Electronic Alarms and Home Security Devices - Using cellular phone instead of landline for reporting
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uncbob
07-02-09, 08:03 PM
With the cellular prices going down and minutes going up, I have been thinking about doing away with my home landline. I usually use my cell phone at the house anyway. I have more recently thought about just getting another cell phone ($10/month "family line" add on) and porting my home number to it. Verizon's website says the number can be ported. That way I wouldn't give up the home number that I've had forever, and save about $20 per month.
If I didn't have a security system, I would probably go ahead and do this. But since I have one (Vista 20P), I have some questions than may influence my decision. Sorry if some of these questions are elementary...
First. When an alarm is triggered and the system dials out, does the monitoring service use my caller id information at all or does it use the addressing of my system. In other words, if I were to put my system on a different landline (say my office work line) and trigger an alarm, I assume the monitoring service would receive the call as usual. But would they be able to tell that it is my system since it isn't my phone number on file? My assumption is yes but thought I would ask.
Second. Can my system be connected to a cellular phone (instead of a typical landline) for calling out when an alarm is activated? If so, any additional hardware needed? How? Etc.? Thanks!
If I didn't have a security system, I would probably go ahead and do this. But since I have one (Vista 20P), I have some questions than may influence my decision. Sorry if some of these questions are elementary...
First. When an alarm is triggered and the system dials out, does the monitoring service use my caller id information at all or does it use the addressing of my system. In other words, if I were to put my system on a different landline (say my office work line) and trigger an alarm, I assume the monitoring service would receive the call as usual. But would they be able to tell that it is my system since it isn't my phone number on file? My assumption is yes but thought I would ask.
Second. Can my system be connected to a cellular phone (instead of a typical landline) for calling out when an alarm is activated? If so, any additional hardware needed? How? Etc.? Thanks!
MrRonFL
07-02-09, 09:08 PM
Modern central station software logs the caller id, but all the station cares about is the account number transmitted and the signals matching up to their list of zone descriptions.
So yes, you can move to another land line with no issue.
By and large nearly all cellular solutions require a dialer unit that has to go through a dedicated subnetwork. There are a couple of setups that will use the normal cell dialing as if it were a land line, but it's kinda limited:
United Security Products, Inc., Security alarm systems, alarm sensors, sirens, magnetic contacts (http://www.unitedsecurity.com/pages/cellular.html)
So yes, you can move to another land line with no issue.
By and large nearly all cellular solutions require a dialer unit that has to go through a dedicated subnetwork. There are a couple of setups that will use the normal cell dialing as if it were a land line, but it's kinda limited:
United Security Products, Inc., Security alarm systems, alarm sensors, sirens, magnetic contacts (http://www.unitedsecurity.com/pages/cellular.html)