SCA-8LCA programming for fax or modem

[phadobas]

I've got this SCA-8LCA 8 analog line over IP adaptor. This seems to work ok for faxes, but not for a fire alarm system. Basically we have a building where we have a Honeywell fire alarm box. This thing has different sensors and smoke detectors connected to it, so if there is any indication of fire, it uses one of the 2 phone lines connected to it to dial up a computerized monitoring system.
When I use the SCA-8LCA for analog phone lines for this thing, the fire alarm panel keeps complaining about "comm error" and no communication takes place to the monitoring computer system.
I was able to make 3rd-party SIP analog adapters to work with it just fine, but they have other drawbacks which makes me want to switch to the NEC adapter. But I just can't seem to make it work with this fire alarm panel (so far). Has anyone run into this and solved it?
I've been playing around with fax settings in AISTL, but the different jitter buffer size settings and codec and payload type setting combinations I've tried didn't solve the problem yet.
But also, I'm just shooting in the dark as I don't know which setting effects what. Any advice from anyone?

 

[PFD45]

Have you monitored the call with a butt set to make sure the call is at least completing?

I would make sure it isn't something as simple as the alarm box not dialing a 9 first.

 

[phadobas]

Yes, I did that.

I also made sure it's plugged in and turned on

 

[OzzieGeorge]

What are the drawbacks you are having with the 3rd party SIP adaptors?

 

[phadobas]

I don't have enough 3rd-party sip licenses.
The 3rd-party device I have is only 4-ports, and NEC box has 8 ports and I need to use 7 lines in the building.
Dialing on the 3rd-party SIP device is different from the NEC: for example, I can't make it to ask for auth code. Also, on the SIP device, you dial and either you have to hit '#' when finished, or just wait around for a few seconds. It's unusual for the users and I have to keep answer questions.

 

[neax]

Some fire alarm systems need 48 volts on the line like a real trunk has.
Typical line voltage off of the analog station card is 24V.

 

[OzzieGeorge]

The sip device can be configured to not need the # (or should be) the ones I have worked on in the past have a dial plan code string. You use this to set digit lengths and the like. I have one for a cisco that lets me use it like a standard extension phone but it is a bit of a learning curve working it out for the first time.

What is the one you are working with?

One of these may help with the fire alarm problem.....

http://www.sandman.com/longloop.html

 

[phadobas]

Ozzie,

Thank you for the link. It's not really a problem of voltage. The fire alarm panel doesn't have any problem with that. It's the communication protocol that sounds like a computer modem (which is slightly different from how a fax sounds), is what's giving the problems.

I'm using Grandstream HT704, and it's actually a very cool device. I have many of these for gate intercomms, fire alarm and even faxes. They work great.
They are certainly a lot cheaper than the 8LCA, but can't get the auth-code working with them.

 

[OzzieGeorge]

Just had a quick look at the manual for the grandstream and it uses a dial plan similar to the Cisco ones. The secret to using these is dumbing down the dial plan so that it works more like a telephone and less like a satellite PABX. I will see if I can dig out the string I used and compare it to the grandstream but I am a bit busy today and tomorrow as I have a cutover of a 400+ extension 9300 tomorrow for a 24/7 operation customer.

I will get back to you.

 

[OzzieGeorge]

Had a quick look and the Grandstream dialplan and it doesn't seem as flexible as the Linksys dialplans. This dial plan...
(S10|S3[0-9*#].S0) first sets the time to dial the first digit at 10 seconds (S10) then sets the interdigit pause to three seconds (S3) you need thw | between these so that they are treated as seperate commands (so you actually get 13 seconds to dial the first digit) then allows the dialling of digits 0 to 9 plus the * and # ([0-9*#].) the full stop at the end of it says you can do this as many times as you like then the S0 says send immediate. This means that each digit is sent out as it is dialled so the PABX sees it just like a normal phone dialling which means you can use any feature on the PABX. Unfortunately the Grandstream doesn't seem to have the timing options in the dialplan.

This was written for a Linksys SPA2102 I have never checked to see if they have any units that are bigger and use the same dialplans. Although a quick look at the SPA8000 looks as if it does the same and is an 8 port unit.

I will also add the disclaimer that I tried it on a Mitel so the NEC may work differently. A second hand 2102 can be picked up quite cheaply and so it may be worth experimenting with.

 

[bjsvec]

Be careful running fire alarm lines through a PBX. In my area in California, fire alarm and elevator lines are not allowed through a PBX per fire codes.

teamonesolutions.com

 

[phadobas]

Thanks for that info.