Intruder

The Police will not necessarily attend an emergency call made to them in respect of a ‘bells only’ system. This will depend on (i) whether the caller alerting them can see signs of intruders still on the property, in which case they’ll tend to respond rapidly, and (ii) the Police workload at that particular point in time.

The main communication methods available to send signals to an ARC are: Digital Communicator, BT RedCare

Digital Communicator

A Digital Communicator is a device not unlike a computer PC modem and is used to communicate between an intruder alarm system and an Alarm Receiving Centre. Digital information is passed to the receiving centre carrying a unique reference number (URN) assigned by the Police. From this URN the Police can call up a predetermined response plan.

The Digital communicator is a very cost effective method of achieving a Police response, however it has a weakness, namely the phone line. Should the phone line be cut the signals would never reach the receiving centre. This communication method is usually acceptable for most domestic installations but for commercial premises insurers would require a monitored system to have RedCare or Dualcom communication:

BT RedCare Classic

RedCare is a subsidiary of British Telecom, offering a secure method of transmitting signals from an intruder alarm to an ARC. RedCare is also capable of simultaneously communicating several different messages, e.g. Intruder, Fire, and Panic alarms, etc.

Unlike a Digital Communicator no dialling is involved, rather an electronic series of pulses is regularly transmitted via the phone line to the ARC.

Should the phone line be cut no regular pulse is received at the ARC and a line cut condition is signalled resulting in a Police response.

The system only works on a BT line (not via cable providers, for example) and it can only be obtained through an approved intruder alarm company.

It cannot be connected to a phone line which transmits data i.e. fax , modem, EPOS (Electronic Point Of Sale) which can confuse the signals.

Since recent changes to the ACPO policy which requires further communication after a line cut, conventional Redcare has a limited use, and in its place has come Redcare GSM which is Redcare with a Cellnet GSM back up, i.e. when the line is cut a line cut signal is received via the landline then intruder signals are passed via the GSM back up - confirming the activation is genuine.

If your house requires a system capable of signalling a cut phone line then Redcare GSM could be for you.

Please see BT RedCare Classic pdf  for more info.

BT RedCare GSM

BT redcare GSM is the most secure alarm signalling service available on the market today. It is the only dual-signalling system that automatically provides a confirmed activation if both the landline and radio paths are attacked, regardless of which one is attacked first.

redcare GSM offers you double protection by combining redcare's fail-safe alarm signalling technology with BT O2's radio network. It is the only dual signalling system that continuously monitors both the primary and secondary paths, making it one of only a few systems that conform to the highest level - Grade 4 - of European Standard 50131/1.

Please see BT RedCare GSM pdf  for more info

BT RedCare Agile

BT Red Care Agile Monitoring is a Grade 2 Dual path signaling service. The system uses a fixed telephone line and a GPRS Vodafone mobile link to ensure alarm Signals are received by the Alarm Receiving Centre. The Red Care Agile is Continuously Monitored every 24hrs so that your phone line is working correctly and to detect faults on the communication path. If one path fails, the other path is capable of forwarding an alert through the Red Care Agile system to the Alarm Receiving Centre. This system can be fitted to either BT or non BT telephone lines.

Please see BT RedCare Agile pdf  for more info

DualCom GPRS


DualCom GPRS is an advanced communication device for secure alarm reporting, compliant to Grade 2, 3 and 4 of the EN standards. DualCom GPRS is a totally integrated dual-signalling device using both telephone and Vodafone network paths. This combination ensures an alarm signal can be transmitted despite deliberate or accidental failure of either path.


Signaling over IP

Emizon 21 is a managed service in which the alarm signals are actively managed end-to-end; from the alarm panel to the ARC over IP. This means increased reliability, resilience and accountability, adding up to a secure service that you know you can trust. The system is dual path using primarily the IP network if this was to fail the unit will send the activation details via the GPRS network. For any environment with a broadband connection and a spare Ethernet port this system would be available without the need for an additional telephone line. This system has been designed especially with BT’s 21CN program which may have implications for many traditional types of signaling systems.

Please see Emizon 21 website for more info

If you would like more information on the above products or would like to talk to one of our techinical department on deciding the best signalling for your promises please contact us.