Network Remote Connector & Pinger

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the need for a reliable communication system for a smoke detector alarm setup in a separate building. Participants explore various devices and methods to ensure constant connectivity and immediate notifications when the alarm is triggered, including considerations for network reliability versus GSM solutions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks a device that continuously pings a remote location and receives pings every 15 seconds to maintain communication with a smoke detector system.
  • Another suggests using a wireless camera system like Canary for notifications under various conditions, highlighting its environmental monitoring capabilities.
  • A participant questions the necessity of dual pinging, suggesting that a successful ping indicates communication is already established.
  • Concerns are raised about the reliability of GSM systems, with a preference expressed for network-based solutions that can provide constant updates.
  • Some participants mention the potential for a custom solution using a Raspberry Pi and a web application to facilitate the desired communication setup.
  • There are discussions about the limitations of existing products, such as the inability of the Canary system to connect to a Honeywell fire relay output.
  • One participant shares a link to a Honeywell product as a possible solution, while also noting the need for a network alarm reporting system.
  • Suggestions include contacting the vendor for assistance, although one participant reports a lack of expertise from the vendor regarding remote management solutions.
  • A recommendation is made to search for "security push notifications" as a potential term to find relevant solutions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a variety of views on the best approach to achieve reliable communication for the alarm system, with no consensus reached on a single solution. There are competing ideas regarding the use of different technologies and devices, as well as differing opinions on the necessity and effectiveness of certain features.

Contextual Notes

Participants note various limitations and challenges, such as the unreliability of GSM in areas with poor cellular coverage and the need for a device that can accept relay inputs. There are also unresolved questions about the specific technical requirements for the desired setup.

dahoa
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I have an alarm system in separate building. When the smoke detector detects smoke or fire.. the mother unit will ring my cell and text me... I need a device where it constantly sends ping to the remote location and the remote location pings my device every 15 seconds.. this is to ensure there is always open communication between the remote site and me.. and then when the smoke detector and alarm triggers.. I want it to send the signal directly to my device... what kind of equipment must I look for? Thank you.
 
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dahoa said:
I have an alarm system in separate building. When the smoke detector detects smoke or fire.. the mother unit will ring my cell and text me... I need a device where it constantly sends ping to the remote location and the remote location pings my device every 15 seconds.. this is to ensure there is always open communication between the remote site and me.. and then when the smoke detector and alarm triggers.. I want it to send the signal directly to my device... what kind of equipment must I look for? Thank you.
You don't need to do both. If you ping a device from your PC or phone and it responds, you don't need to have it ping you since it just communicated with you. It's very easy to do this on a Windows PC so I assume it's probably easy to write an Android or Apple app to do the same.
 
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There are so many ways things can fail that it would impossible to protect against all of them.

I am reminded of a Boston court that was about to announce a major decision. They checked and rechecked their communication lines and had a prepared for each possible decision. Fifteen minutes before the announcement, unbeknownst to them, a backhoe outside cut all communication lines to the courthouse rendering their plans null and void.

It seems a security monitoring company could handle this eventuality and notify you and emergency services when communication breaks down. Otherwise using a web server with a web app could do it. That’s why I mentioned the Canary. It has environment, motion, ... and I think would notify you if a disconnect occurred as well as capturing video of the room.
 
jedishrfu said:
There are so many ways things can fail that it would impossible to protect against all of them.

I am reminded of a Boston court that was about to announce a major decision. They checked and rechecked their communication lines and had a prepared for each possible decision. Fifteen minutes before the announcement, unbeknownst to them, a backhoe outside cut all communication lines to the courthouse rendering their plans null and void.

It seems a security monitoring company could handle this eventuality and notify you and emergency services when communication breaks down. Otherwise using a web server with a web app could do it. That’s why I mentioned the Canary. It has environment, motion, ... and I think would notify you if a disconnect occurred as well as capturing video of the room.

Problem with the canary is you can't connect the Honeywell fire relay output to it (Canary has no relay input)... it's independent of the Honeywell and I already have good cctv network.. just want something to connect network (with constant ping update) to the remote location with it accepting relay input of 0 or 1 (disconnected or connected). that's all.. I don't want to put laptop in the remote location.. just a device for this purpose I described.
 
Okay, here’s another option

https://www.security.honeywell.com/hsc/products/intruder-detection-systems/control-panel/fire-burglary/413665.html

Other than that, you might need a custom solution perhaps with a raspberry pi computer and nodejs web application but you still need an app on your phone for the heartbeat ping.
 
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jedishrfu said:
Okay, here’s another option

https://www.security.honeywell.com/hsc/products/intruder-detection-systems/control-panel/fire-burglary/413665.html

Other than that, you might need a custom solution perhaps with a raspberry pi computer and nodejs web application but you still need an app on your phone for the heartbeat ping.

I already bought a Honeywell unit with 80 zones alarm and 20 smoke detector already installed.. I just need network alarm reporting.. not GSM which I already have.. GSM has weakness in that if suddenly there is no cellular coverage.. then it can't report it to my cell whereas network reporting with constant ping can make me be connected with it always. In the even the ping fails.. I can use my direct video feed to look at the lcd panel.. and if this fails.. then I'll go to the remote building which is just a mile away.
 
Why not contact the vendor who sold it to you then? I’m sure they have other folks with the same problem.
 
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jedishrfu said:
Why not contact the vendor who sold it to you then? I’m sure they have other folks with the same problem.

They didn't have experience with remote management.. all of their customers have personnel besides the panel. They didn't even know how to connect the Output Relay to a GSM dialer asking me what is a GSM dialer... I just need a network notifier.. what is the proper term for this so I can google the terms?
 
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Try searching on "security push notifications".

This is what I found:

https://community.smartthings.com/t...-get-notified-if-devices-stop-reporting/41141

Apparently, its code that you run that monitors things. A quick look though and its quite extensive so maybe not what you're looking for.

My guess is you could setup a web server at your center to be pinged and another web server+app to ping it and notify you by cell phone when it goes offline. You wouldn't want your cellphone to do this due to chewing up your bandwidth and exceeding your data limits.

Here's a nodejs solutin of sorts:

https://github.hubspot.com/offline/docs/welcome/
 
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