OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

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bsotak
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OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by bsotak » Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:52 am

I just purchased an OOMA and love the call quality so far ... but I didn't realize that it wouldn't just work out of the box with my ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN security system. I have searched in these forums and with Google, but it didn't look like there was a clear-cut way to get OOMA working with the Safewatch.

Can someone point me to the settings that I need to change (and how to change them) in order to get the system working????

I know OOMA's stance is they don't support using it with a security system, but really it is no different than any other VOIP concerns (which is what I currently have). Please help me out, otherwise the OOMA is going to have to go back!

mochashome
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Re: OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by mochashome » Sun Jul 31, 2011 10:00 am

I have a Safewatch Pro 3000 but use Next Alarm as my monitoring service. I don't think the problem is/was with OOMA and the Safewatch PRO, but rather OOMA and the monitoring service that the Safewatch dials into. There are other examples of setting up OOMA and a Safewatch with an ADT monitoring service, but these settings would not work for me. After trying dozens of different codes and configurations on my alarm system, I learned that Next Alarm is not compatible with VOIP systems. While my current phone service is Time Warner (VOIP), evidently, their system is different than OOMA and IS compatible with NextAlarm. Next Alarm DOES sell a box (~$100) that allows their monitoring system to report directly over the internet but I did not elect to use that. Bottom line, what I learned was that OOMA may or may not work with the Safewatch Pro, depending upon your monitoring service.

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lbmofo
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Re: OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by lbmofo » Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:23 pm

bsotak, welcome to Ooma. You're right that Ooma's official stance is that Ooma doesn't support alarm systems.

However, that doesn't mean you can't try and see.

Since you mention that your alarm worked with other VoIP, does that mean your house wiring is setup in a way that your VoIP has worked with alarm line seizure? You can tell if your setup works with line seizure by looking at your call logs. If testing alarm call out creates call log entry, your wiring setup works with line seizure. If no entries in call log, your setup doesn't work with line seizure.

In case your setup isn't right, let's talk about alarm line seizure and how to make Ooma work with that first.

When alarm calls out, it cuts off dialtone access to every walljack (line seizure) so phones connected won't be able to disrupt the alarm call out. If one is to simply feed VoIP dialtone to a walljack, line siezure would cut off the very dailtone that alarm panel needs so no call out can happen.

One has to make sure VoIP dialtone gets fed to a point upstream to the alarm panel. One way is to get the VoIP dialtone to the NIB via the 2nd pair and then have the dialtone come in the house on the first pair as if the dialtone was coming from the phone company.

First, make sure house wiring is disconnected from the phone company by unplugging the plug in the NIB.
Image

If you have the swing door type NIB, you'd need to get your wires off the screws.
Image

At a walljack near your Ooma device, plug in ones of these L1, L2 Splitters
Image

Feed your Ooma dialtone ("Phone" port) to L2 of the splitter.

At the NIB, connect the 1st pair & 2nd pair.
Image

If the plug type NIB, just connect the orange wire to the same screw blue wire is connected to and connect the white orange to the same screw white blue wire is connected to.

If you have one of the swing door NIB, get the wires off the screws and connect blue and orange together, white/blue & white/orange together using these phone wire butt connectors:
Image

After doing this, your setup should work with alarm line seizure; you'll be able to see call log entries when you do alarm call out tests. From this point on, it is a matter of whether you can get a successful handshake with alarm central or not.

As for programming your alarm panel for dialing prefix and such, I don't use *99 but rather *70 (disable call waiting)
viewtopic.php?t=9637#p66843

If you have a Telo, you can try *98 prefix as well to see if that works better for you.

