Cellular Backup

[Mike]

I thought it overkill (if someone sophisticated wants in...) originally, but considering the cost differential and the monthly fee I will have to consider that when I am ready for monitoring. Regardless of the source of that article. For that price is it worth it to ever have to question why you did not do it?

I mean hell, consider all the money that goes into our systems (Martin makes it quite easy to track your total AutomatedOutlet.com spending, which I sometimes wonder if it is a good thing ) is it worth it to start to skimp?

That new version of the uplink seems to make a lot of sense. So if you go with next alarm you could theoretically have telephone, broadband and cellular backup. Sounds like a scene from the movie Heat... "two telco's and a cellular" (well almost).

Anyone started tracking the resale value for homes that contain installed elk's?

 

[Spanky]

Uplink and Telular provide wireless central station connection.

 

[rfdesq]

Spanky, the latest M1XSP manual from the ELK website reads that Uplink support is still in Beta. Has that changed?

Spanky, guess you didn't see my earlier post. Any answer?

 

[Spanky]

The software for the M1XSP is released. As far as I know it is not in beta.


After a little research on the Telular Cell transceiver, it looks like it decodes the alarm transmission from the telephone line and then sends a data packet to the Telular central office using the GSM network. The Telular central office then calls the alarm Central Station.


The Uplink system is similiar but the M1XSP sends a data packet to the Uplink transceiver.

 

[hgupta1]

Some renters of mine in Memphis got robbed by a crew of kids that cut the phone lines: http://www.wreg.com/global/story.asp?s=4449953

There were Brinks stickers and signs around the house, but these thieves either couldn't read them or have become accustomed to lots of people having alarm stickers. Since that incident, I've realized that stickers and signs mean nothing to crackheads looking to break in, grab stuff, and run out within minutes.

I love that "To catch a thief show", but I fear that it gives amateurs the tips to become pros! Its like a training class for crooks.

 

[voip]

Take a look at AlarmPath.
If you are lucky to be in their coverage map.
$99 for the 2 way radio and $5 a month. You can program it to forward all alarms to your central station and at the same time call your cell and work and email. Plus you can program it to just call you when someone uses the alarm. All through the web.
The radios are the new digital units. I was using the older anolog setup. They sent me the new one for free, just had to send back the old one in a month.

Be careful, many cell radios are scheduled to be shut down soon. Make sure that you get a guarantee that the service will still be on for at least 5 years.
Good Luck.

 

[IVB]

Anyone have this? Sounds very interesting.

 

[rfdesq]

$99 for the 2 way radio and $5 a month.

Is that $5 per month to AlarmPath? If so, that's $5 to AlarmPath and an additional $7.50 to NextAlarm for monitoring a cellular backup.

 

[IVB]

Is there some way for the Elk to message if the phone line is cut? That way in addition to dropping to cellular, you could have the system message [ie strobe/siren/...] as desired based on away/stay alarm mode.

 

[rfdesq]

IVB, what about the ELK phone line fault indicator to trigger an M1 programmable zone?

 

[Mike]

Is there some way for the Elk to message if the phone line is cut? That way in addition to dropping to cellular, you could have the system message [ie strobe/siren/...] as desired based on away/stay alarm mode.

But what if the telephone fault is a service failure, and not an attack on the site?

Do you want a siren going off when the phone company (or voip, etc) drops the line briefly? Granted this would probably be exceptionally rare.

To answer your question I would assume yes though. When I had problems with my smoke detectors, I set it up to phone, email me and send a slow llama to inform me the detectors went off. I'm not near my system now but I would expect you can do this if you wished to.

 

[rfdesq]

Do you want a siren going off when the phone company (or voip, etc) drops the line briefly? Granted this would probably be exceptionally rare.

Why not trigger a timer so the line has to be down for X minutes before the event occurs?

 

[Steve]

Well if it is an attack you don't really want to wait, so why not just do something benign like make announcements and flash lights?

WHENEVER TELEPHONE LINE FAULT TROUBLE IS DETECTED
THEN whatever (speak, lights, etc...)

It took around 10 seconds for the M1 to realize there was a problem once the line wa pulled.

 

[dscline]

I think once more stations become Alarm over IP capable, this may be a little less of a concern. They could check the connection a LOT more often. Since it'd only take a packet or two, it could even be checked at intervals measured in seconds, rather than every 24hrs like phones. One thing I've considered is running some "decoy" wiring outside my house where the phone and cable connections are, wired to be a tamper detector. Since they'd probably only have a pair of snips with them, they could only cut one or two wires at a time. Unless they lucked out and picked the right one first, as fast as IP is, the report could be sent before they got the 2nd wire cut. And I'd imagine having the alarm go off as soon as they start cutting wires would be enough to make them reconsider proceeding.

 

[betrickey]

What if you were to use cat5 for the phone line and use an extra set of wires with in the bundle as a "zone". You could assign it as an normally closed zone, when the wire was cut the M1 would go into alarm status instantly. I hope that this works because this is how I have mine set up.