LTE replacement for a PSTN dialler

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daern

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I have a 20 year old Honeywell PSTN dialler that was a carry-over from my old alarm and is now running on a Texecom Premier Elite (driven from IOs), but as we move to FTTP, it's occurred to me that the PSTN line will vanish, and I will need a new solution to replace this. I already have internet-based notifications (through ComIP / Home Assistant), but would like to retain a secondary notification channel.

What options are there available that either integrate directly with the Texecom alarm, or could be driven directly from the IO as I do currently for my existing dialler? I would also be interested in hearing what people do for sims for these too - obviously I don't want an expensive monthly airtime bill for something that only gets used once in a blue moon!
 
Problem with pay as you go sims is people forget to test / make that monthly call and they get cancelled ….look at the smart com with sim , this may be your cheapest option
 
most gsm diallers are 2G and slowly being upgraded in some cases.

Texecom have there own which is limited to functionality, indeed I have one on ebay at approximately half retail price new and unused.

the problem with Texecoms own unit is its connected to a com port of which you have three already occupied, smart com and comip modules?

GJD710 is an option we fit that has tamper and outputs as well as a few inpuits with the ability to have voice calls as well as sms over GSM.

Obviously you will need a test on a payasyougo sim to keep it alive. Although the likes of some registered payasyou card cards you may get notified of inactivity, a few customers on giff gaff I know have been notified via email however it does rely on you checking your email.
 
Thanks gents, much appreciated.
sparkymarka said:
look at the smart com with sim , this may be your cheapest option
Click to expand...

I will do so and have a read of the documentation. Downside of this is that I suspect it will only notify through Texecom Cloud and their app, which is not what I want. Not sure if it can just send SMS / call direct, but I suspect not.

secureiam said:
the problem with Texecoms own unit is its connected to a com port of which you have three already occupied, smart com and comip modules?
Click to expand...

I could replace my existing SmartCom with the SmartCom 4G if needed, so would avoid the com port limitations, but if it's a dedicated dialler, then it's not going to work as you are quite correct in saying that I'm out of ports.

secureiam said:
most gsm diallers are 2G and slowly being upgraded in some cases.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'd probably been a bit over-enthusiastic looking at 4G kit. As it happens, 2G switch-off is still a long way off in the UK (if ever, TBH) so I suspect this bit of futureproofing isn't needed.

Having a poke around, I found this rather nice piece of kit: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194492918746 - as it happens, I already use an ESP8266 (its less powerful cousin) to provide my main notifications for the alarm, so it should (!!) be trivial to replace with this and augment with SMS / dial-out. It's cheap enough to take a punt, and if it goes nowhere, I'll probably spend a few more quid and return to a more traditional solution!

Good call on PAYG vs contract sims for security use. I'll investigate this further.
 
You can get a security sim preloaded with credit for 12 months that doesn’t run out then I think they email you to top up again
 
Smarty is on 3 network and most gsm units use the 2G network so probably won’t work
 
sparkymarka said:
Smarty is on 3 network and most gsm units use the 2G network so probably won’t work
Click to expand...
Yes, indeed, you are quite right:

If you have a 2G device and your SIM does initially connect to the SMARTY network, this will only be temporary. Our systems will detect this pretty quickly and your device will soon stop working.​

Will have a look into some other options over the weekend.
 
daern said:
Yes, indeed, you are quite right:

If you have a 2G device and your SIM does initially connect to the SMARTY network, this will only be temporary. Our systems will detect this pretty quickly and your device will soon stop working.​

Will have a look into some other options over the weekend.
Click to expand...
recently bought a Menvier SD3 and that uses the 3G network.
 
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