UPC phone with alarm that calls set numbers.

chabsey

From reading on here it appears that my alarm which currently works off the landline should work with UPC if I decided to use them for broadband and phone.

That's fine except for one thing, my alarm like most people's is located right by the front door where my landline also comes in. So the connection between the two is esssentially hidden away with no wires visible.

If I move to UPC am I right in thinking that the phone will come through the TV cable (located in living room)?

If so how have people connected the UPC connection to their alarms without having extra wiring running from the living room to beside the front door. I'm guessing here but I imagine those are the two most common locations for alarms and TV points.

Cutting channels for the wires isn't really an option so do most people just put up with surface wires running from the TV to the alarm box?

altor

That is the only option in most cases. If you have a phone point near where the UPC is you could connect the line out of the UPC into this and get the alarm to ring out this way. You may need to change the cables in the alarm if it has priority over all phones as the cables is now reversed in the alarm going that way back to it.

a clanger

I have UPC and the phone/alarm are taken from the back of the router. This entry point was different the the TV point (two holes in walls). The alarm guy had to rewire to make the job acceptable to HQ (extra expense). The alarm has priority on the phone line...However it is worth remembering no electricity = no UPC = No alarm ,unlike the old copper wire which works regardless.

altor

The newer unit has two phone points meaning the alarm has priority using one point. Saves all the hassle of returning the line to the unit from the alarm. You can also add a power supply to the unit with its own back up battery for in the event the electricity is off.

OP, is your alarm using voice or text to contact you ?

chabsey

It uses a recording to call a few predetermined numbers until someone presses # to let it know the message has been received.

I'm not 100% clear but it still sounds like no matter what I do if I switch to UPC I'm going to have to have extra wiring running from the tv room to the hall which will be ugly but there's nothing to do about that i suppose.

altor

There is a plug in socket you can get that will send the phone signal to another socket. I cant think of the name of them, they have them in maplin as far as I can remember. Maybe that might be a solution to no cables for you.

altor

Here it is

There would also be mains in the control panel so installing a socket beside it and using this as the line would work.

chabsey

Cheers, link is borked but I'll figure it out. Thanks, might just work.

altor

chabsey wrote: »

Cheers, link is borked but I'll figure it out. Thanks, might just work.

Better than running the cable but again if the electricity is off then so are these units. There is always a catch

Gus99

I'm not very technical at all, so apologies in advance...
I am in the same position as the OP. Reading this http://support.upc.ie/app/answers/detail/a_id/314/p/3%2C61 it seems you need to buy this GSM thingy for the UPC phone to work with my alarm. However you guys haven't mentioned it in this thread. Is it required or not? Can you explain what I need to do - get UPC in first and then an alarm technician? Thanks

altor

What system have you installed Gus99, when your alarm activated do you get a text or voice message ?

Gus99

I currently have broadband with UPC and an Eircom phoneline. I have an Astec alarm which when activated rings my mobile with a voice recorded message - thanks

altor

The Astec DV will work with the UPC. All the system is looking for is an analog line off the UPC. The line out of the UPC gets wired into the line in on the alarm and then the line out gets connected to the rest of the house phones to give it line priority over all phones. If you have a phone point close to where the UPC phone is set up then it makes it very easy to do. Any installer should be able to set this up for you.

Gus99

Thanks altor. My alarm panel is in the hallway, with the control panel beside the boiler upstairs. I have phone points for my exisitng eircom line in the kitchen and the bedroom upstairs. The same bedroom is where my PC is, with the UPC broadband fed through the attic. I have an old UPC TV point in the living room (I am now with Sky). So if I understand you correctly, I need UPC to install their phone connection in either the kitchen or bedroom? Thanks again for you patience

evostik

I'm with UPC and had the same problem. I picked up a secondhand premicell on ebay, (eliminating the need for wires) effectively connecting a mobile phone to the alarm system. The alarm now rings out over the mobile network.

altor

Gus99 wrote: »

Thanks altor. My alarm panel is in the hallway, with the control panel beside the boiler upstairs. I have phone points for my exisitng eircom line in the kitchen and the bedroom upstairs. The same bedroom is where my PC is, with the UPC broadband fed through the attic. I have an old UPC TV point in the living room (I am now with Sky). So if I understand you correctly, I need UPC to install their phone connection in either the kitchen or bedroom? Thanks again for you patience

Thats correct, anywhere it is easy to get a cable from the UPC phone to a existing house phone point will make less cabling as there will already be a cable coming off your home wiring to the alarm from the phone point in your home. It may not be direct from either location but a simple joining of the cable will give the alarm phone priority and send the line return line from the alarm to other points in your home.

Hector Mildew

Did you find a solution? I'm also looking at using a UPC phone with my alarm. I was looking at a dect extender for wireless connection from the UPC phone socket (at the modem) to my alarm. The problem is that the modem and extender need mains power...

A GSM unit is recommended as, in the event of a power cut, calls cannot be made via the UPC line. A GSM dialler (which uses a mobile phone) has battery backup allowing the call to be made and also remote alarm reset via sms.

Gus99 wrote: »

I'm not very technical at all, so apologies in advance...
I am in the same position as the OP. Reading this http://support.upc.ie/app/answers/detail/a_id/314/p/3%2C61 it seems you need to buy this GSM thingy for the UPC phone to work with my alarm. However you guys haven't mentioned it in this thread. Is it required or not? Can you explain what I need to do - get UPC in first and then an alarm technician? Thanks