Internet Communicators

The Napco Netlink Module does trigger activated reporting for any panel that has trigger outputs. I can tell you more about it in a couple months when I finish the alarm in my new house as I intend to play with one. It works for network reporting a lot like the Uplink 1500 works for cellular. Not wonderful, but ok as a backup only. For Napco 3200, 9600 and 255 it is supposed to be able to do full reporting.

I assume you are looking for something that just plugs in like the Telular TG-100 does for cellular and reports full CID or 4 X2. If I run across something I'll sure let you know.

We a lot of DMP iCOM users. The iCOM SL has inputs and outputs also. Nobody has ever wanted to use the outputs though.

Yep, I want the CID or 4x2 report>The Napco Netlink Module does trigger activated reporting for any panel that

I'm not sure how much longer the TG-100 will be out, they now have the TG-1 and TG-4, the TG-4 is similar to the old TG-100 and the TG-1 is like an Uplink 1500

They are slowly getting people to change over to the TG-4 Digital as a replacement for the TG-100 before the Feb. 2008 deadline. There is a small price increase of maybe 20-25 dollars.

I just got in both TG-1 and TG-4 to test, they now support SIA unlike the TG-100

Don't build your own. Bosch C900V2 does this, and you can buy one from ADI. Of course, it's a Bosch product, so you need a 6600 receiver at the other end to talk to it. I assume you have one.

- badenov

Bob Dolph writes a column in SSI. Following is a brief quote from his comments on the subject: "VoIP Can Strengthen Link to Central Station if Done Right

"One of the fastest places that technology is moving forward is with homes having access to the Internet.

"Existing ?plain old telephone service? (POTS) customers on a daily basis are being enticed by voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services and its considerable savings in operating costs.

"However, many customers do not realize their existing monitored alarm system will, at best, work intermittently with the new service. The only time they may find this out is when a panel alarms but their central station never receives it. This has raised much concern in the alarm industry.

"An innovative approach to this communication problem is an interface device known as a universal ?dialer capture? module. One device in particular is the Bosch C900V2 dialer capture module that can be used to upgrade existing alarm panels to communicate over high-speed Internet (IP) connections.

"There are many positives to Internet monitoring once a reliable connection has been established. At the central station, new head-end, receiver/gateway communication systems such as the Bosch D6600 with NetCom can provide secured Internet communications via an 128-bit Rijndael encryption protocol.

"Systems like the C900V2 have built-in supervision or ?heartbeat? signals provided to make sure Internet VoIP connections are intact."

It is noteworthy that, as Bob Dolph points out, this kind of Internet monitoring can actually be an improvement over standard digital dialing over POTS lines because it offers a "heartbeat", the loss of which can trigger a response by the monitoring center. If the premises POTS phone goes out of service or is cut the central station has no way to know it at the time.

IMO this is one more reason why VoIP service is going to drive some alarm companies out of business and others to greater success.

But will it communicate via Internet? By not including the Cellular or any other networks we can keep the monitoring costs down more. It's not that they need a "backup", this is mostly for Primary for those who don't have phone but have internet and don't want to pay for a Radio. I'd like to see a bare-bones internet communicator (no proprietary receiver) for under $150 to be more affordable for those people trying to "save" money using VOIP services. The equipment should be cheap so we can all bask in the recurring monitoring revenue :) Unfortunately the equipment manufacturers don't get that recurring so they have to up-their-prices.

Mark Leuck wrote:

Joe, I still think it is too new yet....not sure when production actually starts (although I know its only months away at most). I have personally seen everything work perfectly using all formats and with a variety of different panels in the lab, both current panels and old ones. It appears to be truly as "generic" as they claim, but we'll have to wait and see.......

At the moment, they are working on the firmware that will allow dealers to dial in to their panels over the same internet connection, identical to what we do now over a POTS line.

RHC

I am getting hit with more requests for Internet Communicators that are not specific to an Alarm Panel. All of the Internet Communicators I've seen are specific to a manufacturers panels (and receiver hardware/software) which makes it difficult to support all of the different internet communicators out there.

What I think we want is a "plug-n-play" internet communicator. I.e. Unplug the Alarm Panels RJ31X connector from the phone jack, plug it into an Internet Communicator box, plug the Internet Communicator box into an Ethernet hub, walk away (no reprogramming of alarm panel should be necessary assuming it is already doing a standard Contact ID or Pulse format). The Internet Communicator should have a unique identifier so the C/S can attach it to an internal Account Number (regardless of the account number and phone number programmed into the alarm panel). The panel will pickup the phone line, hear dialtone (from the Internet Communicator), dial, get a handshake, communicate, and get kissed-off. The Internet Communicator would then send the kissed-off signals to the Central Station via TCP on the Internet connection. If a connection to the C/S cannot be established via TCP then it should not kiss-off the panel causing a COMM FAIL message (just like a phone line failure would). The Internet connection to the C/S should be supervised periodically (like at least once every four hours). Any other features I'm forgetting? Maybe the ability to control a few Outputs on the module to be controllable via the C/S Dealer Web Access?

Has anyone run into an Internet Communicator with this capability. We do this exact scenario with the AES Radio and IntelliTap module (replace phoneline with radio without having to re-program account numbers or phone numbers in the alarm panel), but I haven't seen a solution for an Internet Communicator. I'm almost done with an output module that can be used on any AES IntelliNet radio to control a few outputs via the C/S Web Interface (for remotely resetting a fire panel or even as a keyswitch arm/disarm for any panel).

I've already ordered parts to make an Internet Communicator bases on these specifications since I haven't found anything like it already available. If anyone is out there that can build or knows of an existing one I'd like to hear. I'm not in the hardware business but it looks like I may be if I can't find someone else who will do or has done it already.