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That's Strange

 March 13, 2007

 

Digital Telephone Service

 

There are a lot of companies marketing Digital Telephone Service.   Digital telephone is a method of taking analog audio signals, like the kind you hear when you talk on the phone, and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet.  Also known as VOIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, it is an alternative to POTS lines (Plain Old Telephone Service), and many times cheaper and/or provides for unlimited calls for a flat rate per month.  There are different marketing names used for VOIP, such as "Digital Voice", or "Vonage".  but it is all based on VOIP.

However, with VOIP comes with some landmines that the consumer needs to be aware of.  First and foremost, if you're going to use it with your alarm system for reporting alarms, you should know that alarm manufacturers do not recommend it.  The reason is, the alarm signal was designed to be sent to the alarm receiver in real time.  It's kind of like having a conversation with someone sitting across the table from you - when you speak to them, you speak directly to them and they reply directly back to you.  Using this example, with VOIP, a conversation with someone sitting across the table from you would require you to speak to the person sitting next to you, who relays the message to the person next to him and so on until the message gets to the person at the other end of the table.  The reply comes back to you in the same manner. 

When you think of broadband internet service, you think of high speed, cutting edge, state of the art service that will transmit a web page around the globe in seconds.  And while that might be true, it's also true that this data is sent in "packets" that can take infinite routes to get from the sender to the receiver.  That is the underlying reason that VOIP isn't recommended for alarm transmission:  The timing of these packets is not consistent, and it is possible that your alarm signal will not be received at the central station.

Many people with alarm systems have VOIP installed anyway because they are not aware of the alarm manufacturer's warnings.  And, many times there will not be any problems with signals being received at the central station. 

We at Inner Security Systems, along with the alarm manufacturers (which, by the way, includes all of the alarm manufacturer's without exception) recommends that VOIP not be used for alarm signaling.

We do, however, get calls nearly every day from people who want VOIP service anyway.  And we get requests from our clients for us to talk to their installers so they know how to wire the alarm lines.  It puts us in an awkward position of being asked to help the cable company do something that we advise against.  It's a catch 22 for us, and regrettably there is nothing we can do to help your VOIP installers.

We do have alternate solutions, such as long range radio service, and also do sell internet communicators, but because this is a service that we need to subscribe to it is more expensive then regular digital alarm monitoring.  When you add these costs to the initial equipment and installation costs, all of a sudden, VOIP isn't as cheap as it appears to be.

If, after all the advice to the contrary, you decide to risk using digital lines with your alarm system, please run a test on your system before the installer leaves.  Call the monitoring center, identify yourself with your user number and password, and ask them to put your system in test.  Then test the alarm system before the VOIP installers leave, so that if there are any problems, they can fix them before they leave.  Again, please don't ask us to help your VOIP installers.  We can not help them do something we advise against doing.

We can help you in choosing an alternative signaling method, should VOIP be a "must have".  Please give us a call to discuss alternatives!

 

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Revised: August 15, 2007