Monitored Alarms on Broadband - The Issue
The number of homeowners upgrading to a broadband line is increasing rapidly according to recent reports. The upgrade consists of changes to the line at the exchange and the provision of a Broadband Modem and microfilters to be installed in the home. The purpose of the microfilters is to separate the speech from the data signal. Without a microfilter the “blibs and blobs” of the data travelling down the line would be heard by the telephone user.
Something that gets overlooked in almost every instance when upgrading to broadband is where an alarm system which dials out to a monitoring station is also connected on the line.
The broadband provider will not have any idea that such an alarm is installed in the premises and the homeowner, in most cases does not consider the implications on the security system of changing to broadband. But the fact is that in an alarm situation, unless the connection to the alarm panel is correctly filtered, the alarm panel can be prevented from dialing out to the monitoring station. The effect of this can be catastrophic, particularly if the insurance on the home contents is based on a functional monitored alarm system being installed.
