Is Your VOIP Service Disrupting Your Alarm System?
- In other words:
- 1. are your alarm monitoring fee payments being totally wasted?
- And
- 2. what if your alarm system is actually not being monitored by the central station?
Article from the CBC News:
A recent CBC news article cautions VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) users to check out their security alarm systems once their VOIP systems are installed. In one case a Winnipeg man was surprised to find out his home alarm system was not protecting his house for more than a year.
The same Winnipeg man did not know his VOIP system was never designed to work with his existing alarm system.
Why VOIP Doesn’t Work With Traditional Alarm Systems
RemoteGuard has identified four security risks relating to VOIP/telephone conversions:
- Internet Service Outage:
-
The internet is less than perfect in providing consistent transmission of data for users. There are various reasons such as system upgrades, outages, server problems, and maintenance schedules. Maintenance schedules tend to be in the early morning hours which coincide with most business break-ins.
- Line Seizure:
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One advantage of an alarm system is its ability to share a telephone line with other users. Sharing is cost effective in that paying for a second line cost is avoided. However, the alarm system must have priority when it is activated to ensure a speedy response from the central station and police authorities. This is achieved by “line seizure” whereby the alarm system overtakes the line from other users in order to transmit the alarm signal to the central stationl. Once the alarm signal is finished transmitting, the control of the line is returned to the other users. The alarm system is not designed to implement “line seizure” with a VOIP system.
- Signal Distortion:
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The analog beeps and tones normally transmitted by the alarm system is designed to work with a traditional telephone line. VOIP is digital and unfortunately is not very compatible with alarm systems. In one test the alarm system transmitted only 50% of the alarm activations correctly to the central station. 50% is not acceptable.
- Power Outage:
-
When the power goes out most people will lose their internet signal at the same time. This is particularly troublesome for businesses protected by alarm systems as intruders will test business alarm systems in the even of major power outages when businesses are closed. Internet equipment typically does not have alarm grade UPS protection. Traditional phone lines still work when the power is out. Most alarm systems have built in back up power to provide reliable alarm signal transmission in a power outage.
RemoteGuard uses Video Sentries which don’t use telephone or VOIP transmission. Instead they use cellular communication which operates despite power outages. The Video Sentries are battery powered and last up 4 years before battery replacement under normal usage.
RemoteGuard alarms can be purchased outright and be monitored without long term contracts.
How It Works
RemoteGuard Security systems provide the monitoring operator with an actual video of the intrusion. The video and 2-way voice verify that the alarm is an actual crime-in-progress and not a costly false alarm. With law enforcement increasingly pressured by budget cuts, video verified alarms help police capture more intruders, providing better protection.
A sophisticated motion sensor combined with a night vision camera and illuminators, the Video Sentry detects and captures the intrusion on video. Monitoring personnel immediately see a 10 second video clip of the actual intrusion and can use 2-way voice to challenge and verify it. More than an alarm, a RemoteGuard unit is a true security system combining detection, video and two-way voice to give greater protection to your valuables and your family.
RemoteGuard is Portable and Versatile.
The coffee-cup sized Video Sentry can be mounted anywhere in a substation or storage yard. Up to 24 Video Sentries can report to a single alarm panel.
- There is no need for AC power or Ethernet because:
- 1. the alarm system is battery powered.
- And
- 2. it sends the video clips via cellular communication to the monitoring station.
Sensors can be sounded to scare the intruders away or silenced so that police can apprehend the intruders before they leave. At the time of writing over 40 utility companies are using the system. 100,000 systems are in use around the world.