As far as programming the ADT panel to add dialing prefix, check this out: http://forum.doityourself.com/electroni ... l-out.html

Read the FAQ here for much info: http://forum.doityourself.com/electroni ... sting.html

Also check out my experience with *99; ended up using *70 for best results on my panel: viewtopic.php?t=8957#p62487

bsotak
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Re: OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by bsotak » Sun Jul 31, 2011 3:19 pm

lbmofo, thank you for the valuable information. I do have a few questions before I start doing things though :)

I currently have Comcast VOIP, and it is connected to the system. I haven't cancelled Comcast yet, as I wanted to make sure that Ooma worked first. Since that is on the "approved" ADT list of VOIP, and it is currently configured for that, I am assuming that all of the alarm line seizure stuff works already. However, how can I look at my call logs to confirm that? Is that a call log on the ADT system? Or are you talking about logs directly with Comcast VOIP?

As for setting up the prefix, I definitely need to read up before diving into that. I am a computer engineer, but I am not familiar with security systems at all. I don't want to start going into the Safewatch Pro settings and then screw up the system where I have to spend $50 to get someone out to reset it all!

Is the Installer Code the same as the Master Code? Unfortunately I wasn't around when my system was installed (only 2 months ago), so I'm not at all familiar with the programming mode. Do you know if there is a way to save all the settings, or look at them before changing anything so I can write them down (ie, restore them manually if need be)?

Looks like I need to do some reading at doityourself.com.

murphy
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Re: OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by murphy » Sun Jul 31, 2011 3:57 pm

The Installer code is not the same as the Master code.
Without the Installer code you can't view or change anything.
With the installer code it is tedious but you can step through the programming and write it all down.
Go to the panel (not a keypad, the big steel box).
Look on top of the box for the key.
ADT doesn't normally put a tamper on the box but just to be safe put the system in test mode.
The procedure is in the User Guide.
Master Code (xxxx) + Test (5) + 0. The siren will sound for 1 second.
If the key is there, open the box to see if the installation manual is inside.
If the box is tampered there will be a fault on the keypad.
Close the box and lock it.
Turn off test mode.
Master Code + Off (1).

Read the installation manual as many times as it takes to understand it.
You can learn a lot about security systems in the following forum.
http://www.diysecurityforum.com/

You need a keypad with a two line LCD display to program the panel.
If you don't have one your chances are nil.

Your panel is a customized Honeywell Ademco Vista 20P.

Do you own the panel outright or does ADT own it?
Check your contract for a check box that indicates the customer owns the panel.
If you don't own it, you can't make changes to it.
Even if you own it and make changes that result in a false alarm you may be liable to pay a fine for a false dispatch.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

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lbmofo
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Re: OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by lbmofo » Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:04 pm

bsotak wrote:I currently have Comcast VOIP, and it is connected to the system. I haven't cancelled Comcast yet, as I wanted to make sure that Ooma worked first. Since that is on the "approved" ADT list of VOIP, and it is currently configured for that, I am assuming that all of the alarm line seizure stuff works already. However, how can I look at my call logs to confirm that? Is that a call log on the ADT system? Or are you talking about logs directly with Comcast VOIP?
If you can look up your Comcast phone call logs, everytime you do an alarm call out test, you should see outgoing calls to ADT central. If that's the case, you can just swap what's feeding into your wall to do some testing; have your Ooma "phone" port feed the same wallplate that Comcast phone feeds (instead of Comcast phone device) and you can do call out testing to ADT (you'd be able to see call log info at my.ooma.com).
bsotak wrote:As for setting up the prefix, I definitely need to read up before diving into that. I am a computer engineer, but I am not familiar with security systems at all. I don't want to start going into the Safewatch Pro settings and then screw up the system where I have to spend $50 to get someone out to reset it all!
Once you get into the program mode, you can do # field number to review what's programmed. * field number to change the entry. Can't really screw up if you write down the value you get from review.
bsotak wrote:Is the Installer Code the same as the Master Code? Unfortunately I wasn't around when my system was installed (only 2 months ago), so I'm not at all familiar with the programming mode. Do you know if there is a way to save all the settings, or look at them before changing anything so I can write them down (ie, restore them manually if need be)?
I think they are different. When I set mine up, I opened up my alarm box and found a short version of the installer manual inside. I have Safewatch Pro 3000EN which is basically same as the 3000 (as I understand) and the installer didn't change the installer code so I was able to get into programming mode using the default: 六삼二일 + 800 without having to power down to retrieve the installer code. The way I set up, I have 10 digit dialing enabled on my.ooma.com.
I use field 40 to disable call waiting using *70 -- *40 #11(*) 70 #13(pause) * In this field you can try *98 if you have Ooma Telo; I believe it would work best.
I populated both fields 41 and 42 with the same ADT central toll free number without any dialing prefix but put 1 in front of the 866 number - 1866XXXXXXX. After you've done testing using your Ooma, you can change the program back to how you had it with Comcast and plug your Comacast device back into the wallplate.
bsotak wrote:Looks like I need to do some reading at doityourself.com.
Yes, read the FAQ; very good info on alarms.
Last edited by lbmofo on Mon Aug 01, 2011 9:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

