No Need for Alarm Over Home Security and VoIP (comment)

[PhoneBoy]

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[mberlant]

This is little more than marketing hype to cover for a service that has been available for about 12 years already.

Around 12 years ago, a company named Telular introduced a cellular base station. It was a Motorola bag phone transceiver with a circuit board that yielded an RJ-11 for connection to the alarm system, very much the precursor to today's Dock-n-Talk, CellSocket, Extensis, etc. To the alarm company it makes no difference whether the customer's phone number is POTS or cellular, as analog Cellular (AMPS) service passes this traffic with ease.

Even today, despite any protestations that the cellular companies might put up, it is still possible to sign up for analog service in the US. For evidence of this, just look at GM's OnStar service. From it introduction in 1997(?) through the 2004 Model Year, OnStar service was strictly AMPS. From the 2005 Model Year, new dual mode transceivers are being installed. So AMPS, at least in the territories of Verizon Wireless and their partners across the US, is not in danger of being decommissioned soon.

Any alarm company worth its salt will be aware of this service and will be able to sell it to its customers. It is only these "We'll alarm your house for $99." companies who can't be bothered with true customer support.