Re: Difference between digital phone and VOIP

[Anders <nospam@xxxxxxxxx>]

Robert L Bass wrote:
> Anything that can be used as a bridge between
> an analog panel and the digital world might be
> marketable... for a while.  However, within a few
> years analog will be dead.  Panels will come
> equipped for IP comms right out of the box.  It's
> not there yet but I belive it will be soon.

Looking at the last 10-15 years, the big boys are not
moving really fast when it comes to new features or
adopting new technologies. I have a history on the "inside"
on one of them, and the word "innovation" there means they took
another 10c off the manufacturing cost...
Their business will have to be hurt real bad before they leave
their 8051-based designs behind for something that can actually
handle networking.

>> It would be a bit problematic to allow
>> up/downloading unless you work
>> out the specifics with each panel mfg, but
>> reporting would be easy.
>
> If the unit emulates a POTS connection,
> up/downloading should be a cinch.

Actually it's not easy... The control panel modems
are a mess. They are all different - not only between
manufacturers but even between models. Everyone here knows
about the problems of finding a computer modem that wants
to talk to panels -- try finding one that talks to *any* panel :/
So the only sure way of being really compatible would be to just
pipe the audio through, and then we're back with the same
problems as VoIP...

But cherry picking a few major panels to support might work.
I'll bring the discussion up with my client again.