Alarm system not taking incoming call (ring issue?)

[Thomasvs]

I am using the OBi200 with VOIP.ms. The line is used mainly for my alarm system (self monitoring). The system is calling me whenever there is an alarm. No problems here.
The alarm system I have has a feature that allows me to call in (to turn it on or off, to listen in, etc.) The system is setup to take the call after 2 rings. This feature works with a traditional phone line but it does not work with the OBi phone line. It rings many times and the alarm system does not take the call.
Is there a specific ring pattern / parameter that exactly replicates what the alarm system is expecting? What would those parameters be and how do I go about changing it? 

Thank you.

[MikeHObi]

your alarm system may be expecting a specific ring frequency and depending on how you configured your obi the frequency of ring it generates may not be correct.  Have you hooked a phone to it to see what it sounds like?

[Thomasvs]

Mike. I experimented with a few different ring patterns but none of my attempts worked (i.e. alarm system does not take the call after the required number of rings). I am trying to replicate as close as possible the ring pattern I have on my land line. Would anyone know what the "standard" ring pattern parameters is?
I wonder if there is any other parameter related to the ring that could be changed. (perhaps voltage?).

[Thomasvs]

I now tried to tweak with different values for "Ringvoltage" "Ringfrequency" and "RingWaveform" without success.  When I switch the alarm system to a standard land phone line, the alarm system takes the call at the first ring. With the OBi device (OBi200) it rings many times without taking the call.
Does anyone have a suggestion?

[RFord]

I do not have a solution for you, but is there anything you can tweak from the Alarm System side? 

What are the Make and Model of your Alarm System?  If you have an Ademco or DSC System, you might want to look at this device for self-monitoring:

EnvisaLink 3

http://www.eyezon.com/?page_id=176

It is a free solution and you can arm, disarm, get alerts (including alarm events, etc.) and do a lot with this $99 device.


Have you tried contacting OBi or VOIP.ms folks to see if they can offer some assistance?

[QBZappy]

@RFord

I'm too curious, I need to ask if you are the mayor of Toronto (Canada)? 

[drgeoff]

Three simple questions with simple answers. 

Have you tried connecting a phone in place of the alarm system to the OBi and calling in?

Have you tried connecting both a phone and the alarm system (using a T-connector or doubler or whatever they are called in the US) to the OBi and calling in?

I really don't expect it to make any difference but have you tried setting the Phone Port, Idle Polarity to Reverse?

[Thomasvs]

To the various questions:
I bought my alarm system on ebay and it is a no-brand Chinese made system (Model Z64).  There is not much documentation for it. Nevertheless, the fact is that the "receive call" feature of the alarm system works with the regular land line but not with the OBi device. (Calling out works without a problem)

I have a phone connected to the output of the alarm system so I can also hear the phone ring.

I tried the idle polarity reversed but it did not make a difference.

I wonder if the voltage needs to be higher than the 82 volts that the system allows (It can be set from 55 to 82). I read that the standard for a regular land line is 90VAC.

Has anyone have issues with answering machines or fax machines not receiving calls?

Any suggestions?   

[MikeHObi]

Has anyone have issues with answering machines or fax machines not receiving calls?

Any suggestions?   

Open a ticket with Obihai and see if they can provide some suggestions.  I assume they have better understanding of their device and what they are doing to generate the ring tone. 

If they provide some assistance the post back what it was that solved it.

Note in the US, minimum must detect ring voltage supplied is 40Vrms.  Minimum ignore value is 10Vrms.

http://www.epanorama.net/documents/telecom/telephone_ringer.html

[giqcass]

What is the model of the alarm?  If we can pull information up about it we will have a better understanding of the problem. Since we have so little information about it I can only speculate but I am guessing you programmed it to answer calls from specific numbers.  Is that correct?   I suspect the way Caller Id is transmitted might be part of the issue.  There may be a way for the Obi to intercept the call adjust the CID and possibly fix your problem.

[MikeHObi]

What is the model of the alarm? 

Z64 as noted above.  I'm pretty sure it is close to this model
http://yy-electron.com/z64usermanual.pdf

[Thomasvs]

It is basically the same alarm system as shown on the PDF.
The only difference is that the version shown works with a SIM card / cellular service.
Mine works via regular phone line.

[giqcass]

Sorry, read the post but I somehow missed the answer.  I'm going to look things over and see if I can see anything useful.

[RFord]

.
.
I wonder if the voltage needs to be higher than the 82 volts that the system allows (It can be set from 55 to 82). I read that the standard for a regular land line is 90VAC.

Any suggestions?   

From memory, the normal setup to approximate a PSTN line is:

Ring Wave Form:  Sinusoid (OBi ATA = Sinusoidal)
Ring Voltage:       90  (OBi ATA only goes to 82; not sure what happens if you enter 90 in the box provided)
Ring Frequency:   25
CWT Frequency:  440@-10 (not sure where you would enter this value on the OBi ATA)

Do you have a spare PAP2T-NA or SPA3102, etc., where you can register this ATA (with VOIP.ms) with the values posted above to see if it makes a difference?

[RFord]

@RFord

I'm too curious, I need to ask if you are the mayor of Toronto (Canada)? 

Only when I'm high on crack cocaine or defaulting to my Jamaican accent   

[Thomasvs]

The Obihai support could not help me either. It seems that the issue may be the ring voltage.
Standard phones use 90V, the max for the Obi is 82V (Not sure why they would do that).
The only suggestion I got was to acquire a "Ring Voltage Booster".
The only one I can find is quite costly compared with the cost of the Obi device.
Any suggestions anyone?

[MikeHObi]

Standard phones use 90V, the max for the Obi is 82V (Not sure why they would do that).

Standard in what country?  Nominal is 90V but U.S. standard requires ring detect at minimum voltage of 40V.  If the Obi is putting out 82V that should be plenty for ring detect on devices meeting US standards.  My guess is that your alarm system board may have  degraded component which is causing it to require out of spec values.

Max voltage per the U.S. standards is 180V

If you feel that you need more voltage, there is a company that sells a ring voltage booster.  It's not cheap, but it will boost ring voltage to 90v.
http://www.sandman.com/longloop.html

[Thomasvs]

Found a relatively inexpensive (around $20) work around solution for my ring detection issue.

I purchase an "EasyJack2" electric outlet phone line extension. I just placed the EasyJack base unit and the extension unit side by side on an electric extension bar. I connected the OBi to the base unit and the Alarm to the extension unit.

The alarm system now detects the ring signal generated by the EasyJack.

Of course I would prefer if the Obi's ring signal (voltage) could be configured to work with the alarm system in the first place.