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Notifier

With regard to the VoIP thing, here, in my area it's not a problem to those who've had the foresight to make preparation and are using panels that can cope with the new technology. We cornered Cablevision right at the beginning and when they started disconnecting alarm systems "invited" them to an association meeting where they were justly "roasted". Then we cooperated in helping them train and set up their installation procedures along with providing them with new and old panels programed to various formats, to test to make sure they would all operate over the Internet. We've been assured that they all do. Even CID. Now they have different "crews". Those that get sent out to install VoIP with alarms and those that don't. The alarm system is tested to CS before the installer leaves.

I've been sending notices to my clients for about two years now, warning about the short comings of VoIP and that I'll either have to vist or download changes to their system at the cost of a service call, and that they will also have to sign a release that they've been notified of the potential problems.

Napco has made it official by sending a notice to all their dealers that their equipment will work with VoIP.

So what problem is there with VoIP? For me(?) ......... none.

Reply to
Jim
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The problem you have is your chosen panel (Napco) has extremely limited CID and SIA support, hell "I" would be sending 4/2 as well if I were working with those panels but Its not a question of setting up the format, its an issue that yes 4/2 may work now but it might not in the future when the providers decide to make some goofy change in the protocol. I've already seen that scenario happen which is why I don't trust VoIP

A tech who doesn't send every signal with CID isn't going to with 4/2 either, all I can tell you is when I look at the daily list of undefined signals they are all 4/2, I look at 4/2 the same way I look at crank starts on old Ford Model T's, they had a purpose at one time but not anymore

Well when you factor in restorals, cancels and multiple burg signals it can add up quickly, all it takes is one additional signal and you've automatically doubled the onhook time, I could send a dozen SIA signals in the time it takes to send one standard 4/2. Many signals such as exit alarms and recent closings are gaining importance (since they now are SIA standards) and in my opinion should be sent. When you start having to prune signals because they may take too long to send in 4/2 then you have a problem

Trust me on this but the amount of calls is not a factor at all unless the central station is somehow grossly lacking in receivers, it all has to do with preventing undefined signals.

to use CID is now

That is a non-issue, a restoral signal in CID takes maybe 2 seconds, insignificant compared to an additional 4/2 signal. I have yet to hear someone at a central station bitch about restorals although I personally think they are worthless unless they are trouble restorals. I see open/close signals as more of a problem than restorals due to techs forgetting to turn them off

And I don't know why this message didn't quote properly

Reply to
Mark Leuck

If that is correct the people at Napco are a bunch of idiots for making a blanket statement like that, hell even ADT won't go that far. Do you have a link to that statement?

Your experience then is far better than mine, results are so mixed that it's useless to even try keeping track of what works and what doesn't with the various providers. You mention Comcast, I've seen CID work with them here in Dallas but not in Atlanta, I've seen 4/2 work and I've seen it fail.

BTW I've never seen SIA work.

Reply to
Mark Leuck

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