AlarmNet reliability how can it go down with no notice?

[Jerry]

I use AlarmNet as my primary method of protection. I learned on
Tuesday evening after I tested my system, that my call center never
received an alarm signal.

After waiting 7 minutes for a call from the call center, I called them
and they reported no alarm! They asked me to trigger another alarm and
let it stay tripped for a whole minute. They still never received a
signal!

The next day a technician told me my system and radio was fine.
AlarmNet, was down for an undetermined amount of time and no one knew!
This blows my mind! Sure, networks fail and require maintenance from
time to time. There is no excuse why the call center can't have known
about the down network.

I made an assumption that my radio sent some kind of watch dog signal
to the central station every 10 minutes so they can make sure the
network is functioning. This is not the case, apparently. My call
center stays completely unaware when AlarmNet has any failure. This
has me very worried. I can no longer depend on the network at all.

Can anyone explain how AlarmNet works? There is no explination on
their website. The alarm companies don't seem to want to share with me
any technical details about how AlarmNet works. My position is that
the proper thing to do is to have each node on the network send a
short packet of data like [STX]station ID,Ready[ETX] every 10 minutes.
The load on the network would be minimal. We're talking less than 100
bytes of data multiplied by 50K or so radio sets: less than 50 megs of
data in 10 minutes. That works out to a loafing 10Kpbs throughput. The
call center would then know in ten minutes that my radio was no longer
communicating with the call center. The call center could then take
steps to find out why and notify me that something is wrong with my
system. Therefore, even though radio networks are not 100% reliable,
at least I can be 100% confidant that when my alarm system is armed, I
will know quickly when or if there is a problem.

I don't have telephone service, I use cell phones exclusively and my
provider doesn't have TCP/IP security implemented yet. This is why I
use AlarmNet as my primary security system.

I just can't believe that with today's digital technology there is a
huge gaping hole in wireless security systems like this. Words can't
express my utter disappointment in the overall design of the AlarmNet
network. Now I am forced, for my peace of mind, to test my system
every other day at irregular intervals: I simply can't trust it
anymore.

 

[alarman]

I don't have telephone service, I use cell phones exclusively and my
provider doesn't have TCP/IP security implemented yet. This is why I
use AlarmNet as my primary security system.

I just can't believe that with today's digital technology there is a
huge gaping hole in wireless security systems like this. Words can't
express my utter disappointment in the overall design of the AlarmNet
network. Now I am forced, for my peace of mind, to test my system
every other day at irregular intervals: I simply can't trust it
anymore.

You should have a landline, and use alarm net as a backup.

 

[Spuz]

You should have a landline, and use alarm net as a backup.

yep. at least do a daily test.

 

[Nick Markowitz Jr.]

Alarm net announced they would be down
they sent emails out all over the place on it.
sign up for there newsletter.

 

[Roger W]

I use AlarmNet as my primary method of protection.

Cellular and Radio were not intended for primary alarm transmissions.
If you are serious about your security, get an old fashioned POTS
landline and back it up with Alarmnet. Its still the most reliable
combination. I would not use voip if I didn't have to.

 

[Nomen Nescio]

I made an assumption that my radio sent some kind of watch dog signal

to the central station every 10 minutes so they can make sure the
network is functioning. This is not the case, apparently. My call
center stays completely unaware when AlarmNet has any failure. This
has me very worried. I can no longer depend on the network at all.

Can anyone explain how AlarmNet works? There is no explination on
their website. The alarm companies don't seem to want to share with me
any technical details about how AlarmNet works. My position is that
the proper thing to do is to have each node on the network send a
short packet of data like [STX]station ID,Ready[ETX] every 10 minutes.
The load on the network would be minimal. We're talking less than 100
bytes of data multiplied by 50K or so radio sets: less than 50 megs of
data in 10 minutes. That works out to a loafing 10Kpbs throughput. The
call center would then know in ten minutes that my radio was no longer
communicating with the call center. The call center could then take
steps to find out why and notify me that something is wrong with my
system. Therefore, even though radio networks are not 100% reliable,
at least I can be 100% confidant that when my alarm system is armed, I
will know quickly when or if there is a problem.

