In today’s ultra-competitive telecommunications marketplace, home and business consumers now have more choice than ever for their communications needs. One of the most popular technologies in terms of increased usage is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP is a technology used to make telephone calls with a broadband (Internet) connection instead of a traditional copper telephone line. VoIP works by converting voice signals into digital data for transmission over the Internet utilizing data compression.
While VoIP offers many cost and convenience advantages to consumers, there are, however, some disadvantages when it comes to your security system, how it communicates to the security monitoring center and how it gets electrical power.
Most security systems depend on standard copper telephone lines to connect to the monitoring center, with alarm signals travelling as sound. However, in VoIP environments, the sound (audio) signals must be compressed and converted to digital data many times for the alarm communication from the security panel to the monitoring station to be accomplished. As each VoIP provider may use slightly different technology to accomplish this conversion, they may not be compatible with every security system. In fact, in some environments, the resulting signal sent out by the VoIP provider may not be recognized at all as an alarm signal by the monitoring center. Additionally, if communication is not initially established and the central station is unable to identify and act on a legitimate alarm signal, the security panel will assume control over the VoIP telephone line for up to 8 minutes, making it impossible for the central station to know the severity of the situation or get in touch with the alarm site.
The other issue impacting VoIP telephony and security systems is power outages. As VoIP telephones depend on an Internet connection, much like any digital phone system, a power outage of any sort will disrupt power to your home or facility internet modem or router, resulting in interrupted or inconsistent alarm transmission.
To help ensure consistent security system performance, many security firms are now starting to implement cellular or radio back-ups into each system installation. This not only ensures that a clear and robust signal reaches the central station, but that it only takes 5 seconds to transmit the data. These back-up systems are also extremely difficult to tamper with and have the added bonus of a back-up power supply. This ensures that they will remain online even through a power outage.
The benefits of installing a radio or cellular back-up system far outweigh the initial cost of installation and monitoring. At Security Specialists, we are committed to bringing you the latest developments in the security field so that you can make the best possible decision when it comes to your home or business security needs. As always, we encourage you to call us today and schedule a consultation with a security professional.
