[VoiceOps] [External] Re: Alarm panels and how they dial DTMF digits - pots migration from DMS to Metaswitch issue

[Hunter Fuller]

OK, that makes sense. PLAR is more useful for elevator phones I think, but
perhaps as a stopgap while they migrate to cellular or whatever, it might
be useful to you as well. Given all the trials and tribulations you have
outlined, I'd be considering declining to continue providing service to
these fire alarms as well.

--
Hunter Fuller (they)
Router Jockey
VBH M-1C
+1 256 824 5331

Office of Information Technology
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Network Engineering


On Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 4:12 PM Matthew Yaklin <myaklin at firstlight.net>
wrote:

>
>
> >But if the issue is always at dial time, and never at reporting time, it
> seems like a PLAR would indeed solve it...?
>
>
>
> ---- Sorry Hunter. I should have googled what a PLAR was. I am not used to
> that acronym. Basically, a hotline. Pick up the line it dials a specific
> number. I was thinking digit manipulation for some reason.
>
>
>
> ----- Normally a fire alarm panel has two lines plugged into it. It can be
> programmed with multiple numbers it tries to dial. If one line is down or
> the number it dialed is busy it will try the other line or another number.
>
>
>
> ----- I am not sure if that would be allowed. I think in the case of a
> fire alarm panel it has to work properly with our pots or we simply tell
> the customer to find a pots line that works with a different provider. I
> doubt we would be comfortable with that as a solution.
>
>
>
>
>
> Matt
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Hunter Fuller (they)
> Router Jockey
> VBH M-1C
> +1 256 824 5331
>
> Office of Information Technology
> The University of Alabama in Huntsville
> Network Engineering
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 3:48 PM Matthew Yaklin via VoiceOps <
> voiceops at voiceops.org> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >Ok this is a bodge... but if it always dials the same number, and its
> dialing it has an issue with, set it up as a PLAR line? As soon as goes to
> dial just dial the number for it, and leave it to send or not send which
> ever digits of the number it wants....? Its not perfect, the customer needs
> to know you need to know if the alarm panel people ever change the number,
> but would get it working?
>
>
>
> ---- To keep our discussion simple, I gave the most common error case
> which is missing digits. There are variations to the issue and I doubt that
> would be feasible on a dozen lines when the error can vary slightly
> depending on the factors causing the problem. Sometimes it can be two
> missing digits. Sometimes it can dial properly in some pots examples. Next
> time it dials something else is missing.
>
>
>
> ---- As times goes on the company has lost a lot of the copper knowledge
> we used to have. A lot of old school CO techs are retired. I relied on
> turnstones and other central office gear to test copper pairs. T1s are
> easy. This is getting into the nitty gritty realm of pots lines that
> normally I can figure out with research but this is an odd one.
>
>
>
> ---- Like I mentioned. I will send an email shortly to all the relevant
> parties that getting an ADTRAN eng on the line to use those superuser temp
> passwords is my last real chance to solve this short of using suggestions
> people made here about getting specialized gear and checking the specs of
> what things are doing. Even if we did prove the old fire alarm panels are
> doing something wrong “it worked on the DMS” will be said back to us. End
> result is the same. Go find a different provider.
>
>
>
> ---- I am just annoyed I have a problem and I cannot seem to figure it
> out. I don’t like the taste of it at all.
>
>
>
> Matt
>
>
>
>
>
> Matt
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, 13 Feb 2023 at 21:29, Jay Hennigan via VoiceOps <
> voiceops at voiceops.org> wrote:
>
> On 2/13/23 13:20, Matthew Yaklin wrote:
>
> > ----- ADTRAN went straight to examining the dialing-plan in the TA5000
> when I shared my config with them for those exact reasons. We both agreed
> since digits were missing in the middle in many cases this was probably not
> a dialing-plan issue or DTMF/pulse dial issue. They signed off on our
> config as proper.
>
> Does the Adtran detect pulse dialing? That might be an option if the
> alarm panel can be configured for it.
>
> Is it just one make and model of alarm panel that fails? Do the tones
> sound off or different with a butt-set bridged in monitor mode? See if
> someone local has a SAGE 930A that you can borrow, that will definitely
> tell you if the DTMF is in spec.
>
> --
> Jay Hennigan - jay at west.net
> Network Engineering - CCIE #7880
> 503 897-8550 - WB6RDV
>
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