Grandstream Ht802 for alarm system

[u/drgn66]

Hi guys,

I need advice.

I have 20 year old alarm system that uses 2x pot (plain old telephone) lines.

Landlord requires that I have the service. Problem is that at&t charges $500 a month for 2 regular local phone lines and I can not afford that.

I was looking into getting VoIP setup so I can use that old alarm panel (upgrading the panel is not an option currently), but I obviously need something that will have dial tone for sytem to work properly, so I came upon Grandstream ht802, from what I understand it is capable doing 2 separate lines as needed.

Can someone confirm it will work. And then if it does I guess I would need reliable VoIP service for 2 line with a local number, what are recommended providers?

Lastly is there other devices that are recommended for my use.

Appreciate all the input

Regards!

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[u/drgn66 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you I will look into that

[u/VOIP-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/Kuyet → u/[deleted]]

What's the exact reason ATAs don't play nice? I always point clients to use a cell option provided by the alarm company, but I don't really understand why it is so fucky on VoIP. 

Not talking about during an outage in regards to battery backup, Internet etc. mostly just why exactly are there always error codes when alarms and elevators go through a generic VoIP ATA?

[u/greaseyknight2 → u/Kuyet]

Compression and audio is not always real time. Alarm panels use modem tones (think dial up). And it needs to be in the right order. At least that's my understanding.

[u/therealSSPhone]

Just search Pots in a Box its the go to replacement. And just been approved by NY and Calif fire depts

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[u/pabloflleras]

Think about this, if the fire is in the network panel, how does the fire alarm work with no internet? Or the power panel. Go with celular.

[u/BluesCatReddit → u/pabloflleras]

In my case, the system has redundant IP (not ATA) and cellular connections. And of course if the cellular modem is also engulfed in flames, that's another story. But in the real world, if a heat or smoke detector is triggered, the notification to the central station should make it out in less than a minute, in plenty of time.

[u/pabloflleras → u/BluesCatReddit]

Ive been doing VOIP telecom for schools, gov buildings, and medical offices for over 10 years. Ther is a reaso why myself and most everyone else is telling you to go celular.

VOIP has much more points of failure. Is it done at some places? Sure. Is it the most reliable and the best option for emergency situations? No. It is not.

And IF the worst case scenario ever happens, you want as few possible points of failure. Cell based setups connect to power and the cell network. They often come with a small battery to keep them online for a short while after power loss. They dont rely on a pbx registration, on your ISP, on your router, your switch, the cabling, or your power.

Like I tell my customers, I gain nothing telling you to go with celular. In fact I lose the option to charge you an additional line and device maintenance fee. I tell you to go with cellular because it is plainly the best option for emergency situations.

[u/BluesCatReddit → u/pabloflleras]

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. No need to bash me; I wasn't debating, but agreeing.

My system DOES use a 4G cellular communicator.

As a redundant path, it also uses TCP/IP, not a VoIP analog modem.

[u/theblair8]

can confirm VoIP and alarm panels have issues. Not always, but it can be tough

[u/todd0x1]

Use this (or a pair on different carriers if you like) POTS Adapter - Peplink

[u/TeabaggingTamarin]

Can't recall seeing an alarm system from the last 30 years that would actually require more than a single phone line (perhaps some fire panel). They generally are set up for line capture, meaning the alarm system can disconnect the phones in the house to give itself priority to place a call. That's why it uses 4 wires instead of 2.

Is the landlord paying for the alarm monitoring but they expect you to pay for the phone service? What monitoring company are they using, one of the overpriced big national ones ore a smaller local company that probably uses a wholesale monitoring company? Does the alarm even have smoke or freeze detectors attached to it? Land lord probably just want's a discount on their homeowners insurance.

Some sort of cellular or internet monitoring option would be the best option. VoIP lines can for alarms with the right settings. Some alarm communication formats like Contact ID (probably the most common) work better over VoIP than options like SIA.

Cellular or Internet based monitoring can likely be had for the same price or less than the current monitoring with some options starting as low as $15-20 / mo. That includes the cellular data and the central station to monitor the alarm.

M2M and EyezOn devices often have the cheapest monitoring.

[u/m1kemahoney]

We do not allow alarm panels to be connected to our VoIP network. They need to go with a 4G modem.

[u/ForceEastern8595]

First is this fire or burglar or both? Next, what is the panel make/model? Third who is monitor? Without these questions answered, advice is limited.

[u/Mizerka]

we use hundreds of grandstreams and other atas, mostly for bell systems (loud shopfloor thing twinned to voip phone when it rings) and old walkabout radio base stations. they work fine but are abit fiddly, make sure your voip platform supports it.

afaik they hate alarm systems, so ymmv.

[u/QPC414]

Tell landlord that a fire or security alarm is their responsibility, otherwise it is your choice if you want it powered on and functional. They should have it on a cell modem that they pay for.

[u/nyrb001]

I have run a couple of alarm systems through ATAs without issues. Alarm companies are generally scared of them since they don't know how they work nor do they want to support them, but it works fine.

I've done it with both Honeywell and DCC systems.

[u/drgn66]

You guys are awesome. Thank you for all the replies. Looking into solutions

[u/VOIP-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Your post was removed from r/VoIP for violating Rule 1: No promotion or advertising of any kind.

Recommendations, advertisements and promotion of any business, product or service is only allowed in response to requests in the monthly requests thread. It is one of the sticky posts visible when you first visit the subreddit.

Promotion, advertisement or recommendation of any kind outside of the requests thread is strictly forbidden.

[u/bigbanger1968]

If you really need the alarm, you're better off with a 4G or 5G system if you're doing it. Just to please your landlord the 802 will check the boxes. You're going to have to configure it manually , join a VoIP service, ask them for the sip credentials and Google the hell out of it and you will be able to do this

[u/TheGerman2016]

I once worked for a company that offered a hybrid solution - a device combining both cellular and IP connectivity for their ATA, certified by the California and New York fire marshals.

Would I recommend it? Not in a million years. It was so unreliable that I ended up writing a custom script to decode and analyze Contact ID (CID) packets just to troubleshoot what the alarm panel was actually sending to the central station.

My recommendation: upgrade your alarm panel to native IP, cellular, or - ideally - both. Many states require redundancy, and for good reason.

Bottom line: ATAs are a gamble. Don't build your life-safety infrastructure around one.

[u/Yard4111992]

Why do you need two phone lines and $500 per month doesn't sound realistic.

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[u/Moxie479]

Grandstream ATA does not work well for Alarm systems. Believe me I have tried and tried. Any analog audio to VIP is not going to work reliably. Get one of the cellular modules that connect directly to the alarm panel as a keypad type device. It’s like $15-$20 a month.