Is it possible to hook up my Vonage to the home alarm system service
> (Brinks Security)? Or do I still need to get an analog phone line from
> Southwestern Bell? Thanks.
> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It _should_ be possible, but bear in
> mind one thing burglars sometimes do is cut the electrical wire to
> your house; that would as a result cut off your computer's electrical
> supply, and kill your Vonage phone. Some alarm companies also have a
> method of dealing not only with a call _into_ them, but also a way of
> telling when their device has been _disconnected_ from the phone
> line. I am not sure how well that would work when using Vonage, so you
> might want to have the Brinks representative there to look at it > also. PAT]
The only way an alarm company can tell if the line was cut is if they're using alternate frequencies (Similar to how DSL over voice typically works) -- This would be completely incompatible with DSL.
The only other option is if there is an alternate communications method available -- If the alarm system detects a phone outage and it switches to some sort of radio method instead.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do think it best that he have a security person from Brinks there to make the actual cutover, and not cause them to get all excited if it fails for some reason. PAT]