I use AlarmNet as my primary method of protection. I learned on Tuesday evening after I tested my system, that my call center never received an alarm signal.
After waiting 7 minutes for a call from the call center, I called them and they reported no alarm! They asked me to trigger another alarm and let it stay tripped for a whole minute. They still never received a signal!
The next day a technician told me my system and radio was fine. AlarmNet, was down for an undetermined amount of time and no one knew! This blows my mind! Sure, networks fail and require maintenance from time to time. There is no excuse why the call center can't have known about the down network.
I made an assumption that my radio sent some kind of watch dog signal to the central station every 10 minutes so they can make sure the network is functioning. This is not the case, apparently. My call center stays completely unaware when AlarmNet has any failure. This has me very worried. I can no longer depend on the network at all.
Can anyone explain how AlarmNet works? There is no explination on their website. The alarm companies don't seem to want to share with me any technical details about how AlarmNet works. My position is that the proper thing to do is to have each node on the network send a short packet of data like [STX]station ID,Ready[ETX] every 10 minutes. The load on the network would be minimal. We're talking less than 100 bytes of data multiplied by 50K or so radio sets: less than 50 megs of data in 10 minutes. That works out to a loafing 10Kpbs throughput. The call center would then know in ten minutes that my radio was no longer communicating with the call center. The call center could then take steps to find out why and notify me that something is wrong with my system. Therefore, even though radio networks are not 100% reliable, at least I can be 100% confidant that when my alarm system is armed, I will know quickly when or if there is a problem.
I don't have telephone service, I use cell phones exclusively and my provider doesn't have TCP/IP security implemented yet. This is why I use AlarmNet as my primary security system.
I just can't believe that with today's digital technology there is a huge gaping hole in wireless security systems like this. Words can't express my utter disappointment in the overall design of the AlarmNet network. Now I am forced, for my peace of mind, to test my system every other day at irregular intervals: I simply can't trust it anymore.
Cellular and Radio were not intended for primary alarm transmissions. If you are serious about your security, get an old fashioned POTS landline and back it up with Alarmnet. Its still the most reliable combination. I would not use voip if I didn't have to.
First of all, there are different types of Alarmnet service. You probably have Alarmnet-C or Alarmnet-GSM service; more on these in a moment. There is also Alarmnet-M service, which can be programmed to detect a loss of radio communication within six minutes, and which you will pay dearly for. And, in some large cities, there is Alarmnet-A service. Alarmnet-I is an Internet reporting system, not a radio system, that can also detect a loss of communication within minutes.
Alarmnet had a problem: it wanted to sell radio alarm service nationwide, without having to build and maintain its own nationwide radio network. The solution was to use the control channels of the cellular telephone network, which of course they have to pay for. This gives a big radio network at little cost, one that is maintained by someone else. Through an arrangement with the cellular companies, alarm signals are sent back to Alarmnet in New York, which then sends them on to the appropriate central station by various means.
These Alarmnet-C and -GSM radios are designed to be reasonably affordable, and to impose a minimum amount of overhead on the cellular providers' networks. The monthly fee also reflects the low network traffic. Alarmnet is supposed to be releasing a version of the GSM radios soon that will do frequent polling, however I expect Alarmnet's monthly fee for that service will probably be more than you are paying for your monitoring today. Your central station will also charge a higher monthly fee for having to deal with the occasional temporary loss of radio communications -- often just long enough to be annoying, and perhaps, to call you.
The Alarmnet-C service is based on analog cell technology, which will be going away soon. The GSM radios are what Alarmnet is promoting most heavily at the moment.
Alarmnet already offers a combination Internet communicator and GSM radio called the 7845-iGSM. This does not provide the five minute supervision of the true Internet communicators, but it does provide alarm reporting by Internet, GSM radio, and SMS radio if the other two fail. It's something to discuss with your alarm service provider, as it's more secure than what you have now.
POTS is no where near the most reliable method of communication regardless of the backup used. It is impossible to provide line security with POTS as required by DCID 6/9, UL2050, the NISPOM, etc. The most reliable means of alarm transmission are encrypted direct connections, two-way long range radio, and NIST approved IP communicators such as DMP's ICOM-E and Alarmnet's 7845i.
rmnetin New York, which then sends them on to the appropriate central
Thank you for your insight. My dealer didn't do a good job of explaining how AlarmNet worked and some of the problems with it. I can see that I need a backup. However, POTS is not going to work for me.
