How Central Monitoring Stations Work

[Billy]

Can someone tell me how a central monitoring station receives signals from
an alarm system? I don't understand what equipment is used to receive a
signal from a control panel dialer that differs from my home or cell phone.
Is there special equipment that is needed to receive alarm signals from a
control panel dialer?

 

[Jim Rojas]

I could better explain it further if you let us know what panel you are
referring to. It is possible to have your panel send signals to your pager,
but only if your panel supports the pager format.

Jim Rojas

 

[Billy]

GE Simon

I could better explain it further if you let us know what panel you are
referring to. It is possible to have your panel send signals to your pager,
but only if your panel supports the pager format.

Jim Rojas

or receive

 

[Billy]

On the second page (top right corner) in the section "Be Informed, Wherever
You Go" of this PDF that I have a link to below, the brochure says that:
"Simon can call *any* telephone and leave a clear, concise voice message
notifying you of system events such as alarms and latchkey disarming".

View it here -
http://www.itii.com/pdf/simon3/466-1944.pdf

I want to be able to do this because we want immediate verification of the
event either at the same time or before the monitoring station gets the
call.

We are using the GTI Interlogix ITI Simon Package version 3 and ordered it
from "Home Security Store" of which I include a link to the ad below:

http://www.homesecuritystore.com/ezStore123/DTProductZoom.asp?productID=904

Could it be that the PDF above is advertising a different model of the
Simon, and could there be different feature variations for the same model of
this unit?

I paid over a grand for all this equipment and hope that it will do as
advertised. Perhaps GE Interlogix or the Home Security Store can help
clarify, but I'm out of an answer for this weekend until they reopen. If any
alarm "techie" can help explain this feature, it would be great!

 

[Edward Ng]

Hi Billy,

I got an alarm system (Crow PowerWave) which does dial my mobile and
inform me via a pre-recorded message exactly which zone got triggered.
What I had to do was install an add-on module called a voice board,
which allowed me to pre-record in my own voice things like "bedroom
sensor has triggered" . Also my alarm system is programmed with 2
numbers, the first one is the number of the monitoring company. The
installer programmed the panel to report to this number in Contact ID
format. The second number is my mobile, which is programmed in the
panel as a personal number. I think what happens is this means the
panel knows that when it dials the first number, it will be
transmitting data to a monitoring company. When it dials the second
number, it knows thats a personal number and when I pick up, the voice
recordings will kick in. I know for a fact that it does not send voice
recordings to the monitoring company ... I have listened in on a test
call, and it sounds like 2 fax machines talking to each other.

I have checked my alarm manual and it does say that I can set a number
to report in "Pager" format ... which might be what you are looking
for.

 

[[email protected]]

Hopefully having purchased thru "The Home Security Store" you have the
Installation Instructions and Utility Access Codes:
Page 21, Option 05: Secondary Phone Number ( Cell Phone Number)
Page 23, Option 13: Phone Mod 2 set to 10

Hope this Helps......

Independent Systems
Hampton Roads Virginia

 

[[email protected]]

Also.... If Option 05 has a phone number entered, you may also use
Options 43 & 44.