Re: Uplink Network/Line costs?

[Frank Olson <use_the_email_links@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

jc wrote:
> On Dec 2, 10:47 am, "Crash Gordon" <webmas...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>> You then go to an alarm dealer that has an account with Uplink.
>>
>> If you are an alarm dealer you open an account with Uplink and pay them a
>> monthly fee, in addition to your CS charges, then you charge your client a
>> monthly fee based upon your CS cost + your Uplink cost.
>>
>> --
>> **Crash Gordon**
>
>
> Oh okay. The alarm dealer charges a premium because he's having to
> cover the uplink line. The uplink account enables uplink harwdare to
> communicate through them (like a network) to the CS.
>
> Possible or worth it to try to communicate through normal cell
> service? If there were a way to communicate through an existing cell
> line (already in  use on existing cell phone) that would be nice. But
> clearly that's not going to be legal or easy as SIM cards should
> restrict that.
>
> thanks.


Uplink has to pay a fee to a cellular service provider to access the "A"
channel on the cell network.  The way it was explained to me is that
there are two channels.  The "A" channel is what they call the "control
channel".  It's what the network uses to establish whether your
cellphone is "allowed" (your "min" number and other data is exchanged),
and is used by your cell unit to actually "dial" the number you want to
call.  The "B" channel is the one that you actually talk on.  Since the
amount of traffic on the "A" channel isn't as intense as the "B", the
cellular service offered by companies like SurGuard (Skyroute) and
Uplink doesn't really interfere with normal cell phone usage.  The data
packets sent along this channel are in small bursts.  The cellular
service providers "lease" this channel to Uplink (and other "cellemetry"
providers) for a fee.  Uplink also has to maintain the infrastructure to
re-route the data packets to your CS via land line.  That's the reason
you can't simply use any cell phone to send the information your alarm
system generates.  Surguard used to have a cellular phone communicator.
  It was called "Links 1000".  Your dealer would normally set up the
unit at the distributor and the service was billed to the customer
directly as "emergency cell access".  In BC, Telus provided the service
for $9.95 a month plus a per-minute charge of $.35.  The nice thing
about the Links system, was that the dealer could actually call the
control unit using the DLS software since an actual phone number was
assigned to each unit.

Hope this helps.