First of all, there are different types of Alarmnet service. You probably
have Alarmnet-C or Alarmnet-GSM service; more on these in a moment. There
is also Alarmnet-M service, which can be programmed to detect a loss of
radio communication within six minutes, and which you will pay dearly for.
And, in some large cities, there is Alarmnet-A service. Alarmnet-I is an
Internet reporting system, not a radio system, that can also detect a loss
of communication within minutes.

Alarmnet had a problem: it wanted to sell radio alarm service nationwide,
without having to build and maintain its own nationwide radio network. The
solution was to use the control channels of the cellular telephone network,
which of course they have to pay for. This gives a big radio network at
little cost, one that is maintained by someone else. Through an
arrangement with the cellular companies, alarm signals are sent back to
Alarmnet in New York, which then sends them on to the appropriate central
station by various means.

These Alarmnet-C and -GSM radios are designed to be reasonably affordable,
and to impose a minimum amount of overhead on the cellular providers'
networks. The monthly fee also reflects the low network traffic. Alarmnet
is supposed to be releasing a version of the GSM radios soon that will do
frequent polling, however I expect Alarmnet's monthly fee for that service
will probably be more than you are paying for your monitoring today. Your
central station will also charge a higher monthly fee for having to deal
with the occasional temporary loss of radio communications -- often just
long enough to be annoying, and perhaps, to call you.

The Alarmnet-C service is based on analog cell technology, which will be
going away soon. The GSM radios are what Alarmnet is promoting most
heavily at the moment.

Alarmnet already offers a combination Internet communicator and GSM radio
called the 7845-iGSM. This does not provide the five minute supervision of
the true Internet communicators, but it does provide alarm reporting by
Internet, GSM radio, and SMS radio if the other two fail. It's something
to discuss with your alarm service provider, as it's more secure than what
you have now.

- badenov

 

[J.]

Cellular and Radio were not intended for primary alarm transmissions.
If you are serious about your security, get an old fashioned POTS
landline and back it up with Alarmnet. Its still the most reliable
combination. I would not use voip if I didn't have to.

POTS is no where near the most reliable method of communication
regardless of the backup used. It is impossible to provide line
security with POTS as required by DCID 6/9, UL2050, the NISPOM, etc.
The most reliable means of alarm transmission are encrypted direct
connections, two-way long range radio, and NIST approved IP
communicators such as DMP's ICOM-E and Alarmnet's 7845i.

 

[motley me]

POTS is no where near the most reliable method of communication
regardless of the backup used. It is impossible to provide line
security with POTS as required by DCID 6/9, UL2050, the NISPOM, etc.
The most reliable means of alarm transmission are encrypted direct
connections, two-way long range radio, and NIST approved IP
communicators such as DMP's ICOM-E and Alarmnet's 7845i.

Maybe, but he's responding to a home owner. Not many homeowners are going
to put in an encrypted dedicated line hust for their alarms.

 

[alarman]

Maybe, but he's responding to a home owner. Not many homeowners are
going to put in an encrypted dedicated line hust for their alarms.

He knows that. He was flexing.

 

[Jerry]

I made an assumption that my radio sent some kind of watch dog signal
to the central station every 10 minutes so they can make sure the
network is functioning. This is not the case, apparently. My call
center stays completely unaware whenAlarmNethas any failure. This
has me very worried. I can no longer depend on the network at all.

Can anyone explain howAlarmNetworks? There is no explination on
their website. The alarm companies don't seem to want to share with me
any technical details about howAlarmNetworks. My position is that
the proper thing to do is to have each node on the network send a
short packet of data like [STX]station ID,Ready[ETX] every 10 minutes.
The load on the network would be minimal. We're talking less than 100
bytes of data multiplied by 50K or so radio sets: less than 50 megs of
data in 10 minutes. That works out to a loafing 10Kpbs throughput. The
call center would then know in ten minutes that my radio was no longer
communicating with the call center. The call center could then take
steps to find out why and notify me that something is wrong with my
system. Therefore, even though radio networks are not 100% reliable,
at least I can be 100% confidant that when my alarm system is armed, I
will know quickly when or if there is a problem.

