NextAlarm and ABn Adapter Question

ADT has service personnel...NextAlarm...has nothing. NextAlarm doesn't even disclose a brick & mortar address on their website.

VoIP is not good for alarms yet - works one day and not the next. Many discussions on this on this ng the past few months.

VoIP no supervised power backup...no backup unless you add your own UPS...and how would you supervise that battery with the alarm?

A PO box is not exactly an address. No licenses required..that can't be correct.

| > VoIP is not good for alarms yet - works one day and not the next. Many | > discussions on this on this ng the past few months. | >

| > VoIP no supervised power backup...no backup unless you add your own | > UPS...and how would you supervise that battery with the alarm? | >

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I am not using VOIP for the alarm. I will be using the broadband connection from my ISP.

It isn't "correct". California requires licensing. The fact that they're not installing, servicing or performing the monitoring themselves leads me to suspect that they've found a "loophole" to the licensing requirement. Companies that engage in this kind of practice are ones that bear further investigation (and not just through the BBB).

$33/qtr is a good damn price. maybe you should think twice about switching.

So they are not a real alarm company?...they're sorta primecontractors subbing everything out to others?? Do they even have a central station? Do ya know? Personally, it looks fishy to me...and since I almost lost one client to them and did lose another...i'd like some ammo should another try to go there...know what i mean?

I'd like to know more about this ABN "adapter"...sounds like it steals the dial out and somehow converts it to what?...how does it connect to internet?...what backups are there? How would nextalarm know what the panel is SUPPOSED to send anyway? Sounds goofy to me.

| > I am currently looking at switching from my Bellsouth landline provider to | > Vonage VOIP. Been testing it out | > for about a week now, and works very well - with one exception. I quickly | > found out than my ADT-monitored security system is not compatible | > with VOIP. I was looking to get rid of my ADT service anyway, which I | > have | > used for ~7 years now, and replace with a lower-cost | > service (am paying $33/qtr - ouch!). So, I have seen several threads on | > the | > web for NextAlarm.com. They now offer | > notification over broadband, which I have. My alarm base is an Ademco | > VISTA | > 10SE, which they claim is compatible | > with the ABN adapter box (phone-in, Ethernet-out) that you have to | > purchase | > and install for $100. | >

| > So, has anyone tried a similar solution, and if so, what were the results. | > I have seen some good reviews on nextalarm.com | > on the internet, and for $10/mo, it would sure beat what I am paying now, | > and I want to be able to keep my | > Vonage service and have an alarm service. | >

| > Thanks! | > Leor | >

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I can't find them listed in public records (licenses) either...yet. Gonna keep looking, just for kicks. They say they have a license # ACO 5501 except I can't find record of it yet.

If you find anything lemme know.

Curious Crash over and out.

Ok I get that part, but CID only gives very basic info on what the zone really is..right? They're not gonna know the difference between a Kitchen Window or a Master Bedroom door right? How do they know that EVERYTHING is tested in? The homeowner doesn't always know every zone in the system. Sounds like a liablility nightmare to me. If the homeowner doesn't set off a medical pendant, for instance, how would they know what it is?

Is this ABN extension box somehow supervised if it requires power, etc?

or am I missing somehting here?

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| > | > I am currently looking at switching from my Bellsouth landline | provider | > to | > | > Vonage VOIP. Been testing it out | > | > for about a week now, and works very well - with one exception. I | > quickly | > | > found out than my ADT-monitored security system is not compatible | > | > with VOIP. I was looking to get rid of my ADT service anyway, which I | > | > have | > | > used for ~7 years now, and replace with a lower-cost | > | > service (am paying $33/qtr - ouch!). So, I have seen several threads | on | > | > the | > | > web for NextAlarm.com. They now offer | > | > notification over broadband, which I have. My alarm base is an Ademco | > | > VISTA | > | > 10SE, which they claim is compatible | > | > with the ABN adapter box (phone-in, Ethernet-out) that you have to | > | > purchase | > | > and install for $100. | > | >

| > | > So, has anyone tried a similar solution, and if so, what were the | > results. | > | > I have seen some good reviews on nextalarm.com | > | > on the internet, and for $10/mo, it would sure beat what I am paying | > now, | > | > and I want to be able to keep my | > | > Vonage service and have an alarm service. | > | >

| > | > Thanks! | > | > Leor | > | >

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Here's what it does... It's basically a PBX extension box. (Short version) It connects directly to their software, intercepts the dial attempt, and uses CID for the communication to a receiver. They don't need the account number....don't need the installers code, in fact, they don't make any programming changes to the panel at all. When the panel goes off hook to dial, and dials whatever number, the device intercepts, and re-routes the call to them. This is new technology, and it's protocol is called "asterisks". Blows through any firewall, router, etc... Like one giant PBX, with extensions. UL? Nope. It's the $99 of what's to come for residential.

Jackcsg, the ABN does communicate with the computers at Nextalarm frequently. It does not communicate only once a night like other alarms. It does not communicate all the time so disconnect it and it could be an hour before they know. It will tell you at your computer that a network device was disconnected but if your not there???? You need to connect it to a wall outlet with aplug in transformer. remove the plug and your ABN is dead. (had that happen with the digium). Nextalarm does not monitor any alarms at all. They operate a computer server center. If all you use is the e-mail notification or auto cell phone notification, it's through their computers, no human involved. If you have monitoring with humans involved, the alarm goes to Next and is rerouted to their contract centers in CA or NJ. They become only a middleman to send signals. I had the actual human service and the response sucked. Took longer for the monitoring to get the rerouted message. Had it delayed for over 15 minutes once. they claimed they got it later, BS, Next's computer said 10am received, the monitoring center said they got it from next at 10:15 am, A delay for what? The ABN also simulates so much that the alarm does not know if the message went through. IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE TALKING TO THE ALARM MONITORING FOR THE ABN TO TELL THE ALARM SYSTEM IT WAS SUCESSFUL. All it does is pretend everything worked even if it didn't, and hopes it can eventually get through to send the alarm message. I had a DSL service outage and the alarm never told me it didn't communicate. Before going with Next, it would dial and dial and say it didn't communicate. I did switch to a real service. Crash, U B Right on the Head! Next has no idea if what they get from the alarm is what is really going on. You can tell them a door is on a zone when it's a panic button. Ypou can tell them all your zones are holdup alarms and that's all they know. You can make up anything and they dont know. I was dumb when SO stopped responding to alarms and decided to go with the low price. After buying one adapter only to have to buy another, i bet they make lots of money selling adapters. Thats probably where their bread and butter comes from. I got a tip from one person who said to hook the entry items to 2 zones, one listed as a entry the other as a motion. Open a door and they got both door and motion, was a good way to simulate multi-zones to get response. Next didn't have a clue, still don't.

Look here:

Me? js

CID will send what the zone is programmed for. Yes, it's up to the homeowner to test the signals through, and tell them the zone lists. Yes, the ABN is supervised for presence, but not to the control panel. Not sure how the ABN gets powered, my guess would be a wall wart.

Hey, thanks Russ, I'd been looking for something like that in CA for a while - need to trace someone else.

| > If you find anything lemme know. | >

| > Curious Crash over and out. | >

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Wow, thanks for that. So who (whom?) exactly is Next ?

This gets more curiouser :-)

btw...and it's only 8.95 if you prepay a year...if you pay monthly its

Whew! js