Alarm Call out system (phone)

S

SSDriver

Senior Member
Location
California
Occupation
Electrician
I have a customer that wants an actual phone call when there system goes into alarm. The normal PLC's we use will send out emails or text(via email) but doesn't have a call out option. The customer wants to supply a phone line to the room. Is there any specific call out alarm systems that you know of that work good. The cheap ones I've seen on Amazon(not what I want) need internet to work. One of the older call out alarms I've used in the past is now discontinued.
 
I don't have any recommendation for equipment but I would think you are going to have better luck finding something that has and internet connection and service that will make the automated call.

I'm sure the phone line they are going to provide is VoIP anyway. There is not much development into equipment that uses standard phone lines now since they are not being offered by most providers. Everything is IP coming in.
 
I recently (in the last 10 years) used the Sensaphone 1800, its a good remote site monitoring system.
I remember thinking they were expensive, but a quick ebay search says you can get one for under $400

I can tell you the sound monitor is handy, I never used the 'web page feature'.
Here is the manual for one:
The Sensaphone 1800 includes the following features:
  • Eight Zones configurable as temperature, 4–20mA or
  • dry contact
  • Calibration for each each Zone
  • Each Zone can be individually enabled or disabled
  • Power monitor
  • High sound-level monitor (w/optional external mic)
  • 1 relay output (manual or automatic control)
  • 14 status LEDs
  • Dial out to eight telephone numbers
  • User-recordable voice messages
  • Alarm dialout via voice, numeric pager and
  • alphanumeric pager (wireless phone text message)
  • Line Seizure via optional kit (FGD-0060)
  • Microphone for on-site listen-in (w/optional external
  • mic
  • Time-stamped Alarm History
  • Optional web page
  • Superior surge/lightning protection on all Zones,
  • telephone line and power supply
  • 12-hour rechargeable battery backup
  • NEMA-4 enclosure
 
Sounds like you've got a working solution for this customer, just curious if cellular was considered (hey, if it's good enough for my home security system...)
 
ModbusMan said:
Sounds like you've got a working solution for this customer, just curious if cellular was considered (hey, if it's good enough for my home security system...)
Click to expand...
I asked that also, depends on your use case, if your doing lots of remote sites for a large organization they want set it and forget it for 25 years, the rationale I was given is a POTS line interface is always guaranteed to be compatible with whatever technology transports it in the future and admittedly its a easy hand-off to another department (IT).
The problem with cellular is each iteration of cellular technology seems to leave the last version 'dark', 2G was supported a long time and may be an option still in some areas. I think 2G was used for a fleet telemetry system that now went dark, then it was 4G which went dark, which had the IT people scrambling for cards and obscure software drivers.
I'd say most if not all of the monitoring systems I put in in the last 10 years were wired to some type Analogue Telephone Adapters or (ATA's) that then ran over a wireless link, the ATA is cheap and easy to swap out if tech changes.
The older wireless used VHF technology to remotes sites, I think it still in use at some, its pretty bullet proof. Sometimes the VHF radio was provided by the phone company I thought that was cool.
I have recently seen a Cellular-POTS adapter that generated the land line.
In the end it was easier for the IT department if I tell them I need a working POTS line at 48 sites then they go solve that whatever is the best way at the time. If in the more urban office settings if you want to connect a TCP/IP device to ethernet the IT people these days start hassling you about 'security' 'firewalls' and 'ports', then I tell them just give me a phone line they are like 'a are you serious a phone line? oh okay thats easy'.
 
tortuga said:
I recently (in the last 10 years) used the Sensaphone 1800, its a good remote site monitoring system.
I remember thinking they were expensive, but a quick ebay search says you can get one for under $400

I can tell you the sound monitor is handy, I never used the 'web page feature'.
Here is the manual for one:
The Sensaphone 1800 includes the following features:
  • Eight Zones configurable as temperature, 4–20mA or
  • dry contact
  • Calibration for each each Zone
  • Each Zone can be individually enabled or disabled
  • Power monitor
  • High sound-level monitor (w/optional external mic)
  • 1 relay output (manual or automatic control)
  • 14 status LEDs
  • Dial out to eight telephone numbers
  • User-recordable voice messages
  • Alarm dialout via voice, numeric pager and
  • alphanumeric pager (wireless phone text message)
  • Line Seizure via optional kit (FGD-0060)
  • Microphone for on-site listen-in (w/optional external
  • mic
  • Time-stamped Alarm History
  • Optional web page
  • Superior surge/lightning protection on all Zones,
  • telephone line and power supply
  • 12-hour rechargeable battery backup
  • NEMA-4 enclosure
Click to expand...
I have a client that I connected Sensaphone to years ago only the four zone model but most other features are the same. It still is in use and still calls when they have problems. I am on the call list as the last number so if no one else confirms the alarm it does eventually call me.
I know they got rid of their phone service and went to a VOIP system and still use a POTS output for their old school fax machine and this Sensaphone is also on that line. I don't know if their internet/VOIP is on battery backup or not, haven't checked that out but would some disadvantage in that it won't call during power outage if no battery backup. Sensaphone does have ability to call out because of power failure if the phone line is still active.

Same company does have other models that are IP based as well if you want to go that route I think they primarily send text messages or emails to selected recipients when there is an incident to be reported. Phone call maybe has better chance of getting someone needed out of bed than a text message, JMO, unless they turn their ringer off, then they are useless as a contact I guess. Depends on how important the situation being monitored is I guess. My client, it mostly there to tell them when their boiler goes into alarm conditions. All started on a cold winter morning maybe 15-20 years ago when boiler went down overnight and because this boiler not only run steam for production but also does general purpose heating in portions of the facility and they had frozen pipes that morning. When it is summer time and it calls in middle of night, it might get acknowledged and left until they come to work, or if they know production will be needing steam early next day they might go see what is going on. In cold spell like we having right now, they go check out the problem ASAP before things start getting too cold.
 
tortuga said:
In the end it was easier for the IT department if I tell them I need a working POTS line at 48 sites then they go solve that whatever is the best way at the time. If in the more urban office settings if you want to connect a TCP/IP device to ethernet the IT people these days start hassling you about 'security' 'firewalls' and 'ports', then I tell them just give me a phone line they are like 'a are you serious a phone line? oh okay thats easy'.
Click to expand...
How many hackers are interested in trying to break into a POTS line, even though it ultimately ends up traveling down the same fiber cables as many other data signals?
 
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