MANAGEMENT
SECURITY
For technology’s sake
One of the most important considerations after the design of a security system is sending a signal from the premises to
the alarm receiving centre and ensuring the monitoring path is available when required, ADT investigates…
Technology has moved a long way
since an automated tape machine
dialled 999 and played a pre-recorded
message to the police. Until recently,
monitored secure signalling relied
heavily on the use of PSTN telephone
networks, using either Redcare or
DualCom. The main requirement
being that should the signal path fail,
operatives in the alarm receiving centre
are able to notify the building owner
or the emergency services there is a
problem or confirmed attack.
While IP (Internet Protocol) signalling
is being hailed as the next evolution
in monitored signal technology for
intruder alarms, it is being treated
with some caution by the security and
insurance industries particularly when
the reliability of the links in the signalling
chain are examined in more detail.
From a security perspective,
IP signalling has no technological
advantage over existing signalling
methods. The key motivator for
using IP signalling is the potential
of financial savings by removing the
need for a dedicated PSTN telephone
line for the security system’s signalling
connection and utilising instead the
customer’s existing IP computer
network to transmit emergency
alarms and events to the alarm
receiving centre. If the telephone line
is not dedicated to the alarm system
it is questionable as to whether IP
90 July / August 2009
has any significant benefits over other
established signalling methods.
From an insurance perspective there
are some concerns regarding the use
of IP signalling and its general resilience
when utilising an organisations existing
IT infrastructure. These concerns are
reflected in two publications written
by IPCRes (Insurance Property Crime
Research working group).*
IP signalling introduces another link
in the signalling chain which is outside
of the control of the security company
or its third party service providers,
this being the resilience and reliability
of the customers IT infrastructure.
IP signalling is reliable and secure
provided the customer has a stable
and well managed IT infrastructure
and the IP primary signalling path
is backed by a secondary mobile
network GPRS signalling path.
If IP is the only method of alarm
signalling at the premises a failure on
part of that IT network will result in the
signalling going offline and unable to
transmit emergency alarm signals for
the duration of the failure of:
Ê the network (WAN or LAN)
Ê network router or switching
equipment
Ê mains power failure to the premises
or any network routers or
switching equipment
Ê the network point at the
alarm panel
With IP the responsibility for
ensuring the resilience of the
signalling link has shifted from the
Alarm Company to the building
owners network administrator.
Inadvertent (or deliberate) actions
by a company’s staff or network
administrators could result in the
signalling going offline, such as:
Ê closing or changing fire wall ports
Ê changing network router or patch
panel configurations
Ê disconnecting the internet from the
organisations network
Ê failure of the ISP (Internet
Service Provider)
Ê disconnecting power from
equipment on the network
infrastructure
Ê disconnection of the alarm panel
from the IP network
As a result of these considerations
security consultants should strongly
recommend that IP signalling has a
secondary GPRS back-up path to
ensure the signalling method cannot
be compromised.
However, we must not pour scorn
on new technology and evolutions
in signalling, indeed for the right
customer IP is clearly the way forward,
but it is imperative that the risk is
clearly explored before making a
decision. IP signalling might not be for
everyone, and making an informed
decision based on facts rather than
focusing on the so called cost savings
will ensure the best solution.
New technology and innovation
involves a learning process as to how
best to apply the technology to real
situations. The security industry is
still going through that process with
IP signalling as it did with other alarm
signalling methods.
*DOWNLOAD INFORMATION:
In order to download the two
publications written by IPCRes please
visit infires.co.uk/downloads and click
on IP Signalling parts one and two.
Celia Bristow and Peter Stanton:
Marketing Manager and Product
Manager – ADT UK and Ireland
0808 22 33 999 adt.co.uk.
JOE DRIVAS
ANTOINE SAVOLAINEN
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