3G/4G-capable replacement for HAI C3 Communicator?

ano said:
Call your monitoring company, and see what they recommend for your situation. Some equipment works with the Omni, some does not. A good monitoring company should be able to guide you.
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Hello Ano, thanks for replying. I did call them and the refer that I should contact my dealer. The dealer actually told me to get a C3...
 
hamster0204 said:
Hello Ano, thanks for replying. I did call them and the refer that I should contact my dealer. The dealer actually told me to get a C3...
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Sounds like you are in a situation where the monitoring company only deals directly with dealers, and your dealer isn't really supporting you. If you are a bit DIY, and aren't trapped in a contract with the dealer, its probably best to find a monitoring company that will deal directly with the users. There are a few. NextAlarm and AlarmRelay and a few others. I've used them both but use AlarmRelay now and it has been working out pretty good. I'm using a Teleguard TG-1 Express but it doesn't support dialing into the panel unfortunately.
 
ano said:
Sounds like you are in a situation where the monitoring company only deals directly with dealers, and your dealer isn't really supporting you. If you are a bit DIY, and aren't trapped in a contract with the dealer, its probably best to find a monitoring company that will deal directly with the users. There are a few. NextAlarm and AlarmRelay and a few others. I've used them both but use AlarmRelay now and it has been working out pretty good. I'm using a Teleguard TG-1 Express but it doesn't support dialing into the panel unfortunately.
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I will put that into consideration. I recently extended my monitoring contract. I was hoping it will be a simple and cost efficient solution to buy a device that is cheap to do so but I guess not :(
 
 
pete_c said:
Picked up the Ericsson (3G) for less than $100 here from Australia. 
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Pete, which device are you referring? I found 3 Ericsson w35 on ebay. 2 $40 and 1 $135. My only thing is I'm not confident if it'll work. If it doesn't It will be a hassle to return it! What do you think?
 
 
I have not had any issues returning products purchased on Ebay that do not work for me. 
 
I use the W25 today as a back up today to my multiple phone lines (copper and voip and fax).
 
Just got a last minute email from Alarmrelay about my communicator no longer working 12/31/16. They called it final warning. It was also the first warning.
 
There are so many cell communicators on the market now (sole path and dual path).  You have to check them out to see which your insurance company will give a discount on.  Telluer has UL Listed Communicators but their Network Operation Center (basically the server that the Communicator talks to and relays the signal to your Central Station) does not seem to be UL Listed and some insurance companies will not extend the discount.  Some localities wont accept them either.
 
I know that if the Telluer Communicator does not get the alarm through to the Central Station it does not necessarily give a local indication that it failed (your panel will not beep etc).  So you think help is coming and its not.  We tested it so many times and then called their tech support (as should you if you use them) and they confirmed to us that as long as the Communicator can reach their server then they kiss off the alarm panel.  But if the server cant pass the message to the Central Station you would not know (well you may if you live through the emergency).  Some people may not care but if you want/need to know that the alarm message does not make it through you may want to consider another brand.
 
DMP, DSC, Honeywell, Napco etc all have UL Listed Communicators and Servers (DSC I believe actually do not use a Server and go direct to the CS but may not have as many features as some of the other mfg's). 
 
Another consideration is can the communicator firmware be updated over the air or does the dealer/installer need to roll a truck?  If you search the internet you can find where some mfg's had to update all of their installed devices and the dealers had to send a tech to the premise.  In one case it was a couple of hours to update and verify the change to the firmware because the unit was not really designed to be updated (they came up with a workaround i.e. stand on your head, hold your nose and download for 40 mins and reboot and test etc).
 
No mfg is perfect but you want a device that will be reliable when you need it.
 
hamster0204 said:
Hey guys, I hope this thread is not dead yet. I went through the topic and believes the C3 is an old technology now and I tried a XLink, but it didn't work. I currently have T-mobile sim cards with numbers sitting around. All I need is a device that can successfully convert the sim or cellphone signal to landline and allow my Omni to send out the signal to the monitor center. My Xlink BTTN can't send out the signal properly to the monitor center. It dials but I don't think it can convert the FSK through bluetooth to my Omni or the monitor center. I googled some of the devices mentioned on the forum/topic but Ericsson seems like an overkill, the ZTE MF608 is nowhere to be found, ZTE WF720 works only for AT&T. Any suggestion? much appreciated
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T mobile has stated that they will continue with 2g service through at least 2020.  T-mobile sim card works in the C3.  https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/news-and-blogs/att-2g-iot-lifeline.htm
 
So, a C3 qualifies for what you are looking for.  
 
Fearless said:
Just got a last minute email from Alarmrelay about my communicator no longer working 12/31/16. They called it final warning. It was also the first warning.
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At least you found out in advance.  I replaced the one at my office because they said it needed updating and did that prior to the end of the year.  They told me my home monitor was fine.  They were wrong and it went down today.  I guess I am getting a TG1-Express myself.
 
I'm having trouble getting an OmniPro II panel to communicate using a ZTE WF720 cellular device. The system communicated without difficulty plugged into a POTS. The ZTE WF720 works just fine with a landline phone plugged in, but when the OmniPro II panel is switched from the POTS to the WF720, the alarm call (to Alarm Relay) doesn't go through. Any thoughts?
 
I can't provide any help with the ZTE WF730.

However, I can confirm that I switched to a Telguard TG-SCI PLUS (Part NumberTGSCIPG01) Wi-Fi + Cellular communicator and it works without issue. Lower monthly fee due to Wi-Fi being the primary path and Cellular serving only as occasional use backup.
 
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