First of all, there are different types ofAlarmnetservice.  You probably
haveAlarmnet-C orAlarmnet-GSM service; more on these in a moment. There
is alsoAlarmnet-M service, which can be programmed to detect a loss of
radio communication within six minutes, and which you will pay dearly for.
And, in some large cities, there isAlarmnet-A service.  Alarmnet-I is an
Internet reporting system, not a radio system, that can also detect a loss
of communication within minutes.

Alarmnethad a problem:  it wanted to sell radio alarm service nationwide,
without having to build and maintain its own nationwide radio network.  The
solution was to use the control channels of the cellular telephone network,
which of course they have to pay for.  This gives a big radio network at
little cost, one that is maintained by someone else.  Through an
arrangement with the cellular companies, alarm signals are sent back toAlarmnetin New York, which then sends them on to the appropriate central
station by various means.

TheseAlarmnet-C and -GSM radios are designed to be reasonably affordable,
and to impose a minimum amount of overhead on the cellular providers'
networks.  The monthly fee also reflects the low network traffic.  Alarmnet
is supposed to be releasing a version of the GSM radios soon that will do
frequent polling, however I expectAlarmnet'smonthly fee for that service
will probably be more than you are paying for your monitoring today.   Your
central station will also charge a higher monthly fee for having to deal
with the occasional temporary loss of radio communications -- often just
long enough to be annoying, and perhaps, to call you.

TheAlarmnet-C service is based on analog cell technology, which will be
going away soon.  The  GSM radios are whatAlarmnetis promoting most
heavily at the moment.

Alarmnetalready offers a combination Internet communicator and GSM radio
called the 7845-iGSM.  This does not provide the five minute supervisionof
the true Internet communicators, but it does provide alarm reporting by
Internet, GSM radio, and SMS radio if the other two fail.  It's something
to discuss with your alarm service provider, as it's more secure than what
you have now.

- badenov- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thank you for your insight. My dealer didn't do a good job of
explaining how AlarmNet worked and some of the problems with it. I can
see that I need a backup. However, POTS is not going to work for me.
1) Verizon removed my copper when they installed my FIOS. 2) $20/mo
for POTS just for the Alarm seems excessive especially when the last
break I had, the burglar cut my FIOS (thinking it was the phone line).
I think TCP/IP will have to do.

 

[motley me]

He knows that. He was flexing.

What? His ego?

 

[Roger W]

I made an assumption that my radio sent some kind of watch dog signal
to the central station every 10 minutes so they can make sure the
network is functioning. This is not the case, apparently. My call
center stays completely unaware whenAlarmNethas any failure. This
has me very worried. I can no longer depend on the network at all.
Can anyone explain howAlarmNetworks? There is no explination on
their website. The alarm companies don't seem to want to share with me
any technical details about howAlarmNetworks. My position is that
the proper thing to do is to have each node on the network send a
short packet of data like [STX]station ID,Ready[ETX] every 10 minutes.
The load on the network would be minimal. We're talking less than 100
bytes of data multiplied by 50K or so radio sets: less than 50 megs of
data in 10 minutes. That works out to a loafing 10Kpbs throughput. The
call center would then know in ten minutes that my radio was no longer
communicating with the call center. The call center could then take
steps to find out why and notify me that something is wrong with my
system. Therefore, even though radio networks are not 100% reliable,
at least I can be 100% confidant that when my alarm system is armed, I
will know quickly when or if there is a problem.

First of all, there are different types ofAlarmnetservice.  You probably
haveAlarmnet-C orAlarmnet-GSM service; more on these in a moment. There
is alsoAlarmnet-M service, which can be programmed to detect a loss of
radio communication within six minutes, and which you will pay dearly for.
And, in some large cities, there isAlarmnet-A service.  Alarmnet-I is an
Internet reporting system, not a radio system, that can also detect a loss
of communication within minutes.

