"Failure to communicate" problems

1. Enable dial tone detection.
2. Add a 3 second pause in front of the phone number
3. Spread out test signals between 12AM - 5AM
4. There is no 4
5. Make sure you have Touchtone only enabled.
6. Ask the customer if they have DSL internet service.
7. If you are using toll free lines, stop using QWEST.
8. If you are using toll free lines, make you primary one carrier, and your secondary a totally different carrier. This will minimize downtime.
9. Power cycle the panel, static electricity makes panels do screwy things.
10. Check the last time the backup battery was replaced.
11. Check the transformer output.

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RHC: Thanks Jim. Some of those I hadn't thought of. The ones that I suspect might be the problem are the presence of DSL on the line. I have found that Paradox are immune to DSL while DSC normally do require the Excelsior(sp?) alarm filter right off the batt. I hadn't thought of a low backup battery or transformer output, but I find it hard to visualize how that could cause the problem (but I'll start checking them out anyway). TLM is always enabled, as well as touchtone only, plus spreading out the tests as you suggested is a matter of course now.

I'll give those things a whirl and see it if helps...

What carrier are you using? I believe that some long distance carriers use some form of VoIP to route calls over their network, so even if you have a the alarm connected to a POTs line, the signal may end up being transmitted over VoIP. Even if the call is routed over a conventional circuit, my money is on congestion or some other issue on the part of the carrier, not at the central station.

Do the panels show a FTC trouble, I've seen on rare occasions where the panel has received a kissoff, but the signal has been corrupted and shown up on another account.

Assuming you have your own 800 lines for the receivers, then take a look at your 800 phone bill and see if an account that has missed a timer test completed a call or made repeated calls on the day & time it missed a signal. If your bill shows that the panel completed a call of a duration that indicates it sent a signal, then have the central station run a report to see if another account received an unexpected timer test at that time.

Doug

RHC: Customers are using the telephone company's lines (Bell Canada) for calling in and the stations receiver number are also local Bell lines. Some clients use Rogers cable phone (which technically IS VoIP, but works well because nothing goes out over the internet at any point that matters). I'm not using long distance lines since the station is local to Ottawa. You bring up a good and obvious point though - does the panel show FTC troubles when this happens and I can only say sometimes (usually only the ones where the client calls me about it). Most of the problems are identified in my daily test reports. But I'll check that more carefully. I've talked to the station manager but honestly, he is no help whatsoever so I don't know if this is a client problem or a station problem. I will talk to other dealers on the station to see if they have the same problem occurring (another obvious answer...:))

Thanks for the come back.

In addition to Jim R's excellent points, you should call your station manager and find out when the bulk of their dealer test signals are coming in, then choose a time window outside of that. We have some accounts transmitting in the early afternoon (when things are usually really quiet).

In addition to Jim R's excellent points, you should call your station manager and find out when the bulk of their dealer test signals are coming in, then choose a time window outside of that. We have some accounts transmitting in the early afternoon (when things are usually really quiet).

Also check all grounds. they can cause strange problems with dialing and ine sensing if dirty or non exsistant. can especially cause false line down problems.

We had a 800 problem 2 weeks ago at ATC and Verison got right on it only panels I had problems was where i could not dial long distance

724 area code on a restricted line otherwise everything went to back up number and worked fine.

It's the telephone network. There is always either a problem somewhere or a different way of providing service being implemented. With 1100 accounts you certainly have enough to always have some exposed to it.

THANK YOU

So what do you do if Qwest is the copperline network owner for local service at both your local area and the central station area?

Interestingly, I have had TLM appear to cause circuit drop on some accounts. I turned off TLM and changed the account to daily test and the problem they were experiencing went away. Looks like a loop current issues in that area with the local service provider, but you can never get them to admit anything.

Viking Electronics makes a line voltage booster for problems like that especially when you have older legacy equipment which draws a lot on ring.

Its usually not line voltage that's an issue in cases like this, but rather loop current capacity, but Viking does have a few tricks devices. If you do a lot of telephone though your really need to look at Mike Sandman's bag of trick devices.

Have a link for mikes stuff sounds interesting

If it is on SIA, change the reporting format to CID. We are using a CS with a name that starts with "L" and their receiver seems to have problem talking SIA with the newer DSC controls. Once in a while, their receiver also has problem talking 4/2 with a single digit reporting code.

RHC: Yes, my station also has the same problem. SIA is only for the older DSC panels but the newer 1616 / 1832 / Alexor panels MUST use Contact ID....dunno why but it's no real problem. This is not the source of my difficulties since I knew this from the beginning and accounted for it.

There are just too many variables between the transmitter and the receiver and anything is possible. But I still think the cause is on the reciever side and there is nothing anybody can do about it.

We set most of our accounts to weekly test but those that are still on 24H test are still giving the FTC trouble once in a while. Talking to the CS seems to yield the same answer every single time and I am sure you have heard it many many times in your life before "Nobody else has any problem". Lol !!!!!

Anyway, something just crossed my mind as I type, is it possible that once in a while, say monthly at a certain time, say between 0200 and 0400, the phone provider has to take down the phone network for a brief 10 minutes for maintenance work. So all you have to do and look at those panels that show FTC and see what time they are suppose to be transmitting the test signal, and try to stay away from those time +/- 1 hour ? Don't worry about having too many panels sending at the same time because that is not an issue on the CS side at all unless you are transmitting on your phone number call forwared to the CS and you have limited amount of channels on the line. Spacing the redialing attempt further apart won't heard either.

If you are indeed transmitting on a call forward line, then you should talk to your phone company and obtain a traffic report.