Help w alarm system config w ooma

[sundeep607]

Gary,
Thanks for the information. I have AMSA on my short list of companies. I am also in Atlanta. Whatever I have read about them confirms what you are saying.
Thanks again.
Sundeep

[nabril]

Even if you don't have the manual or installer's code, your monitoring company is probably able to accomplish this for you. I'd give them a call while you still have dialtone from the telco and see if they can do remote proramming. Most systems allow it, but you may have to enter a code in your keypad to allow it. They can give you the details. Also, even if you can't find the RJ31X, if you can identify the R and T connections on the panel you should be all set.

While making the determination regarading DSL without a landline, make sure to check if it finnacially advantageous to do so. I have Qwest and will be keeping a very basic landline even after my "Choice" plan is no longer giving me a discount on the DSL portion of my bill. The reason is that with the landline discount, keeping it is only about $5 a month more than not having it (including taxes and other charges). My DSL is not battery backed up from Qwest so unless I want to rely on my cell phone (spotty service in the house) the basic line is well worth the $5. You might want to keep a very basic landline for the alarm system if it is not too expensive.

unfortunately, here in Miami, a basic residential landline costs around $13. With all the taxes, fees, etc, it jumps up to about $25. So not feasible. Only 1 choice for us, ATT formerly Bellsouth.

[OomaZooma]

Gary,
Thanks for the information. I have AMSA on my short list of companies. I am also in Atlanta. Whatever I have read about them confirms what you are saying.
Thanks again.
Sundeep

Sundeep,

Glad to offer some assistance. I also wanted to mention that I have no affiliation with AMSA other than being a long time satisfied customer. Good luck!

Gary

[nabril]

Chances are that your alarm box is connected to your telephone circuitry using an RJ31X jack. If so, and if it is located in a place where you can get to it, your conversion to ooma will be fairly straight-forward. The jack will have 4 wires connected: R, T, R1, and T1. The R and T connections on the jack have been fed by your telco wiring and will need to be connected to the ooma "phone" jack. Disconnect the wires going to those terminals and replace them with a cable from your ooma. You could use an unused pair from the bedroom's phone jack if that is easier than running a new cable. The R1 and T1 connections feed the phones in your home. No need for any changes there. Of course, if you were using a scout (hub only) or have DSL some additional things might apply - but if not, you should be good to go with just feeding the RJ31X as described.

SOuthsound. In the alarm panel I saw no rj31 jack. The cable goes from the terminals on the alarm panel board into the wall and disappears after that. Is it possible that it is at the telco's junction box?

[nabril]

there definitely is no jack of sny sort by the alarm panel. The cable goes from the board's terminals right ino the wall.
On the other end, the telco's junction box I dont see a jack either. The telco panel has 2 connections, one with more pairs than the other (i assume my phone jack lines), and the other with just a pair (which I will assume to be the alarm's).

So what is my option now? To go from the alarm panel's terminals to my bedroom's wall jack? And then any wall jack to the phone jack on the Hub or Telo?

Sorry for hte ignorance. I want to make this work, trust me and dont give up easy.

[allo]

I have some neighbors who have "alarm systems" installed - and some of us neighbors see in them nothing but nuisance; with all the false alarms.
Could anybody honestly say that for the money he/she is paying it is really worth it, and it actually "saved the day"... other than " for the peace of mind", or is it another "I fell and I can't get up" scheme!

NB: For those who can't live without... maybe ooma should incorporate one in the Telo in a future release!
.

[OomaZooma]

I have some neighbors who have "alarm systems" installed - and some of us neighbors see in them nothing but nuisance; with all the false alarms.
Could anybody honestly say that for the money he/she is paying it is really worth it, and it actually "saved the day"... other than " for the peace of mind", or is it another "I fell and I can't get up" scheme!

NB: For those who can't live without... maybe ooma should incorporate one in the Telo in a future release!
.

IMO, I think alarm systems are a good deterrent against burglars if they are being monitored and have a sign out front. If your neighbors have a lot of false alarms, it's either due to defective alarm equipment, poor training of family members on system operation, or pet activity triggering sensors in the house. All of these factors can be corrected to reduce the false alarms. I agree that too many false alarms can defeat the purpose of an alarm system and make people numb to the sirens just like car alarms.

Most people don't install an alarm system until after they have been burglarized. I grew up in another state and my neighborhood was very quiet but I had two neighbors who were burglarized multiple times before they installed an alarm system. Once the alarm systems were installed the burglaries stopped.

I pay a total of $12.95 + $10.00 (cellular) = $22.95 per month for my alarm monitoring. Is it worth it? I think $22.95 per month is a cheap price to pay to make my home a little safer for my family. IMO, paying the high monthly prices for cable or satellite TV is a waste of money. Paying hundreds of dollars annually for homeowners insurance can be a huge waste of money if you never file a claim. It all depends on your priorities and the risks you are willing take.

Did it save the day? If you mean "save the day" as in stopped a burglary in progress, then no it hasn't saved the day. If you consider not being robbed at all, then yes it has saved the day. Alarm systems may be considered "saving the day" if they cause a burglar to choose another house other than yours. You will never know how often your alarm system may have prevented your home from being burglarized.

The issue with alarm systems and Ooma is that the alarm system technology is based on analog phone line communications and has not kept up with the latest digital communication technology. I don't think it would be worth the additional costs for Ooma to have to support the older technology. There are alternate methods for alarm system monitoring that can be utilized until the alarm technology catches up.

Gary