Alarmnethad a problem:  it wanted to sell radio alarm service nationwide,
without having to build and maintain its own nationwide radio network.  The
solution was to use the control channels of the cellular telephone network,
which of course they have to pay for.  This gives a big radio network at
little cost, one that is maintained by someone else.  Through an
arrangement with the cellular companies, alarm signals are sent back toAlarmnetin New York, which then sends them on to the appropriate central
station by various means.

TheseAlarmnet-C and -GSM radios are designed to be reasonably affordable,
and to impose a minimum amount of overhead on the cellular providers'
networks.  The monthly fee also reflects the low network traffic.  Alarmnet
is supposed to be releasing a version of the GSM radios soon that will do
frequent polling, however I expectAlarmnet'smonthly fee for that service
will probably be more than you are paying for your monitoring today.  Your
central station will also charge a higher monthly fee for having to deal
with the occasional temporary loss of radio communications -- often just
long enough to be annoying, and perhaps, to call you.

TheAlarmnet-C service is based on analog cell technology, which will be
going away soon.  The  GSM radios are whatAlarmnetis promoting most
heavily at the moment.

Alarmnetalready offers a combination Internet communicator and GSM radio
called the 7845-iGSM.  This does not provide the five minute supervision of
the true Internet communicators, but it does provide alarm reporting by
Internet, GSM radio, and SMS radio if the other two fail.  It's something
to discuss with your alarm service provider, as it's more secure than what
you have now.

- badenov- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thank you for your insight. My dealer didn't do a good job of
explaining how AlarmNet worked and some of the problems with it. I can
see that I need a backup. However, POTS is not going to work for me.
1) Verizon removed my copper when they installed my FIOS. 2) $20/mo
for POTS just for the Alarm seems excessive especially when the last
break I had, the burglar cut my FIOS (thinking it was the phone line).
I think TCP/IP will have to do.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You can hardwire your alarm control to FIOS and back it up with
Alarmnet. Talk to your dealer.

 

[Seccon1]

I do not agree with everything stated here on this subject although, I do
find the information on this NG informative.

We do much of what was said we should do. The GSM unit polls from the
protected premise to the base station LAC.Your alarm Company sets the GSM
Fault time in your unit. The default is 10 Minutes. When the local tower is
lost the unit searches repeatedly and when the programmed fault time expires
the GSM can Notify the control and "Can" even activate an output for local
panel initiation if connected. If your panel did not indicate a "Fail to
communicate" then this option is turned off. That is not our part, that is
up to the installing company.

Your security company also sets the frequency of the test reports to the
Central Station, either Daily or Monthly. Daily cost you more naturally.
While there are standards such as UL 1023 and UL 985 for the listing of the
equipment installed in households, the security level for residences
typically does not meet "AA" Line security (unless requested and paid dearly
for). NFPA 72 2007 Chapter 11 specifies that a 24 hour test report is the
minimum requirement for household Fire! If a fire alarm in a residence is
required only daily testing then it is unlikely that that a non-Life safety
system will require a higher level of communication supervision.
The new NFPA standards 730/731 may have additional information but they are
not widely enforced.

When we take down all or any portion of the network we notify all parties
that have signed up for the notification service. Consult your security
company.

I understand the emphasis that some respondents in this NG placed of the
standard phone line, however the current structure of the Bell Operating
Companies is such that left in its current state, the demise of POTS is
imminent. It may take a while, but the moment that the VOIP ISP's and cable
companies won the ruling preventing federal regulation of the service then
even the nation's existing BOC's applied to offer VOIP.

POTS has served us well but if we are truly honest, there are similar issues
that have existed even by the tried and true Public Switched Telephone
Network. Examples:

1. Are you enabling or providing Telephone Line Monitoring for the rare
times that your phone line fails? When it fails, besides the local
annunciation, who knows? POTS is passive polling also, not Active polling.

2. Is your POTs Line correctly wired for Line Seizure? If not an off-hook
phone stops communication or at least slows it down assuming the panel has
anti-jam. (Yea, I know, everyone here does it right but it may supprise you
how many T tap the connection).

