The World Of Ip

[IPAlarms]

Someone please tell me why we need high-tech monitoring.

I remember the same question being asked when tape diallers were the go. Maybe we should have stuck with them.

High-tech, internet software based technology is like writing an open invitation for hacking.

Nah.... a pair of side cutters is much quicker B)

Yes, this seems backward, but it is logical. It's all a bit Indiana Jones. The older the technology, the fewer people that actually understand it, and can crack it. It's an over-simplification; but it's a bit like a Mummy's Tomb type thing, with all these ancient traps that no-one understands. Your average hacker-wanabees might pool their resources and hack an unwary Central Station, but they won't be sabotaging BT exchanges or ordering duplicate chips anytime soon.

No duplicate chips required Eggy - just a telephone handset to dial into any Central Station receiver and well, er,..... I won't spell it out on here because those that need to know - already know the rest.

I see no reason whatsoever to need to jump on this IP bandwagon. Our industry knows everything about digis, redcare and Paknet - information shared with very few others. IP is the domain of just about every technophile, geek, teenager and IT professional out there.

In short, as an industry, we would be mad to follow this avenue in the short to medium term.

I respect your opinion. However, it should be noted that some in the industry think that it is madness to continue to pay BT a couple of hundred pounds extra for line supervision when IP gives it to you for free.

[quasar]

There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

i like IP

by the way IP doesnt mean excatly the same as broadband

your broadband might be down, your IP connection to ARC might be OK at the same time

[IPAlarms]

From an ARC prospective, IP has a place in the security industry but the manufacturers of IP signalling equipment need to get together and agree a common signalling protocol. You can't expect an ARC to put in each and every manufacturers FEP or server and an associated back-up device to receive there particular transmitter.

Unfortunately, the manufacturers are waaaaaay too greedy to agree on a common protocol. It's sad, but it simply isn't going to happen.

The larger US ARC's (100,000+ accounts) that I work with have 2 x Surgard, 2 x Bosch, 2 x DMP plus whatever else they want to support, racked up and ready to go. Let's say they decide not to install the IP receiver from Honeywell. If one of their larger alarm companies decides that they are going to use the Honeywell client device, then the ARC could potentially lose out to another ARC that supports Honeywell. Nightmare for the ARC's - unless they have the cash flow to support all receivers of course, and then it's "open season" for poaching.

My company provide the IP receiving software on a low, per account, per month basis - so there isn't really any reason for an ARC not to support our solution. Considering our client device is half the price of the ones provided by the large manufacturers and the solution becomes very attractive to Alarm Companies too.

Now, if the powers that be were to FORCE a common protocol in the UK, then it would all change.

[Joe Harris]

All too often we see suppliers plugging for propriety signalling formats - Especially for IP.

I recall reading a short White Paper on the subject a while back which pinpointed the same issues.

As mentioned already ARC's WILL have to come on board for IP Signalling, those which embrace it earlier will reap the rewards at a later date as the insurance companies are increasingly more willing to take on suitable alternative signalling technologies.

We already support several IP communication technologies and are always open minded about looking at other possibilities.

The likelyhood of common protocols being enforced throughout is sadly remote as the larger suppliers love to throw their weight around.

by the way IP doesnt mean excatly the same as broadband

your broadband might be down, your IP connection to ARC might be OK at the same time

True - Very often when customers internet connectiuons are 'down' they are actually up, just the DNS servers playing up.

From an ARC prospective, IP has a place in the security industry but the manufacturers of IP signalling equipment need to get together and agree a common signalling protocol. You can't expect an ARC to put in each and every manufacturers FEP or server and an associated back-up device to receive there particular transmitter.

Amen, but as already mentioned they see the

[Eggy]

As mentioned already ARC's WILL have to come on board for IP Signalling, those which embrace it earlier will reap the rewards at a later date as the insurance companies are increasingly more willing to take on suitable alternative signalling technologies.

The insurers were hardly leaping out if their chairs to embrace dualcom (which is commonly still referred to as Paknet by Iron Trades and Norwich Union). And most of them cut and paste requirements without bothering to check what they actually need. Mostly they will simply stick "Redcare" on a form and wait to see what happens. I cannot see an insurer taking a punt on IP signalling without major changes in the industry.

Secondly, why should the ARCs that get on board early benefit? They'll just be the ones that deal with all the teething problems, do all the donkey work and get all the bad will from the failures. Give it 8 years, and another CS will poach the operations manager and a techie, and hey presto - same capability without having done the R&D. Getting on board early is no promise of anything. Look at the CSs that went straight for Redcare Home. It's not like they're fighting off subscribers with a stick is it?

My scepticism with respect to IP is wholly based on the fact that we are talking about introducing further complicating factors into systems that don't apparently need it. These factors are generally third parties out of the control of the alarm company or the subscriber. It's bad enough that we have to deal with BT at the moment, but add ISPs and IT contractors to that and we have a recipe for disaster.

[IPAlarms]

From an ARC prospective, IP has a place in the security industry but the manufacturers of IP signalling equipment need to get together and agree a common signalling protocol. You can't expect an ARC to put in each and every manufacturers FEP or server and an associated back-up device to receive there particular transmitter.

This proposal for a common signalling protocol... http://the.nevets.net/alarms/SIIPAT.TXT has been around (and ignored) for a long time.