Long distance carriers going with VoIP

I don't think we'll be seeing the same sound reproduction quality issues that plague Vonage and some of the other consumer VOIP providers... I'm sure the Telcos will implement Standards that will allow everyone to continue to use their current Telecommunications equipment........

Regards, Russ

So does this mean you're finally going to get rid of your rotary phone and upgrade to touchtone?

Uh, gee, Bob, er, thanks for the update... I'm really relieved that you're not affected, just us monkeys. And you're going to profit too! Isn't that special. Go girl!

IME telco performance has been less than stellar on virtually every front. I wouldn't want to bet the future of my business on how well they adhere to standards.

Regards, Robert L Bass

upgrade to touchtone?

My desk set, like those of my staff, is a Polycom 501 IP telephone. I use an online PBX service which runs my auto-attendant, and handles call queing, forwarding, voice mail, etc. When we go to Salvador for several months at a time, incoming calls ring simultaneously in the USA and Brasil. I can hand calls off to staff members in the US as easily as if they were in the next room.

Have you gotten around to replacing the light on that princess phone you use?

affected, just us monkeys.

Quit insulting monkeys.

Works for me. :^)

Regards, Robert L Bass

Mike, RLB has a point ! I don't know about you, but I lose business now because I am unwilling to hook them up to VoIP services. Something has to give, and soon, or all of us that depend upon conventional POTS lines for monitoring services will face big problems ! The issue is not that there aren't IP options out there, with more to come, it's simply that the average residential customer who has gotten rid of his telco line to save $20 a month, is not very receptive to spending much more than that (either upfront, or ongoing, or more likely both) to buy into one of the very few IP alternatives that exist now. And it isn't a matter of turning on your sales charm and selling them on it either, as has been suggested to me on occasion. For business it's not a problem, because the cost of a POTS line is peanuts !!

I sure wish I had a handle on where it's all going. It's one of the few things in this industry that truly worries me. All you have to do is look at the 2006/2007 VoIP forcasts to know we're all going to be affected "big time".

RHC

I choose Polesoft Lockspam to fight spam, and you?

So that's why it was so quiet around here for awhile... what do you do when there's a power outage?

When we go to Salvador for

and both go to the autoattendant no doubt. Do you have pager notification on your autoattendant or do you just check betwen flipping the burgs on the barbie in the I lie.

I can hand calls off to staff members in the US as easily

And they sound like they're in the next room too I suppose. I love being bumped from one person to the next waiting in vain for someone who knows what they're doing. Good luck with that.

Light on a POTS phone? Exsolent, where can I get one of those? What a great idea! I'd be able to see the phone in a power outage.

you're not affected, just us monkeys.

Oh gee, that WAS deep. Took me awhile, how clever you are!

Uh huh

His post was him beating his chest again, you say he had a point, what was that exactly? Did he tell us what alarm panel his lordship was using? He used to have some interesting (probably stolen) tips but now he's just silly. Are you following up to see what these customers you lose are doing with their alarm systems? Maybe it's an opportunity to upgrade to internet monitoring, f*ck Voip. I've never heard the voice quality of that shit either, is it like digital cell phones?, f****ng yuck. I cherish my analog cell phone, people can actually talk to me, it's great.

The point was that VoIP is a coming technology that we as an industry damned well better be prepared to meet head on in some fashion, or it's going to steamroller right over us !

As a matter of fact, I haven't lost track of the six systems so far that I've lost to VoIP. One came back after paying Bell over $100 to reinstall his line. The others simply went "local" (without my decals....). Other potential clients that have called, I turn away with an explanation.....

One thing you can say about a Bell phone - it's far more likely to work and keep on working during times of real emergency. Plus it always sounds good !! And for $5 monthly, I added 1000 minutes of long distance to my analog service. Frankly, I have yet to see any real reason to get rid of conventional phone service, but...hey....it's the consumer who makes the final decision, and who will determine how far this trend goes and how soon !!! Clients who do have VoIP (in addition to their POTS line) say that in instances where they call a lot to places like India, Pakistan and far away countries, they save big time on LD. I can see that.....

RHC

I choose Polesoft Lockspam to fight spam, and you?

Well gee wiz I though we were already doing that weren't we? How many posts have there been in the past?

Mikey's usually a mess but in this case he's correct, RLB is doing nothing more than posting what was already out there as well as flat out garbage, no solutions and in the process made a dig at other companies (Monitronics and P1)

Same here

How many alarmcos use the customer's long distance service? I sure don't. When I first started I used the CS's service, and now I contract my own with a company that markets specificially to those of us who demand a certain line quality. Local VOIP may be an issue, but long distance probably is not. That being said many LD providers have used digital compression in various formats for years. Sprint for instance so over uses their bandwidth that you can hear the tiny echo in regular voice calls and it causes problems with CS reporting even with CID format. In particular it seems to distort the CS kissoff such that the panel can't recognize it causing the panel to hang up and report again.

upgrade to touchtone?

online PBX service which runs my auto-attendant, and handles call queing, forwarding, voice mail, etc.

there's a power outage?

