I just joined up with SuretyDIY. I have made all appropriate changes to my 2Gig Go Control panel and have successfully run a Cell Phone test.
I tried my first live test with the Central Station this morning by setting off an Entry/Exit alarm. When the CS called the “location number” the call went directly to phone mail (my bad, I incorrectly added the CS call back number to my phone system. I think I have that problem solved). I did not receive a call on my “Alarm Contact 1” number. After a couple of minutes, I called the CS to notify them that it was a false alarm. I was told that they had already dispatched the police but that they would notify them that it was a false alarm.
I had specified 2-way voice on my account. The CS said they attempted 2-way voice but could not connect.
Then I asked about the call back procedure, I was told that if there was no answer on the “location number”, then the police will be dispatched and then the other contacts will be notified in that order.
Either I have missed something, or this procedure does not seem to follow the one documented in the sticky post titled “surety Default Central Monitoring Procedure”.
Does the attempt at a 2-way voice contact count as the first contact attempt and the call to the “location number” count as the second attempt which is then followed by a dispatch call? If so, you might want to clarify that in the procedure document. If not, then it does not appear that the CS followed the documented procedure.
Also, why did the attempt at 2-way voice fail? Is this a basically unreliable contact means and should be disabled on my account? (Note: my cell radio status is currently 11/31).
Any guidance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Does the attempt at a 2-way voice contact count as the first contact attempt and the call to the “location number” count as the second attempt which is then followed by a dispatch call?
Happy to help and clarify!
Yes, current standards are two contact methods prior to dispatch. This includes two way voice if it is included. Should a valid passcode and dismissal not be received at the first two contact methods, the operators will contact dispatch.
Calling in to report it would be the proper step in this circumstance. If you would like your account to have altered specific call instructions, you can opt to have more contacts attempted prior to dispatch by requesting that change in a secure message to our team.
We’ll take a look at those monitoring procedures posts and make sure they are clear regarding Two Way.
Also, why did the attempt at 2-way voice fail? Is this a basically unreliable contact means and should be disabled on my account?
2-Way is a double edged sword. It adds time to the response, more so than a call, but if it is indeed a false alarm, you can report it more easily if, say, you have just returned home with groceries, etc., or cannot otherwise reach your phone.
While a couple panels have some concerns regarding 2-Way, the Go!Control panel in general does not. 2-Way should generally be loud and clear, with a little underlying noise on a 2GIG Go!Control Panel. We do however see an unusual signal having been forwarded for that 2-Way call, which may indicate a conflict with panel settings or other panel issue. We’re looking into the settings now to make sure nothing is causing an error and will report back here.
Have you perhaps added a CS phone number and/or account number into your panel? Those fields in programming should be left empty, as your Alarm.com account through suretyDIY handles the proper signal forwarding and account details.
We’ve checked settings and made sure the CS number/account settings in the panel are cleared out. Can you try testing an alarm signal when available? Be ready with your location phone as well in case this is an issue connecting to the panel.
Let us know and we will check the history to ensure everything looks good.
Thanks for the explanation. I think I have a better understanding of what happened during my test.
I will probably request that 2-way voice notification not be used as a notification method. First, because I’m not sure I trust it. Second, the main panel is at the front door and we normally enter through the garage. Unless the 2-way voice also works on the TS1, we may not be able to hear the CS contact us on 2-way voice. However, it does seem desirable for the CS to be able to listen in when a burglar or fire alarm goes off in order to verify that an actual event is taking place.
I have checked the setting on my control panel. The Select Dialer field (Q8) is set to “Disabled (0)” an all the other CS fields (Q9, Q10, Q11, Q12, Q40, Q41) are blank. Additionally, the "Select 2-way voice field (Q13) is set to “Stay on line (1)”; and, the "Select remote control phone’ field (Q42) is set to "Data and voice (3). I don’t see any other fields that are obviously related to 2-way voice or phone calls.
Just ran another test. This time, the CS did contact me on 2-way voice. The sound was loud, but choppy, a little hard to understand. Still not sure I want to use this as my primary notification method. Will think about it some more.
Unless the 2-way voice also works on the TS1, we may not be able to hear the CS contact us on 2-way voice. However, it does seem desirable for the CS to be able to listen in when a burglar or fire alarm goes off in order to verify that an actual event is taking place.
2-Way voice does not work through the TS1, only the primary control panel. This is a limit to the usefulness in certain scenarios.
Likewise, this limits the effectiveness of listening in. Activity in the distance or in other rooms of the home is not easily picked up by the panel mic. Listening also only provides verification that some sort of activity may be occurring. Realistically I like to recommend using Image Sensors or Video Cameras as a much better way of confirming an intrusion as the image/video can be sent to your smartphone in the Alarm.com notification.
2-Way voice is much better used as a contact method, assisting the user in the case of common alarm trips, or quick confirmation/dismissal of life safety alarms like fire signals where cell phones are never contacted prior to dispatch.