Remote gsm alarm systems

[David]

I would like to install an alarm in a new workshop and have come across a system using gsm whereby a signal is sent to a mobile phone as an alert. Any comments or help please ?

[Hywel Jenkins]

How useful is it when you're a few miles away?

[[news]]

there are webcams and software that capture an image of any motion in a given area, emil the picture to your phone or FTP the images to a remote site. you could quite easily set up HTTP streaming to the web and check in using a mobile phone or suitably equiped PDA

see

RT

[David]

Thank you Hywel for your comment. Apparently you can hear from microphones what is happening e.g. If you hear a lot of wrenching and breaking of windows, then you know to call the police etc.

[Andy Dee]

This is a good system but the GSM module is about £200!

[Phil]

If you can received email/email alerts on your mobile phone, then all you need is a webcam/pc, motion detection sw and a reliable internet connection.... mmm, might give that a try!

[BigWallop]

A speech-dialler would do the same job for you. You enter up to three telephone numbers, your own and two close friends or relatives, and each has to verify the call by pressing a preset number. The telephone numbers can be to mobile or landline telephones, it doesn't matter, but the speech-dialler must be plugged in to a landline socket, or hardwired, for it to work of course.

A web search for Speech Dialler should bring many hits for you to looks through.

[Hywel Jenkins]

I see. Though it still seems a bit pointless to me. Wouldn't one of the systems that's connected to a monitoring company be better?

[David]

Yes that is the downside of that, if they cut the cable.

[ThePunisher]

Ebay.co.uk under GSM alarm.

[BigWallop]

That's where the monitored line comes in to play. An alarm receiving centre would ping the line every few minutes to see if it still responded properly. But with DIY alarms this can sometimes be expensive to arrange through your telephone supplier.

[Andrew Gabriel]

There are GSM phones which present a landline interface, e.g. the Nokia 32. Intended to be connected to a PABX to route moble calls direct to GSM network, but would probably work with a speach dialler too.

[Andrew Gabriel]

If you know you are going to want a speach dialler in the first place, you would be well advised to consider an alarm with one built in, where it will be much better integrated into the alarm functioning than one which is a generic add-on product attached to an alarm which wasn't specifically designed to control or be controlled by a speach dialler.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Have you got phone wiring to the workshop? If so a normal dialer at about

40 quid would do this.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Don't most panels these days have an aux relay for just this sort of purpose?

And BTW it's 'speech' ;-)

[Andrew Gabriel]

Yes, but there's a world of difference between what you can do with one (or even 4 on some models) relay contacts to a speech dialler, and properly integrated speech access to the alarm, which enables me to do everything remotely that can be done from the panel.

Yes, I saw that just after I posted it... sigh.

[David]

Dave please see my previous message - 'cutting of the cable' which is partly why i like the gsm option. Has anybody out there had experience of these systems, that is my question ??

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Well, most would run the electricity to the workshop or whatever underground, so perhaps do the same with the phone cable?

And after long experience with such things, if security/reliability is an issue, you can't beat sensible hard wiring.

[BigWallop]

To be NACOSS acceptable today, all alarm systems have to have two paths of communication. These are separated in to hardwired telephony and GSM / Pager technology. The case used to be the use of RedCare telephone lines, which are constantly monitored from the local exchange, and any disruption on the line was reported as fault and alarm conditions sent to the receiving centre for appropriate actions.

With the increased use of more modern telecommunications, the norm' now is to have the two paths to allow the condition of the alarm system to be ascertained, even with a fault or tampering occurring to one of the comm.'s techniques. With the actual condition of the alarm being found, it reduces the occurrence of police being called if the alarm system has not been compromised, and the only fault was with the telecoms circuit.

There are retro-fit GSM units which can be installed in to the alarm system, and this gives the ability to use the mobile telephony system directly from the control panel of the alarm. They are still quite expensive to buy and maintain contracts for, but if this is of use to you, then you can search for "GSM Remote Alarm" on the web for a few useful hits on the subject.