Ok, here is the deal. I was even aware there was a sunset clause until the subject was brought up here several months ago.
None of my cell backup providers mentioned it too me either. Event he ones like Telguard that are offering a digital product.
I have a number of cell backup units in the field from a couple different providers that will need to be replaced.
I anybody considering who is going to get stuck with the bill for this? I suspect I will wind up buying all new cell backups out of my own pocket for all of those customers if I expect to keep them as clients.
Are any of the cell backup service providers working with any of the dealers on this? Somehow it just doesn't seem right that I kept installing analog cell backup units when the providers knew full well that they would be worthless in a fairly short time period.
Why are you so surprised? I expected nothing less from manufacturers than to be left in the dark concerning matters of this kind.
Take this opportunity to subscribe to all the trade magazines you can find. Most of them are free to alarm dealers. This issue and more were discussed several years ago, and still get brought up from time to time.
The first time I heard about it was from someone at Telguard. The subject has been broached here in the past as well.
As to footing the bill for upgrades vs losing the clients, there are a couple of things to take into consideration. First, even if the client pots to leave you he will still have to buy a new unit. No one else is going to pay to upgrade his hardware for him. I realize this isn't particularly fair but it is a fact of life.
The second issue is that the sunset clause is not a deadline. It lays out the point after which service providers will no longer be *required* to offer analog service. It's not likely that the providers will drop all analog service overnight as that would be a financial disaster for them. Don't forget that, while they can make more money through all digital service than through analog, they still have a significant base of analog cell phone users.
The most likely scenario will be that *new* service requests will be fulfilled using digital and analog services will gradually dry up as the customer base upgrades of their own volition (most people replace cell phones periodically anyway). When the analog client base diminishes enough that the RMR loss won't be too painful to the cell providers then they will cancel the remaining analog services.
In short, don't worry. It will probably be three to five more years after the sunset clause takes effect before analog dies. From this day forward sell nothing but digital. Whenever a major service problem arises with an existing analog unit, you can explain the situation and offer to upgrade to digital at cost. That should turn the situation into an opportunity for you to strengthen rather than hurt your client relationships. There will always be a few who decline but the same people might leave or drop the cell backup service anyway.
I wouldn't worry about it Bob, sideband channel and analog is used by tons of other devices other than cellular backup, it will go away but it will take a long long time
You remind me of my wife. She starts worrying about next years auto insurance premium while we're paying this years. Don't sweat it. They're not about to cancel analog services and your cable company's not goint to force you go out and buy an HDTV ready television. I would suggest sending out some information to your customers in your next Newsletter however. Let them know you're on top of the situation and can address it when the need arises. Give them some pricing options and don't be surprised if you get a few phone calls requesting more information (from people like my wife).
Uplink stopped letting you turn theirs on a while back and if you take an analog out of service you can't put it back. They warned me that 2006 was the last year a couple of years back but they didn't say you couldn't use the ones you had on the shelf and they wouldn't swap them out either.
I'd warn them all now, let them know that both the dealer community and the cell back-up manufacturers were sideswiped on this issue and offer to replace their existing units at cost as a courtesy to them. Those that get upset, assure tham that you and the manufacturers had no way of knowing that the FCC would eventually do this and that you feel as unhappy as they do. What else can you do?
The sunset date does not mean all analog amps go away it gives cell phone companys that see fit to do so . if there are enough demand in an area for analog more than likely they will leave it alone. I have notified all my customers that they may lose service and most accept fact they may or may not have to update the transmitter . When i talked to uplink about the issue they said they were going to come out with a lower cost replacement unit as the time came near. So far i see they do have the new unit out and expect the price to lower as more units are switched.
Kindly tell me who I need to talk to at Uplink cause I would like to use all of mine as long as I can and they will not let me use them but I can buy the new ones and put them on without a hitch. Of course the new ones are charged out at $2.50 per mo more than the old ones. Another reason to keep the old ones.
There seems to be some major differences in how you are treated by Uplink depending upon something???
My distributor has Uplinks for $175. but I have found them across the country at $125. or less and my distributor says they can't get a better deal. The things need to get down to $99. to compete with Ademco yet another place told me if I bought lots of 6 I could get them for $100. I have checked othrs around here and the $175. price seems to be firm.
Now another person says he can get analog units reactivated but I cannot.
Bob buying power has nothing to do with it, the fact is the standard 1500 Uplink can still be activated via the web page, if Uplink is no longer reactivating units they haven't informed us about it. I guess I should have asked if the poster was talking about the older metal 1500's or the later plastic bodied units, we only deal with the later units.
BTW AnyNet is sweet although more expensive than the 1500
I can't use the web service to turn on any legacy units - you can run tests or change info during the day while Uplink has a tech there but thats all - you have to call each of them in and wait for the tech to do it. That legacy control panel is pretty much worthless because it only works during normal business hours while the other control panel works 24 hours a day. I can use the web service for the new units without a hitch.
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