Abstract: An alarm monitoring station is capable of establishing a two way communications channel over a network to connect the monitoring station and alarm panels at monitored premises, for real time voice communication between the panels and the monitoring station. The monitoring station is further operable to provide pre-programmed voice messages to the alarm panels based on the sensed alarm condition over the two way communications channel. In this way, occupants at the premises may be notified of the sensed condition before speaking with an operator at the monitoring station.

Abstract: A security system including a main control unit, a plurality of sensors and a user interface device. The main control unit communicates with a remote central monitoring station when a sensor detects an alarm event. Once the communication signal from the main control unit is successfully transmitted to the central station, a siren is sounded. Thus, the delay time to trigger the siren is dynamic based on the time it takes for successful transmission of an alarm notification to the central station. This dynamic delay accounts for transmission interruptions between the security system and the central station and allows the location of the main unit and/or the siren from being detected prior to successful alarm transmission to the central station.

Abstract: An alarm system includes an alarm panel that signals sensed alarm conditions at a premises to a monitoring server over a packet switched data network. The alarm panel also senses and buffers audio at the premises. In response to a sensed alarm condition, buffered audio, buffered prior to signalling the sensed alarm condition, is transferred to the monitoring station. The alarm panel may further receive live audio from the premises. Data representing live audio and buffered audio may be transferred concurrently, allowing an operator at a monitoring center to listen to audio arising from events before and after an alarm is signalled. The alarm system may further allow real-time communication between the monitoring center and panel.

Abstract: An alarm monitoring station is capable of establishing a two way communications channel over a network to connect the monitoring station and alarm panels at monitored premises, for real time voice communication between the panels and the monitoring station. The monitoring station is further operable to provide pre-programmed voice messages to the alarm panels based on the sensed alarm condition over the two way communications channel. In this way, occupants at the premises may be notified of the sensed condition before speaking with an operator at the monitoring station.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for recording and evaluating faults in event transmissions between security system components. A panel in a monitored building may send event signals to a receiver located in a central monitoring facility. Event signals may represent a status of individual alarms or sensors in the building, or they may provide a status of the system as a whole. If the quality of the transmission is substandard or in a format that is unacceptable to the receiver, the signal data associated with the event is recorded for analysis. Recording is controlled by a line card associated with the receiver, and the signal data is stored in local or remote memory. Signal data can be manually or automatically analyzed to determine the source of the fault. In addition, recorded signal data can be used to build customized software to recognize signals from previously unrecognized or faulty panels.

Abstract: A method at an alarm monitoring station and security system arrangement for detecting alarm signals originating at security systems on incoming calls carried by a telecommunications line includes, for each call, measuring a noise level on the line in the absence of signals originated by the security systems. Based on the measuring, at least one signal detection threshold above the noise level is set, wherein a level of a signal must exceed the signal detection threshold in order to be detected as a data signal. Alarm data signals in the call are detected using the signal detection threshold.

Abstract: A method and security system arrangement are disclosed for processing incoming signals at an alarm monitoring station. The method includes analyzing the incoming signals to assess if any particular incoming signal includes characteristics of a facsimile signal to thereby identify whether or not a given incoming signal is a facsimile signal. If the analyzing identifies that a given incoming signal includes characteristics of a facsimile signal, thus identifying that the given incoming signal is likely a facsimile signal, the alarm monitoring station refrains from initiating an alarm handling procedure to handle the given incoming signal. Caller ID information may be extracted from the facsimile signals received by the alarm monitoring station, and added to a call block list. Calls originating from caller IDs on the call block list may be blocked by the alarm monitoring station.

Abstract: Alarm panels are assigned to monitoring servers at a monitoring station by an allocation server. Each panel obtains the data network address of its assigned monitoring server by contacting the allocation server, upon installation/configuration. The provided data network address is stored at the panel for later use. This allows the allocation server to fairly and flexibly distribute monitoring responsibility for the many panels across multiple monitoring servers.

Abstract: A security system including a roam control unit, a plurality of sensors and a user interface device. The main control unit communicates with a remote central monitoring station, when a sensor detects an alarm event. Once the communication signal from the main control unit is successfully transmitted to the central station, a siren is sounded. Thus, the delay time to trigger the siren is dynamic based on the time it takes for successful transmission of an alarm notification to the central station. This dynamic delay accounts for transmission interruptions between the security system, and the central station and allows the location of the main unit and/or the siren from being detected prior to successful, alarm transmission, to the central station.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for enhancing the throughput of signals from a security system receiver to an associated automation server. Multiple parallel Ethernet connections or ports are provided between the receiver and server to enable multiple signals to be transmitted between the two when such signals are received from a client's security system panel. The system and method may access the ports in a variety of orders to provide efficient transmittal of signals from the receiver to the server. In one embodiment, received event signals may be routed though the ports in numeric sequence, forward or reverse. In another embodiment, received event signals may be routed preferentially to the first port, if it is not busy. If the first port is busy then the signal may be routed to the second port, and so on. In a further embodiment, received event signals from specific client panels may be directed through predetermined ports, and a predetermined automation server at the central monitoring facility.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for recording and evaluating faults in event transmissions between security system components. A panel in a monitored building may send event signals to a receiver located in a central monitoring facility. Event signals may represent a status of individual alarms or sensors in the building, or they may provide a status of the system as a whole. If the quality of the transmission is substandard or in a format that is unacceptable to the receivers the signal data associated with the event is recorded for analysis. Recording is controlled by a line card associated with the receiver, and the signal data is stored in local or remote memory. Signal data can be manually or automatically analyzed to determine the source of the fault. In addition, recorded signal data can be used to build customized software to recognize signals from previously unrecognized or faulty panels.