Re: dsc gs3055-i

["A.J." <a_j@xxxxxxxx>]

The DSC GSM radio happens to be my favourite backup communicator. Sure all
manufacturers have their own pros and cons, and the DSC unit seem to have
more pros than cons.

What I like about the DSC unit :-

1. Has backup battery, thus can be mounted in a remote location and will
still work if the connection between the radio and the main panel is cut.

2. Dialer capture sending full contact ID reporting, a big plus for me.

3. Does not need special programmer.

4. Performance is the best among all cell backup units in marginal cell
coverage area. (Major plus for me)

5. Heavy duty metal case with standard knockouts on the side.




"Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:c2c7be64-a17a-4ff7-8be1-8799d62d3589@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Mar 20, 1:44?am, CH?IS <s...@xxxxx> wrote:
> "A.J." <a_j@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>
> news:qpxwl.97967$2O4.13345@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> > Anything is possible here.
>
> > 1. The dealer profile is not setup with the CS. (Very likely)
>
> close
>
> > 2. Can you check on the web and see if the signal is getting out on the
> > radio network ?
>
> or #3... as it turned out... this account wasn't setup to be used with it,
> only a phone line... you'd think after probably a dozen or so calls to
> check
> signals and talk to tech support (and many more calls with dsc and
> connect24) over 2 days someone there looking at the account and hearing me
> say gs3055-i and cell communicator would've noticed that it's not the
> right
> kind of account? ?i was really hoping this monitoring company would have
> hired intellegent people and more than apparently 2 tech support people
> who
> aren't any better
>
> i guess i'll chalk it up to the fact we haven't been using them for very
> long, haven't used any sort of cell communicator with them, and i've never
> installed this particular one at all... and file it all under "experience"
>
> ...still pisses me off though

The main things I didn't/don't like about them is:

When being used with both land line and Cellular, there is no
redundancy in sending signals.
That is ...... as long as you have telepone service, the radio never
sends a signal. There's no explanation in the manual about this fact
and no one at DSC seems to think it's important enough to mention.
And, there's no explanation in the manual on how to make it send both
signals either. I had to literally "pull" it out of the phone techs on
how to do it. The way the device comes out of the box if you didn't
have a phone line problem for 5 years, the cellular would NEVER send a
signal!!! This is BACKUP!!!!  THIS IS HIGHER SECURITY!!

The manual is/was a 8 or 9 page barely legible, crooked photocopy on
halfs of an 8? X 11 pieces of paper, stapled together.

The technicians are very unresponsive to detailed questions about how
the product works. If you don't ask them the specific question and
pressure them into answering, they just don't offer anything more that
might help you gain more insight about the product.

Spent the better part of a day trying to install the unit so that it
would send all the signals it could send and send both landline and
cellular simultainiously. Most of the time was spent on the phone
repeatedly waiting in queue for tech support to answer the NEXT
question that they could have informed me about on the last call, but
didn't because I didn't ask it.

Eventually, I pulled the unit out because it was among the batch of
the original units that they discovered were "going to sleep". ( that
is, sending cellular supervisory signals but not alarm signals) Which
is/was my VERY POINT about sending redundant signals!

This problem has since, supposedly, been fixed but I woulldn't use one
now if they were giving them away.

DSC in my opinion is NOT a good company and I think they make the
cheapest made products that I've ever experienced. Their panels are
"tinny". Plastic is cheap, soft and frail. Component boards are lowest
quality. Their tech support staff is the most unresponsive and un-
helpful group I've ever experienced also. They don't offer anything
beyond the exact question you ask them. It's speculation on my part
but it seems to me that they're so used to talking to people who know
so little about what they're doing, that the technicians are afraid
they'll have to explain too much if they offer anything more. And it
would be nice if they at least would sound friendly instead of a
monotone, yes, no. And stop saying "it SHOULD work" Either it will or
it wont!!!!!. If you don't frakin know ...... GO ASK SOMEBODY!!!

They don't even say hello or goodby ...... Ya get a tech on the phone
and say "HI, this is Joe from XYZ Alarms and you get dead silence. No
"hello". No, " how can I help you" ..... just ..... "what are you
working on?"

Hmmm. Maybe if I have a few moments today, I'll call them up and when
they ask "what are you working on today" ......  I'll say ..........
Nothing of yours!  ;-)