3. How often are you setting the residential Dact to test?, daily is not
the norm. usually monthly.

4. A UL listed central station is supposed to rotate receivers and test
the UPS backup on the receivers monthly. What if your signal comes in during
that test.

5. If your CS is using a Call Forwarded receiver line then the security
company is suppose to test that incoming line every 4 hours. Was your alarm
company bought by a large National company and the receiver that your system
is programmed into was forwarded to the "Mega Center" Did they set up the
test?

6. What did the Install Companies do when they found that the 1400Hz
Handshake tone was being used by Ma Bell and a misdirected call could be
ackwoleged and kissed off by a switch error at the CO? (There are a few in
this NG old enough to remember this)

These are only a few possibilities.

Your stats aren't exactly right either, this past year we have averaged as
many as 30,000, GSM units a month. Your Data packet estimates are under
rated.

Your installation company central station can pull your stats for the last
90 days online including outages, radio field strength, unit power
performance and reports.

If your unit is going through AlarmNet your security company can provide
other services, an I-GSM can provide an Internet Path as well as GPRS/SMS,
and you also may want to add "Total Connect" services for remote SMS control
and event notification. Some large national companies do not offer the
service yet. They have the capability in the units, they just do not have a
market plan yet.

The "I" units can actually provide 90 second pings allowing 5 minute
supervision including Blowfish 1024 or AES 256 encryption typically used in
Military, DHS and other Gov. applications. But your CS would charge you an
arm and legg to do this.

I disagree with some of the other respondents in that we honestly do not
know or have not known exactly how reliable or unreliable POTs is or has
been. There are many recorded "Fail to Communicate" events in industry
history that could not be explained. Please don't think that I believe that
GSM is perfect, I am a realist. I also disagree with the thought that POTS
needs to be the primary. I use the I-GSM at home. The 7845GSMCF is Listed as
the Secondary Path. The I-GSMCF is listed as Network (NFPA 72 chapter 8)
stand alone communication for UL 864Fire.

everyone, I appreciate your input.

Mike McGinnis
Honeywell

I use AlarmNet as my primary method of protection. I learned on
Tuesday evening after I tested my system, that my call center never
received an alarm signal.

After waiting 7 minutes for a call from the call center, I called them
and they reported no alarm! They asked me to trigger another alarm and
let it stay tripped for a whole minute. They still never received a
signal!

The next day a technician told me my system and radio was fine.
AlarmNet, was down for an undetermined amount of time and no one knew!
This blows my mind! Sure, networks fail and require maintenance from
time to time. There is no excuse why the call center can't have known
about the down network.

I made an assumption that my radio sent some kind of watch dog signal
to the central station every 10 minutes so they can make sure the
network is functioning. This is not the case, apparently. My call
center stays completely unaware when AlarmNet has any failure. This
has me very worried. I can no longer depend on the network at all.

Can anyone explain how AlarmNet works? There is no explination on
their website. The alarm companies don't seem to want to share with me
any technical details about how AlarmNet works. My position is that
the proper thing to do is to have each node on the network send a
short packet of data like [STX]station ID,Ready[ETX] every 10 minutes.
The load on the network would be minimal. We're talking less than 100
bytes of data multiplied by 50K or so radio sets: less than 50 megs of
data in 10 minutes. That works out to a loafing 10Kpbs throughput. The
call center would then know in ten minutes that my radio was no longer
communicating with the call center. The call center could then take
steps to find out why and notify me that something is wrong with my
system. Therefore, even though radio networks are not 100% reliable,
at least I can be 100% confidant that when my alarm system is armed, I
will know quickly when or if there is a problem.

I don't have telephone service, I use cell phones exclusively and my
provider doesn't have TCP/IP security implemented yet. This is why I
use AlarmNet as my primary security system.

I just can't believe that with today's digital technology there is a
huge gaping hole in wireless security systems like this. Words can't
express my utter disappointment in the overall design of the AlarmNet
network. Now I am forced, for my peace of mind, to test my system
every other day at irregular intervals: I simply can't trust it
anymore.

 

[Jim]

I do not agree with everything stated here on this subject although, I do
find the information on this NG informative.

<snip>

You're a penny short and six months late.