Invalid Signals from Elk M1

[smolino]

I have an Elk M1 system connecting via a POTS line to Alarm Relay. Occasionally I receive a report from Alarm Relay that they have received an "Invalid Signal" from my panel. I'm assuming that they are indicating that they have received a corrupted Contact ID stream. In each case they should have received a valid trip of some sort but instead got invalid data. The Invalid signals are random, today I put my system in test and tripped every point on my system, around 40 points, and one was reported as "Invalid" by Alarm Relay.

Where should I begin looking to pinpoint the cause of this problem?

Phone Line?
Dialer on the M1?

As a side question, I am assuming that because Alarm Relay does not receive the valid data after the corrupted data that there is no "handshake" between the panel and receiver to insure that the data was received correctly?

 

[Del91574]

Ask them what the raw data received to them is.

You could try loading a default blank program in the M1, then reloading your DB, rulling out a corrupted DB, but I'm not buying the M1 being the problem. You could listen via a butt set while the panel is communicating, but unless you're familiar with how CID sounds, what you gain from listening to the reports.

Depending on your restorals and other reports (if enabled) you could be dumping a pile of signals, alarms and restorals at the same time offhook, but the M1 can only send a single signal at a time after the handshake.

Sounds like a problem with their virtual receiver or automation software to me. I don't believe they're using true receivers in this case.