Re: Voip at Home,Voip Updated Howto,New Voip Phones,Voip Conferencing,

["Robert L Bass" <robertlbass@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> VoIP is shit.  Not just for alarm systems.  Do not get it.

VoIP is coming whether you like it or not.  All the major carriers will
almost certainly switch to VoIP or some variant of it within the next few
years.  Currently service quality varies widely, depending on the provider
as well as your own connection speed and the type of equipment you use.

We use VoIP for our office lines and some of our personal lines.  It enables
us to switch calls between stations on different continents (quite
literally) as easily as if though we were in the same building.

I initially tried Vonage and found their service quality lacking.  It was
difficult to reach tech support.  They really are not geared to commercial
phone service either.  There's no support for an auto-attendant.  Call
forwarding is accomplished by logging onto their website.  Call transfer is
not possible.  Call queues are also not offered (or at least they weren't
when we dropped them).

I went with a commercial VoIP service provider last year.  We currently use
Polycom 501 phones which plug directly into our routers.  They work well
though they occasionally lock up, requiring a three minute reboot procedure.

We're going to add several new VoIP phones with wireless handsets and WiFi
service.  These will allow me to make and receive calls at home, in the
office and in airport executive lounges, as well as our favorite cappuccino
hang-out.   :)

The problem for alarm systems using VoIP is apparently that some ATA devices
don't properly support the tones many alarm systems use to communicate with
central station receivers.  The devices supplied by Vonage a couple of years
ago had trouble passing alarm signals.  This is a function of the codecs
which the phone or device uses.  Unfortunately, I've forgotten which codec
is required or I'd share it here.  Although I use VoIP it's not my area of
expertise.  A knowledgeable service provider should be able to guide you in
selecting hardware which will support alarm signals.

The real issue with VoIP carrying alarm signals is the question of
reliability.  While your hardware and service provider may be top flight,
the Internet itself is not as secure as telco lines.  Service quality can be
degraded or interrupted at times.  If your alarm relies on an Internet
connection there is the likelihood that it will occasionally be off line.
If that happens to coincide with an emergency event you could be
unprotected.  As such, you might want to consider alternative or backup
communication technologies, such as cellular, long range radio, etc.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

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