Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - Switching to VoIP
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Novice134
05-10-06, 07:07 PM
Hi, we currently have 2 phones lines. We are looking to switch our primary line to VoIP. Unfortunately, this is also the line that is hook up to the monitoring center and the line that the monitoring center calls back to. Can you help us with the following:
1. How do I change the system so that it dials to the monitoring center using my other line? How can I change the number that the monitoring center calls back to?
2. We have the FBII XL-2 system. In the manual, it mentioned a callback number. Is this the number that the monitoring center calls back to?
3. I believe the guys that installed our system (also the people we pay for the monitoring) changed the installer code. Now, I can't even change our master code without them. Is this normally how monitored system works?
4. We noticed our outside horn has not been sounding for quite a while (more than a year). I looked at the system box and noticed some wires are not connected. Can it be possible that the horn is disconnected? How can I tell?
Thank you.
1. How do I change the system so that it dials to the monitoring center using my other line? How can I change the number that the monitoring center calls back to?
2. We have the FBII XL-2 system. In the manual, it mentioned a callback number. Is this the number that the monitoring center calls back to?
3. I believe the guys that installed our system (also the people we pay for the monitoring) changed the installer code. Now, I can't even change our master code without them. Is this normally how monitored system works?
4. We noticed our outside horn has not been sounding for quite a while (more than a year). I looked at the system box and noticed some wires are not connected. Can it be possible that the horn is disconnected? How can I tell?
Thank you.
MrRonFL
05-11-06, 04:58 PM
Hi, we currently have 2 phones lines. We are looking to switch our primary line to VoIP. Unfortunately, this is also the line that is hook up to the monitoring center and the line that the monitoring center calls back to. Can you help us with the following:
1. How do I change the system so that it dials to the monitoring center using my other line? How can I change the number that the monitoring center calls back to?
It depends on how the original installer wired the alarm into your telephone system. If you follow the link in the FAQ for this forum in the section on phone connections you will see how the alarm should be wired into your system. All you need to do is to swap the wires from the line that they are currently on to the second line (this is assuming that the connections were made at the NID).
2. We have the FBII XL-2 system. In the manual, it mentioned a callback number. Is this the number that the monitoring center calls back to?
No. This is the number that the system dials out if the programming to work around an answering machine is used.
3. I believe the guys that installed our system (also the people we pay for the monitoring) changed the installer code. Now, I can't even change our master code without them. Is this normally how monitored system works?
It's pretty much a standard industry practice. In some states and localities, they _have_ to unlock the hardware, on request, but that's not universal.
4. We noticed our outside horn has not been sounding for quite a while (more than a year). I looked at the system box and noticed some wires are not connected. Can it be possible that the horn is disconnected? How can I tell?
The siren/bell terminals are the two next to the AC power input. If the wires are on those terminals, then the wiring is probably connected. The easiest test is to disconnect the siren at the other end and apply 12vdc to the wires on the device, itself. It's very likely that it won't work. These sirens are usually in pretty hot spaces, and the law of entropy eventually catches up to them. Replacements run 20-30 dollars.
The loose wires you see are probably for things like motion detectors and extra keypads that were prewired but never used.
1. How do I change the system so that it dials to the monitoring center using my other line? How can I change the number that the monitoring center calls back to?
It depends on how the original installer wired the alarm into your telephone system. If you follow the link in the FAQ for this forum in the section on phone connections you will see how the alarm should be wired into your system. All you need to do is to swap the wires from the line that they are currently on to the second line (this is assuming that the connections were made at the NID).
2. We have the FBII XL-2 system. In the manual, it mentioned a callback number. Is this the number that the monitoring center calls back to?
No. This is the number that the system dials out if the programming to work around an answering machine is used.
3. I believe the guys that installed our system (also the people we pay for the monitoring) changed the installer code. Now, I can't even change our master code without them. Is this normally how monitored system works?
It's pretty much a standard industry practice. In some states and localities, they _have_ to unlock the hardware, on request, but that's not universal.
4. We noticed our outside horn has not been sounding for quite a while (more than a year). I looked at the system box and noticed some wires are not connected. Can it be possible that the horn is disconnected? How can I tell?
The siren/bell terminals are the two next to the AC power input. If the wires are on those terminals, then the wiring is probably connected. The easiest test is to disconnect the siren at the other end and apply 12vdc to the wires on the device, itself. It's very likely that it won't work. These sirens are usually in pretty hot spaces, and the law of entropy eventually catches up to them. Replacements run 20-30 dollars.
The loose wires you see are probably for things like motion detectors and extra keypads that were prewired but never used.