The short answer: if your alarm system still sends signals to the monitoring center over a traditional phone line, it’s worth upgrading to a cellular communicator. Phone lines can be cut, switched to digital service without you realizing it, or knocked out in an outage, and when that happens your alarm may not be able to call for help.
The communicator is the part of your alarm that actually reports to the central station. The sensors, keypad, and siren can all work perfectly, but if the communicator can’t get a signal out, nobody is coming.
Why Phone-Line Alarms Are a Problem Today
Copper landlines are disappearing
Phone carriers have been retiring old copper lines and moving customers to digital phone service. Many homeowners and businesses get switched without realizing it affects their alarm.
Digital phone service doesn’t always play nice with alarms
Alarm panels were designed to “dial out” over traditional analog lines. Phone service that runs through your cable or fiber internet modem can drop or garble alarm signals, and it goes down any time your internet does.
Phone lines can be cut
Phone lines often run on the outside of the building. A burglar who knows what they’re doing can cut the line before breaking in.
Outages take you offline
When Optimum or Verizon Fios goes down, so does phone service that runs through it, and with it, your alarm’s connection to the monitoring center. Our Long Island Outage Center covers this in more detail.
Cellular and Dual-Path Communicators
A cellular communicator sends alarm signals over the cellular network, the same way your phone does. It doesn’t depend on a phone line or your internet connection.
A dual-path communicator uses two connections, typically cellular plus internet, so if one fails, the other takes over. For businesses, and for anyone who wants the most reliable setup, dual-path is the way to go.
Many cellular communicators also unlock app control, so you can arm, disarm, and get alerts from your phone, which phone-line systems usually can’t do.
Signs Your System Needs an Upgrade
- Your alarm company has never mentioned how your system communicates
- You switched phone or internet providers and nobody checked your alarm
- You see communication trouble or “failure to communicate” messages on your keypad
- You can’t control your system from your phone
- Your system is more than 10 years old
The Upgrade Is Usually Simple
In many cases, we can add a cellular communicator to your existing panel without replacing the whole system. Your sensors and keypads stay; only the way the system talks to the monitoring center changes. Learn more about our 24/7 alarm monitoring.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my alarm uses a phone line?
Look for a phone cord running from your alarm panel to a wall jack, or ask your monitoring company. If you’re a CWC customer, call us and we’ll check your account.
Can I cancel my landline after upgrading?
Once your alarm is on cellular and tested, most people no longer need a landline for the alarm. Just confirm with us first so monitoring isn’t interrupted.
Does a cellular communicator cost more?
There’s typically a modest equipment cost and sometimes a small change to monitoring. Many customers offset it by dropping a landline they were only keeping for the alarm.
Talk to a Local Expert
CWC Security has protected homes and businesses across Nassau and Suffolk County since 2012. Call us at (516) 889-3600 or request a free consultation and we’ll walk your property and tell you exactly what makes sense, and what doesn’t.