Commercial Fire Alarm Signal Monitoring by a Remote Central Station
What does it mean to have my fire alarm system “monitored”?
What are the requirements for fire alarm monitoring?
Can I still use telephone lines to monitor my fire alarm system?
What are the two basic types of cellular (wireless) communicator?
There are two types of cellular communicators that we use:
Machine-to-machine
2-way Voice
Which one we use is determined by how the system will be used.
Machine-to-Machine
These communicators are used for transmitting codes directly to a central station receiver. Once received, the central station’s equipment can translate those codes into meaningful alarm signals and respond accordingly
2-Way Voice
These communicators are used when a person needs to talk to another person. One example that we use regularly is for the emergency phones in an area of rescue assistance. These communicators allow people in an emergency to speak directly to an operator. The operator then determines how to respond and help the caller. These do not directly call police/fire/EMS but they can quickly dispatch those services if needed.
What wireless network do the cellular communicators use?
Cellular communicators almost all use one or more of the three largest providers - Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The more reliable communicators use at least two networks, one as primary and one as backup. The dual-SIM or tri-SIM communicators auto-switch between networks if needed when one network gets weak.
What is the ROI or payback period when I purchase a cellular communicator?
Cellular communicators can create a return on investment (ROI) pretty quickly, if they are priced fairly. Most of the cases we’ve seen, when clients are using POTS telephone lines, is 10-12 months. Telco line prices have continued to increase every year. Wireless network fees, especially on machine-to-machine communicators, is very inexpensive in comparison. We include the network/line fee in our monitoring charge, so clients only get one invoice.
Is wireless as reliable as copper telephone lines or internet?
Ten year ago, I was not as confident. Today, I can say with confidence that wireless is just as reliable (or more) than copper lines or internet communications. This is largely due to the three major networks continuing to build towers, acquiring smaller companies (and adding towers), and updating repeaters on those towers. Telco and IP lines are also largely underground and can be cut easily. Just in the last few years, we’ve gone from 2G to 3G and now to 4G/5G (LTE) communication signals. We also often see lines that get cut when there is construction nearby a building. This happens with copper and fiber optics. Wireless “lines” cannot be cut. If a tower stops working, in most places, there is another one close enough, that service is not interrupted even for a few seconds. These changes, in addition to transmitters having multiple networks as backup/fail-over, means they are the most reliable option today.
Frequently Asked Questions from Property Managers about Cellular Communicators and Alarm Monitoring
Does your monitoring center have a 2nd location for full redundancy?
Yes. Our monitoring center has locations in Union, NJ, and Houston, TX, to prevent a weather event from shutting down both at the same time. Many other centers claim to be redundant, but they are really just talking about multiple communication paths (which ours also has). Very few have multiple locations in different parts of the country.
What is the TMA 5-Diamond rating, and does your monitoring center have that?
The Monitoring Association (TMA) rates remote monitoring centers based on these criteria every 3 years.
TMA Five Diamond designation is granted annually to monitoring centers that satisfy all of the requirements of the five points of excellence:
Commitment to random inspections and quality criteria standards by nationally recognized testing laboratory such as FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL, and UL.
Commitment to the highest levels of customer service.
Commitment to ongoing job-related education and testing by having 100% of its center operators certified using the TMA online training series.
Commitment to raising the industry standards through TMA membership and participation in its activities.
Commitment to reducing false dispatches.
Does your center offer video verification to reduce false alarms?
Our center was the very first to offer video verification of security alarm signals, and it’s still an important part of reducing false alarms.
Can your center monitor systems in New York City?
The New York City Fire Department is very selective when allowing companies to monitor signals in the city. Our center is one of only 7 monitoring centers that are allowed to monitor calls from NYC.
How established is your center? I’ve heard of some monitoring centers that are these rinky-dink operations with 2-3 operators.
Our monitoring center, founded in 1977, is the largest in the country (Union, NJ) at 82,000 square feet of space. The Houston facility adds another 30,000 square feet. These are hot redundant load-sharing facilities for maximum uptime. Each facility has (2) Caterpiller C15 power plants for backup power (UL requires one) and two weeks of reserve fuel. There are bilingual operators at both facilities. We utilize five different IP/telecom providers concurrently to reduce the chance of missing a call to almost zero. We have the lowest operator turnover, the highest staff/account ratio, longest tenure of operators, and we predict staffing needs based on weather and other events.
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Our monitoring center has an average response time of 7.7 seconds. This less than ¼ of the industry average and well below the average for the other large centers, who typically make you wait 15-20 minutes during normal business hours.
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Yes. We do have a free mobile app with every account that gives you another option for simple tasks like: putting a system in test for repairs, updating call list contacts, checking full signal descriptions, and verifying your zone/point list.
About the Author: Adam Jacobs specializes in helping property managers and business owners implement practical video surveillance solutions. With experience across hundreds of installations, he focuses on finding cost-effective ways to improve security without unnecessary complexity. Connect with American Alarms to discuss your property's specific needs.
