Cellular Alarm Monitoring with DSC Communicators

Many DIYers make the mistake of purchasing the Tl265GS believing they can use IP only communications to start with and then add cellular at a later date. Unfortunately, this is not the case and the Tl265GS cannot be activated or used without the Connect 24 service. We understand the predicament that many have ended up in, and we have strived to make our combined IP/GPRS monitoring service available at the same price most companies charge for IP only. You get the IP communications you want with the additional comfort of cellular backup all for one low fee.

AlarmNet-GSM

If you have an Ademco/Honeywell alarm panel & communicator, we can provide you with AlarmNet-GSM monitoring service for just $17.95 per month. If you require dual path IP/Cellular service through AlarmNet, then we can arrange it for an additional $11.95 per month. Our monitoring partners Nationwide Digital have all the necessary equipment in place to receive alarm signals from the AlarmNet platform and they arrange all the paperwork to get you connected.

The 7845GSM and 7845-iGSM are Cellular Communicators with a Remote Service Capability. The GSMX is the version for use with the Vista range of panels. All can be connected to the AlarmNet network which has extensive coverage in North America. You can check if your area is covered by browsing to http://services.alarmnet.com/coverage/CoverageMain.aspx

AlarmNet is a good choice of monitoring service if you have an Ademco Honeywell control panel, but please note that it is not as easy to change monitoring providers as it is with other solutions like the Linksys IP Alarm Monitoring Solution - which is universal and works with every make and model of alarm panel.

Click here for instructions on connecting your Vista 21ip panel to AlarmNet.

CellAlarm-GSM

The DIY alarm community has long been asking for a cellular backup device that allows you to use the SIM card of your choice in order to avoid additional monthly monitoring charges. The CellAlarm GSM terminal provides you with this freedom.

Plug in your SIM card, connect your alarm panel into the RJ11 phone port, power it up and the CellAlarm-GSM is ready to go. The CellAlarm-GSM device allows any make and model of alarm panel to transmit signals over the cellular GSM network of your choice, directly to a conventional landline based alarm receiver at any Alarm Monitoring Center in the alarm protocol of your choice. As the Central Station will not know the difference between an alarm signal call from the CellAlarm-GSM and an alarm call over a landline, there should be no additional charges for cell backup. The CellAlarm-GSM can call your cell phone direct if you want to self monitor and your alarm panel supports residential dial.

The cost is $119 plus $30 shipping (7-10 days) from our supplier in Thailand All units are tested and working when shipped. If units are damaged during shipping, you can return them for a replacement within 30 days but you are responsible for return shipping costs to Thailand.

2G Sunset

2G may hang in there for a long time to come. The truth is, none of us really know for sure. POTS landlines may also stick around a lot longer than we think, but because VoIP provides consumers with a much richer experience, they are not waiting to find out. The days when a Telco can dictate the terms and tell consumers to "put up or shut up" are long gone. It's easy to vote with your feet these days.

Regarding the future of GSM - does anyone think Google, Apple and RIM are busy thinking up ground-breaking new ways to use SMS on their phones, or developing apps targetted at GPRS? Does anyone think that todays 18 year old kids will have any interest in browser-less phones that only allow you to make calls and send SMS when they are setting up businesses and buying homes within the next 5 years?

We very much doubt it. 2G may still be around, but it will be of little interest to many. Forget terrorism, or world war III - if kids are still unable to watch YouTube videos on their phones within the next few years due to bandwidth constraints, we're all in trouble!

Whether or not the rejection of 2G will spill over to the alarm monitoring industry is anyones guess. My personal view is that if we ever truly get out of this recession and video verification kicks in, then the days of unsupervised, 2G cellular alarm monitoring solutions like Telular (Telguard) and UpLink will be numbered. They will cease to provide value to alarm monitoring consumers.

We see the potential for two things to speed the demand for 3G. The first is widespread industry adoption of video verification. As video images become a more integral part of an overall security solution, the risk of images not being able to reach the CS will become unacceptable. 3G is the most suitable backup path.

The second is a strange one - Social Networking. It is so incredibly powerful, we have a suspicion that the younger generation will soon consider a loss of Internet connectivity unacceptable and many will start using combined DSL/3G modems/routers for fear of "social suicide".