What happens if a burglar cuts my phone line?
If a burglar cuts your phone line, a standard digital dialer will be unable to send out a signal. You'll have the same problem, "no communication," if anything interferes with the correct operation of your phone line. (Click here for more information and some recommendations.)
The incidence of deliberately cut phone lines has historically been rare, and is usually associated with professional type attacks. We have predicted for many years that burglars would use this tactic with increasing frequency. It has been a concern that if some major crime publicizes the issue, all of a sudden we will be swamped with requests to cover the gap.
(The vast majority of security systems use standard digital dialers. Many alarm companies won't mention this "slight" drawback unless you ask.)
Ask about a wireless backup system.
This is our answer! There are several types of wireless backups. We currently support the systems listed below.
The Cost. Because of the broad variety of alarm systems we must interface to this equipment and a marketplace that is now in flux, it is impossible to post flat quotes here. However, setup costs typically range from $400 to $700, depending on particular models and features. In most cases the equipment itself is leased, but we have been persuaded to sell some units outright, although the installation fee is higher. The ongoing aggregate charges, including the basic alarm monitoring fee, the fee for 24-hour automatic tests, the unit lease fee, the cellular access fee and a cellular usage plan, can range from about $40 to $75 per month or higher. However, remember that this is a premium add-on. Please call us to get the current installation fees and ongoing rates for devices that would apply to your installation.
Cellular Backup Unit
An actual cellular phone transceiver is designed into an interface box. It is installed at the protected property and connected to the alarm control unit. The alarm signals will go out over your regular phone line if it is working. If the line is dead, the unit switches over automatically to the Cellular Phone Network and sends any alarm signals over the airwaves. These use air time. We haven't installed any of these units in the last few years. The ones we did install were analog and will stop working soon if they haven't already, because of changes to the cellular network that are beyond our control. They are being replaced by Cellemetry and Uplink (see below.)
Radio Telemetry System
Tower System: A radio transmitter at the protected property sends signals to a dedicated network of radio towers. The towers pass the signals along to the Central Station either by another radio link or using regular land lines. Your location has to be within range of two of the network's towers in order to use this system. A field test with an operating unit is necessary to determine the signal strength and therefore, the reliability of this link.
Relay System: Each location equipped with this setup acts as a repeater for other similar units. The alarm signals travel quickly from unit to unit, ultimately reaching the Central Station's receiver. The more locations there are, the greater the redundancy and reliability of signal transmission.
"Cellemetry"™ and "Uplink"™
This is the method we currently advocate. The setup and ongoing fees are comparable to other backup systems. These use a radio telemetry unit at your premise sending signals via the "data" channel of the Cellular Network. The signal is directed to a dedicated, privately owned central office where it is converted into an alarm transmission like the one your alarm communicator itself would have sent. A forwarding system then dials your usual monitoring Central Station over regular switched phone lines just like any other digital communicator would do. It reports as "your system" and, like the Radio Telemetry System above, uses one of a small group of "alarm codes" that are not already used by your own communicator.
There are two grades of this system, basic and premium. Modern alarm panels are capable of sending dozens of different alarm "codes," including the ID of specific zones that have been tripped, and a variety of specific types of "trouble" signals.
The basic cellular backup unit and most "radio telemetry" systems tend to group all those signals into just a few distinguishable categories like "Burglary," Panic," Fire" and "Trouble," making it harder for us to know exactly what is wrong.
The premium grade Cellular Backup Unit allows your communicator to send the exact same transmission that we would have received over the landline, but via the cellular network.
Copyright © 2000-2008 Luis Arellano, III. All rights reserved.
Revised: February 07, 2008 02:23