's intended purpose, and willingly return the panel to factory when the client chooses to leave. Unfortunately, there are a minority of companies that don't operate as ethically as you do.

There is another danger as well with wholesale locking of all boards, especially with very small companies that lock their boards and then just disappear. These are the guys that get about 10 accounts, then decide this "free system" stuff is not all it's cracked up to be, and simply disappear. Their customers are then left with a locked board to contend with.

R.H.Campbell Home Security Metal Products Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Both you gentlemen are using "lock out" for its intended purpose. I have always said that there is dubious legal grounds for a monitoring (or installing or servicing) company refusing to turn a panel's control back to its owner when they terminate relationships. If there are no outstanding contractual obligations that can activated an agreed upon seizure of the alarm system, claims would need to be pursued in the appropriate legal venue.

In the old Radionics a locked out panel could be sent in for defaulting for a nominal fee, but we always advised reciprocal cooperation when both companies were still in business. Customers can flow in both directions, after all, and word of mouth on a difficult termination doesn't help the resistant company, and generally gains them nothing.

My line, repeated with great frequency, was "The lockcode is not intended to prevent takeovers, but to protect proprietary data." Mr. Gordon explicitly speaks in this spirit.

X.

I have an exit strategy in place should I ever decide to completely get out of business, my attorney holds a packet of information which among other things contains all the codes I use t access and/or lock alarm and access controls. If something happens to me the company and the packet passes to the family if they don't want to continue with the business a long time associate who owns another family owned alarmco will buy the accounts - his co. is much bigger than mine and has been around for over 50 years. My clients will be well taken care of, they may have to pay a little more, but they'll be ok.

Hey...good stuff ! Damn few companies of our size (mine anyway) actually get into business with a formal business plan, even a simple one. And even fewer have thought of an exit strategy. You can't get where you're going unless you know where that is, and with government tax thieves only a heartbeat away, you definately need to plan for the other end............gawd, I sound like a funeral director !!!

My partner is looking to sell his company right now, and has three bidders each doing their "due diligence". He offered them to me but frankly, I didn't want to get that big that quickly, because it would end up being an unplanned expansion that I would have little control over. And I would need another employee for sure.

Glad to see the Borg won't be inheriting your customers; that would REALLY be letting your clients down.

RHC

What period of time? I was heavy Radx from 84 to about 93 (or so).

I hit that growth wall a few times...the last time I decided to go for it.. got way too big and I HATED it...smaller is better.

I had a rogue installer situation too..now only I lock the panels after the installers are finished...no one be me and my son know the code sequence which I now base on a formula that pertains to something relating to the house - so every system is different yet we could figure out what the code was if we lost it by applying the formula.

There are several reasons why it's in a monitoring company's best interest to "lock out" a panel- mostly having to do with keeping installer codes secret, (which might be used in more than one customer's panel) and keeping account numbers and central station phone line numbers private. With this info, someone could disrupt monitoring for one or even many accounts, or create a "runaway" phantom alarm panel to keep the police from responding after several false alarms.

Some also do it to make it more difficult and expensive for another company to "take over" an account.

Twelve years technical support (Ex Bosch ManF), and all I got was this louse T-shirt. 8^D

X.

May 4, 1992 to October 31, 2003. I became more visible after 1993, so you probably don't have any memory of my work. From about 1997 on I was the CS/receiver specialist.

X.

Hey Xman. Do you remember Andy Ayelesworth? I know he left and went to DMP...but left there too...

Andy was the one who told me about the opening back in 1992. I consider Andy a pivotal person in my life.

So, yes, I remember Andy.

I still use his phrase, "Skippy proof" when discussing connectors that cannot be plugged in the wrong way by inexperienced techs.

He left DMP? Any idea what he is doing now?

X.

No, I have no idea where Andy got off too. Nor did I have any idea at the time he was leaving. My relationship with Andy goes back to 88'. He is very good people. I remember that phrase of his... If you hear anything, let me know. I'll do the same.

Jack

Did you know Tom Short?

1988 was when I started out in the alarm industry after 13 years in building security (ASIS type work). I met Andy around '88 or '89 and got my first training on the D6500 from him.

He is the best people and I am sorry to have lost track of him. But looky what I just Googled:

I called his extension and that was sure his voice. I see Mark Dreksler is there too. Interesting. I'll have to give Andy a call one o' these days.

X.

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