Most office equipment is on a UPS. When power fails (it rarely does) I press [forward] and then [enable] to automatically forward calls to another location. What do you do when power fails in your office. Umm, that is assuming you have an office.

simultaneously in the USA and Brasil.

You misunderstand how an auto-attendant works. All incoming calls are answered by the auto-attendant, which is like a virtual PBX. Callers are presented with options for sales & tech suport or customer service. If the selected station is busy the caller is given the option of accessing a different station, leaving a message or waiting. During the wait they get 30-second updates -- "You are caller number [#]... approximate wait time is [n] minutes."

Once a caller selects a station the system routes the call to the extension, regardless if that station happens to be in Florida, Brasil or Kalamazoo.

I don't wear a pager. Perhaps you haven't heard but there are these neat devices called cellular phones and...

the next room.

In fact, they do. Since we got rid of Vonage and got a more reliable broadband connection (no, Frank. That does not mean tickets to a "Spice Girls" concert) voice quality has been about the same as we get on a standard POTS line.

Well then, perhaps you should take up break dancing.

idea! I'd be able to see the phone in a power outage.

Oh, to be young and stupid again...

not affected, just us monkeys.

It's all a matter of perspective. Most people think I'm just average. :*)

Regards, Robert L Bass

I explained that VoIP is coming whether you like it or not.

ELK M1 Gold.

I have one of the most extensive FAQ websites in the alarm industry. Most of it I wrote myself. Some things are direct quotes, with attribution, from manufacturers' websites. A limited number of pages include quotes of things said in USENET. When I know the actual name of someone who posts, I give attribution. When I don't know who wrote something I list it as from an unknown source.

The server upon which my FAQ resides is currently offline. When and if I get enough time to update it I'll make it available again.

alarm systems? Maybe it's an opportunity to upgrade to internet monitoring, f*ck Voip.

Heh, heh, heh. More likely, that is what VoIP is going to do to you unless you wake up to what is happening first.

Internet monitoring doesn't usually involve voice so there's nothing for you to hear.

Perhaps you're also unaware that analog cell phones are almost certainly going to be dropped soon, too. Just like with VoIP, if you don't learn about developing technology you're going to be left behind. In your case, or at least in that of your customers, that might be a good thing.

Regards, Robert L Bass

Actually, Bob, that is precisely what the article in CEPro warned about. A local carrier opted for long distance via VoIP and alarm systems started malfunctioning.

When you connect a customer's alarm to his phone line, regardless if what LD carrier you happen to use for your monitoring center, the calls are routed through his local telco and if they go VoIP you may have a communication problem. If the CLEC in your home base area happens to choose VoIP you might find yourself with hundreds of alarm systems that can't get through to the central station.

Heretofore we only had to contend with occasional clients going VoIP. The CEPro article from which I quoted makes it clear that the VoIP issue can affect your entire customer base at once. That's not a rehash of earlier discussion (as Leuck would have you think). It's a whole new ball game and for now most alarm companies don't have a single hitter.

ELK's M1 Gold system offers the possibility of Internet monitoring. Ademco has an Internet enabled version of the Vista-20P. I haven't checked but HAI's Omni series may offer a solution. Other than the Honeywell (Ademco) Vista-20P, these are high end panels that are inappropriate for the vast majority of alarm jobs. They are certailny beyond the budget for lick'n'stick outfits like most of Monitronix' and P1's delaers.

Regards, Robert L Bass

upgrade to touchtone?

online PBX service which runs my auto-attendant, and handles call queing, forwarding, voice mail, etc.

Your "staff"... right... Sounds to me like you've got one (if not both) of your sons into the business... again... Have they received a raise from last time, and are they living at home with you??

there's a power outage?

You mean other than in his house?? You're actually answering your phone these days??? Gasp!!!! :-)

simultaneously in the USA and Brasil.

Right... but that means someone actually has to *be* at that station. Seems to me (from the number of complaints of poor service, no voicemail because it's chalker-block full, no response to email, etc. that appear here regularily) that there's *rarely* anyone home... ermmmm... I mean "in the office"...

Which you don't answer either...

the next room.

Spice Girls?? Puh-leeze!!! I prefer Diana Krall, actually... I just loved her Chrysler commercials (can't stand the cars though)... and her new Christmas album is fantastic. No, Robert, I don't think she's going to be releasing one with Jewish/Christian folk tunes soon...

At least he looks like he can. From your wedding pictures, I'm pretty sure it would be difficult for you to bend over to pick up a fork...

idea! I'd be able to see the phone in a power outage.

I'll just bet your "princess phone" is *PINK*!!!

That's funny... Average people don't pull guns on other people in an argument. Most "average people" haven't served time or been under court supervised parol. In fact most "average people" know enough to pull over when they're too tired to drive and thus avoid falling asleep at the wheel...