bsotak
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Re: OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by bsotak » Mon Aug 01, 2011 6:43 am

I did open up the panel (there is not a tamper on the box) but there was not an installation manual in there. I do have the User's Guide, but that doesn't describe anything related to the programming mode.

I looked on my contract to see if I own it or ADT does, and go figure that they didn't check that box on the contract!! Just called ADT and they looked it up, I do own the system :)

I don't have the Installer code, so I guess I can try the default and see where that gets me.

I looked through the Comcast logs and I'm not finding anything for the calls going out. I tried the System Dial test and it says PHONE OKAY with Comcast, but when I plug in Ooma and do the test, it just says TEST IN PROGRESS. I see a dial out attempt in the my.ooma.com, so it is trying -- just not successful. It does look like I could test my system at least, assuming I could program it.

Without the installation Manual, what should I do to program it? Is there something online that I could read? Once I try to put it in the programming mode and then use #40 to review it, how do exit that mode and put it back in the normal functioning mode again? I would like to "toe-dip" and at least see if I can get it and review it, then get out before changing anything!

bsotak
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Re: OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by bsotak » Mon Aug 01, 2011 6:54 am

So I found a manual online and found out to exit using *99:

http://www.alarmeengros.com/installation15P.pdf

I just did it, and I have nothing in field 40, and filed 41 just has the toll free number (with a 1 in front of it). Now comes the details of what I need to add. Since I have a telo, I was just going to start with *981877xxxxxxx. Does that seem reasonable? I was confused by you saying you did *70 -- *40 #11(*) 70 #13(pause) *. That seems like a lot of stuff in there! I read #11 is a *, and #13 is a pause. So I would do "*40#1198#131877xxxxxxx" and that should program it correctly? Then *99 to exit, and then re-do the Test-Dial?

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lbmofo
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Re: OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by lbmofo » Mon Aug 01, 2011 7:06 am

I would leave the toll free number fields (41 & 42) alone and just program field 40 for the dialing prefix for Ooma.

*40 #11(*) 98 #13(pause) *

This would make your call outs use *98 dialing prefix (the * at the end is to get out of programming of that field).

See if this make your system work with Ooma plugged in.

bsotak
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Re: OOMA and ADT Safewatch Pro 3000EN

Post by bsotak » Mon Aug 01, 2011 7:19 am

Yea, I just realized the same thing :) I put 41 and 42 back to the original numbers (with a 1 prefix). I have Ooma set for 10 digit dialing. I also set field 40 to exactly what you said below.

However, when I do the test I still just get the "Test In Progress" and never "Phone Okay". Ooma logs just show it dialing out about every minute. That being said, maybe there is something wrong with it now. I cancelled the test (code-1) and I still see in the Ooma log that it is dialing out. And I can't get a dial tone on my phone ever. Does the system keep trying even after I've stopped it, up to a certain number? Maybe it never had the dial tone from my first attempt at this, and that is why it is failing...not sure what I need to do to get this back to normal.

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