M1 GSM monitoring

jcalisi

Member
I'm looking for advice on which way to go for monitoring for a new install for elk m1. I have a local company that wants to install the Telguard TG1B GSM and monitor for 28 with no contract. Can't complain about the price just wanted to make sure this is the right path to take. Any suggestions?
 
Depends on the level of supervision and integration you're intending.

Personally, I'd go with a Uplink 2500 and serial into it from the M1, with bidirectional communication to the M1. I finally had an account with this config generate troubles and signals via the text rules that Elk recommends/suggests, so it's a much cleaner and elegant solution compared to a simple trouble relay being tied to the panel and dialer capture format.

For that matter, I don't know why they're suggesting a TG1B instead of a TG1E, far less power hungry and works just the same.

Irregardless, plan on replacement in 2016.
 
after looking at the notes the uplink 4550 looks to be the better path. so I would need to get a m1xsp to go along with it. has anyone integrated this with their m1?
 
Dont rush out just yet....Im not sure the XSP supports the 4550.

I know it has special firmware for the 2500, but not sure if that firmware works with the 4550 as well.
 
Because the standard offerings are normally 3G CDMA or GSM which should all be going EOL soon to support the new 4G LTE that's basically the new global standard.
 
Ah ok. I would think that since we are using the voice portion of the channel, it woud still work. The 3G vs 4G has to do with data rates, correct? I think the voice part of GSM would be the same. Or at least they would make 4G backward compatible for voice calls. Otherwise there will be a lot of outdated equipment out there.
 
Here is the response I got from Elk...

"The Uplink 4550 works on Dial Capture (Contact ID, SIA, Modem II, and certain pulse formats) and also has 2 dedicated hardwired input triggers. The dial capture should work with the M1 Control, although we have not tested it. The M1 can provide an output in alarm to trigger the inputs the Uplink, but you will not get full reporting using this method, only general alarm."
 
Yeah, the next question should be if they plan on releasing a firmware for the XSP to support it the same way it supports the 2500, full reporting.
 
and the answer is...

"We will not be releasing anything for this unit. It does not have a serial port, therefore we cannot not interface with it using the M1XSP. The dial capture feature should provide full reporting via Contact ID or SIA."
 
and the answer is...

"We will not be releasing anything for this unit. It does not have a serial port, therefore we cannot not interface with it using the M1XSP. The dial capture feature should provide full reporting via Contact ID or SIA."

Stinks! I guess its more Uplinks issue than Elks.
 
Unless DEL knows something I don't, chances are that the older units will have more of a 5-6 year life before you really care about replacement - that 3G infrastructure isn't going anywhere overnight. But if you want to benefit from better coverage from new tower builds/upgrades, you'll want to upgrade sooner rather than later.
 
Bear with me, it's been a long day after a catastrophic server failure at one of our sites. Still attempting data recovery.

The 2016 date has already been published and confirmed for the 2G network. Based on the AMPS project we had to undertake, the sunset date isn't set in stone, but I wouldn't want to find out the hard way that the network support had been stopped before dialer replacement.

Whether or not the service is CDMA or GSM is irrelevent, that's a carrier level issue and determined by the cell dialer/carrier chosen. The majority of units out there presently are 2G, so unless you get a specific 3G unit (few out there) you're going to need to wait a bit for more to come out. Uplink is offering an option to dealers at a higher subscriber cost to subsidize and cover the replacement when it happens, but the overall cost could be banked and put to buying another dialer at the point it's needed, depending on your service carrier's pricing structure.

As far as ideal, with the M1G, at this point, I'd still go with a unit that is serial data compatible over dialer capture as long as that option is available, just because of the nature of the beast.
 
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