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alarm line

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turtlezzz

MIS
Oct 16, 2002
232
US
My alarm company is getting communication errors from one of our buildings. The line is in a block of dids that telco is working on. I checked in swtich and alarm box light appears fine and appears all is ok there. for 1week now but error just happened over the weekend that alarm co. rec'd comm error. Not an alarm guy so nto sure what to look for there.....ANy asssitance is ehlpful
 
unplug the alarm cord and plug in a standard phone, should work .

ive nevr tried that I always use a buttset and confirm dialtone both in and out of the alarm panel at the rj31x

if its a fire alram , be sure you call the monitor company before you unplug so you dont wind up with a false alarm.
 
DOes the error indicate if the problem is that the alarm systme cannot call the unit (e.g. sometimes cannot reach that DID) or that the unit cannot always call out.

If the former you may not have enough inbound trunks.

You say this is in a "block of DID's". Do you mean that it comes in on a T1? If so how are the outbound calls routed?

Alternaitvely, if the error codes menas the dialer cannot call out, then possibly you have insufficient outbound trunking.

If this is T1 then you may be able to configure "two way DID" or even better ISDN PRI in which case all channels would be available for both inbound (using DID numbers for routing) and outbound.

One possibility is that during the busy hour the alarm system is getting an "all trunks busy" due to no available outbound trunks. So, look at the times and dates and look to see if this may only occur during your busy hour.

If this is the case freqently, it would seem that others within the company are probably losing productivity due to lack of trunks for outbound calls.

IN that case you need to look at more trunks, or creating a two-way trunk group (if this is not the case currently) if possible.

Another possibility is that there is either

1) A device wired in parallel to the alarm system on the alarm system side of the jack

or

2) The alarm system jack is incorrect and does not loop the line through the alamr dialer - if the RJ 31x is wired properly, other devices that share this line/PBX port loop through the dialer. It can then interupt the other equipment (forcing the line on-hook) and then go off hook and dial out.

3) The final possibility is simply an intermittent on the PBX port and or line and or inside wire.

good luck
 
What kind of line is connected to the alarm jack? Is it coming from Telco or your PBX? Is the line shared with something else via RJ31X? Your thread is not clear.

....JIM....
 
It's a did programmed in pbx.
I reseated the connections on the rj31x....The display on alarm was still showing communication error. I tested w/ buttset and was able to dial out on that line. Did an alarm test and no luck last night butthis morning, we did a test again and it was able to dial out to our alarm co.
 
For an alarm line, I would not use a DID line. If there is ever a problem with the PBX, you have lost your alarm protection. Do you have a loop start line from yor DT provider. If so, that what I would use on the RJ-31x.
 
A DID IS NOT A LINE!
You should have answered: the line is a PBX station with a DID number assigned!

I agree with phonman123, you should use a loop-start line wired thru the RJ31X jack. If your PBX does not have one, use a FAX line for the same purpose. Unless you are using PBX stations for your FAX, in that case check with your alarm provider. Some alarm dialers WILL work w/ ground-start lines, but over the years I have only seen two that would support it.

Hope this helps!

....JIM....

 
I assume this was working at one time. Were any changes made recently to your system or telco service? You said the telco was working on, working on what??? A lot of alarm units dial out via pulse instead of touch tone. Put your test set on the telco side of the RJ31X jack (should be gn/rd pair on jack, wh/bl cable pair)on monitor and have the alarm dial out, listen to see if the alarm breaks dialtone and connects to the modem at the monitoring company. The modem may have taken a surge during summer storms and need to be replaced. The alarm company may have a problem with their side (line out, incorrect database records that cross references when your unit dials into them). Ideally, connect to a stand alone line and test. If you hear your alarm dialing out and attempting to connect to the modem, have the alarm guys come out and test/swap unit. Hope this helps
 
Where is the monitoring station. Is your alarm company using a long distance vendor who uses voip on their long distance trunks? Probably not a problem at the central station. Your panel will be one of thousands calling the same receiver.
 
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