1) Verizon removed my copper when they installed my FIOS. 2) $20/mo for POTS just for the Alarm seems excessive especially when the last break I had, the burglar cut my FIOS (thinking it was the phone line). I think TCP/IP will have to do.
I do not agree with everything stated here on this subject although, I do find the information on this NG informative.
We do much of what was said we should do. The GSM unit polls from the protected premise to the base station LAC.Your alarm Company sets the GSM Fault time in your unit. The default is 10 Minutes. When the local tower is lost the unit searches repeatedly and when the programmed fault time expires the GSM can Notify the control and "Can" even activate an output for local panel initiation if connected. If your panel did not indicate a "Fail to communicate" then this option is turned off. That is not our part, that is up to the installing company.
Your security company also sets the frequency of the test reports to the Central Station, either Daily or Monthly. Daily cost you more naturally. While there are standards such as UL 1023 and UL 985 for the listing of the equipment installed in households, the security level for residences typically does not meet "AA" Line security (unless requested and paid dearly for). NFPA 72 2007 Chapter 11 specifies that a 24 hour test report is the minimum requirement for household Fire! If a fire alarm in a residence is required only daily testing then it is unlikely that that a non-Life safety system will require a higher level of communication supervision. The new NFPA standards 730/731 may have additional information but they are not widely enforced.
When we take down all or any portion of the network we notify all parties that have signed up for the notification service. Consult your security company.
I understand the emphasis that some respondents in this NG placed of the standard phone line, however the current structure of the Bell Operating Companies is such that left in its current state, the demise of POTS is imminent. It may take a while, but the moment that the VOIP ISP's and cable companies won the ruling preventing federal regulation of the service then even the nation's existing BOC's applied to offer VOIP.
POTS has served us well but if we are truly honest, there are similar issues that have existed even by the tried and true Public Switched Telephone Network. Examples:
Are you enabling or providing Telephone Line Monitoring for the rare times that your phone line fails? When it fails, besides the local annunciation, who knows? POTS is passive polling also, not Active polling.
Is your POTs Line correctly wired for Line Seizure? If not an off-hook phone stops communication or at least slows it down assuming the panel has anti-jam. (Yea, I know, everyone here does it right but it may supprise you how many T tap the connection).
How often are you setting the residential Dact to test?, daily is not the norm. usually monthly.
A UL listed central station is supposed to rotate receivers and test the UPS backup on the receivers monthly. What if your signal comes in during that test.
If your CS is using a Call Forwarded receiver line then the security company is suppose to test that incoming line every 4 hours. Was your alarm company bought by a large National company and the receiver that your system is programmed into was forwarded to the "Mega Center" Did they set up the test?
What did the Install Companies do when they found that the 1400Hz Handshake tone was being used by Ma Bell and a misdirected call could be ackwoleged and kissed off by a switch error at the CO? (There are a few in this NG old enough to remember this)
These are only a few possibilities.
Your stats aren't exactly right either, this past year we have averaged as many as 30,000, GSM units a month. Your Data packet estimates are under rated.
Your installation company central station can pull your stats for the last
90 days online including outages, radio field strength, unit power performance and reports.
If your unit is going through AlarmNet your security company can provide other services, an I-GSM can provide an Internet Path as well as GPRS/SMS, and you also may want to add "Total Connect" services for remote SMS control and event notification. Some large national companies do not offer the service yet. They have the capability in the units, they just do not have a market plan yet.
The "I" units can actually provide 90 second pings allowing 5 minute supervision including Blowfish 1024 or AES 256 encryption typically used in Military, DHS and other Gov. applications. But your CS would charge you an arm and legg to do this.
I disagree with some of the other respondents in that we honestly do not know or have not known exactly how reliable or unreliable POTs is or has been. There are many recorded "Fail to Communicate" events in industry history that could not be explained. Please don't think that I believe that GSM is perfect, I am a realist. I also disagree with the thought that POTS needs to be the primary. I use the I-GSM at home. The 7845GSMCF is Listed as the Secondary Path. The I-GSMCF is listed as Network (NFPA 72 chapter 8) stand alone communication for UL 864Fire.
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