Fitch Surveillance - Internet Telephone Services

Internet Telephone Services - Voice Over IP (VoIP)

As VoIP becomes more common in today's workplace, questions arise about the suitability of Internet systems to transmit an emergency alarm signal. Alternate technologies such as VoIP are suitable for business communication, but they may not be able to guarantee the monitoring station will receive an alarm signal in an emergency situation.

Click here to see a CBC News story dated February 9, 2007 about VOIP and alarm systems.

If you have already converted to an Internet Telephone Service, you should contact us and test your alarm system immediately and frequently to the Central Station.

Under many conditions VoIP is useable for alarm service. Unfortunately VoIP may not work with 100% reliability on every system. Alarm equipment is designed to work with traditional telephone lines, and as such only those traditional lines have been proven to provide dependable alarm signal service. The biggest concern is what happens during a power outage. If you have VoIP working with an alarm system, you must be sure that your phone service remains intact even when the power fails, or you will lose coverage.

Even when properly supported by an uninterruptable power supply, there may be concerns about a VoIP system's availability. Your VoIP provider should be able to guarantee that alarm signal transmissions will always be able to reach the central monitoring station. If the VoIP provider cannot guarantee this, you might want to consider options. Perhaps VoIP may not be the most suitable technology to meet all your concerns. Perhaps you may wish to find a VoIP provider willing to guarantee 100% availablility. Perhaps you may wish to speak with us and see about installing a cellular backup dialer, a device which will use the cellular network in the event your normal telephone service is interrupted due to power loss, line cuts, or internet outages.

If your business requires ULC certification for insurance purposes or otherwise, please be aware that some VoIP providers may not have service suitable for ULC-certification. In order to maintain status as a ULC-approved alarm installation, some systems will have to rely on a different means of alarm signal transmission.

If you have any questions or concerns about your alarm system and Internet Telephone Services, please contact us.