Home Alarm without Home Phoneline

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Mar 3rd, 2021 11:18 pm

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Feb 28th, 2021 5:13 pm

Corinthein [OP]: Deal Addict; May 2, 2006; 1355 posts; 267 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 5:13 pm

Home Alarm without Home Phoneline

Hi,
I have an alarm system monitored by the Monitoring Center. I'd like to scrap my home phone line, as it's only real use is for the alarm. I've heard that the alarm signal can still be sent to the monitoring center even if I don't have a home phone subscription with Bell. Any truth to this?
Thanks

16 replies

Feb 28th, 2021 5:31 pm

sunnybono: Deal Fanatic; Nov 13, 2005; 5897 posts; 301 upvotes; GTA

Feb 28th, 2021 5:31 pm

I got rid of my bell home line a few years ago. All I did was tell the alarm company of the upcoming change and the sent a tech to update my system. The added a plugged in device inside one of my bedrooms that uses cellular signal. Works like a charm.

Looks like my RFD account was recently hacked. I do not sell anything on RFD especially GC's.

Feb 28th, 2021 5:37 pm

jayoldschool: Deal Addict; Sep 4, 2006; 1448 posts; 1271 upvotes; Ottawa

Feb 28th, 2021 5:37 pm

Add this inexpensive board, plug in ethernet, and monitor it yourself!

https://www.eyezon.com/evl4.php

+1

Feb 28th, 2021 6:24 pm

jm1: Deal Addict; Jan 5, 2003; 4991 posts; 4899 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 28th, 2021 6:24 pm

If you want to stick with The Monitoring Centre's monitoring service, they charge an additional $10/month for cellular service (what sunnybono above is talking about). Might have an additional one-time charge for additional equipment, but it depends on what you currently have. You can also have them monitor via internet for an additional $6/month if you have certain newer equipment. See here: LINK

If you compare it with what you're paying Bell for the landline, you'll likely still save some money.

Feb 28th, 2021 7:24 pm

Corinthein [OP]: Deal Addict; May 2, 2006; 1355 posts; 267 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 7:24 pm

Great info everyone. Thanks for the replies

Feb 28th, 2021 7:36 pm

EugW: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2009; 22056 posts; 8447 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 28th, 2021 7:36 pm

For my DSC PC3000 home alarm setup, The Monitoring Centre wanted to charge $900+ in equipment up front to upgrade to cellular, plus charge me $10 extra per month for cellular support.

So I just kept my “land line”. Except it’s not a land line. It’s bundled with my TV + internet and simulates a land line via internet. I cancelled my Bell copper landline and got the internet based one. It’s not regular VoIP (which can have have major problems home alarms and fax) but a direct land line replacement that both Rogers and Bell offer (that works with traditional home alarms and fax machines).

Over the years this internet-based landline replacement has cost me $0 to $10 per month as part the bundle... and $10 is which is what The Monitoring Centre would have charged me monthly for cellular anyway.

Note that a lot of the Rogers agents are not aware that their Ignite Home Phone offering is a direct landline replacement that works with wired home alarm systems and fax machines. They are not properly educated on this, and I think this is on purpose. Instead, they are taught to offer their Smart Home Monitoring, which is a complete waste of money if you already have a hardwired home alarm system of course.

Last edited by EugW on Feb 28th, 2021 7:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Feb 28th, 2021 7:42 pm

sunnybono: Deal Fanatic; Nov 13, 2005; 5897 posts; 301 upvotes; GTA

Feb 28th, 2021 7:42 pm

jm1 wrote: ↑ If you want to stick with The Monitoring Centre's monitoring service, they charge an additional $10/month for cellular service (what sunnybono above is talking about). Might have an additional one-time charge for additional equipment, but it depends on what you currently have. You can also have them monitor via internet for an additional $6/month if you have certain newer equipment. See here: LINK

If you compare it with what you're paying Bell for the landline, you'll likely still save some money.

Wow.. I'm with Grand alarms (builder's alarm company) and it didn't cost me anything extra. In fact I'm payment the same monthly amount that I've been paying for 16+ years

Looks like my RFD account was recently hacked. I do not sell anything on RFD especially GC's.

Feb 28th, 2021 7:47 pm

EugW: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2009; 22056 posts; 8447 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 28th, 2021 7:47 pm

sunnybono wrote: ↑ Wow.. I'm with Grand alarms (builder's alarm company) and it didn't cost me anything extra. In fact I'm payment the same monthly amount that I've been paying for 16+ years

Yeah, but how much do you pay per month for home monitoring? My neighbour was paying $30 a month to ADT for like 15 years or something, before I told him he could switch to The Monitoring Centre to save $20 per month. He was shocked when I told him that he owned all the equipment after the third year, and he could have switched monitoring companies to pay just $10 per month for his hardwired alarm system, 12 years ago.

I pay $10-13 per month to The Monitoring Centre to use my existing hardwired alarm system. (It's $9.99 month if I prepay 18 months, or $12.99 per month otherwise.) And as mentioned in my previous post, I've been paying my internet provider an extra $0-10 per month for the landline home phone replacement.

BTW, I try renegotiate my internet + TV + home phone bundles every 1-2 years. So, right now, I am paying $104.99 + tax for Ignite Gigabit Internet, Ignite Flex10 TV with 2 TV boxes, and Ignite Home Phone. It would have been $94.99 per month without home phone.

Feb 28th, 2021 10:46 pm

Corinthein [OP]: Deal Addict; May 2, 2006; 1355 posts; 267 upvotes

Feb 28th, 2021 10:46 pm

EugW wrote: ↑ For my DSC PC3000 home alarm setup, The Monitoring Centre wanted to charge $900+ in equipment up front to upgrade to cellular, plus charge me $10 extra per month for cellular support.

So I just kept my “land line”. Except it’s not a land line. It’s bundled with my TV + internet and simulates a land line via internet. I cancelled my Bell copper landline and got the internet based one. It’s not regular VoIP (which can have have major problems home alarms and fax) but a direct land line replacement that both Rogers and Bell offer (that works with traditional home alarms and fax machines).

Over the years this internet-based landline replacement has cost me $0 to $10 per month as part the bundle... and $10 is which is what The Monitoring Centre would have charged me monthly for cellular anyway.

Screen Shot 2021-02-28 at 7.42.41 PM.png

Note that a lot of the Rogers agents are not aware that their Ignite Home Phone offering is a direct landline replacement that works with wired home alarm systems and fax machines. They are not properly educated on this, and I think this is on purpose. Instead, they are taught to offer their Smart Home Monitoring, which is a complete waste of money if you already have a hardwired home alarm system of course.

Great info. Interesting Rogers offers this type of line, however I am with Bell. Maybe they offer something similar. Thanks

Feb 28th, 2021 10:51 pm

vkizzle: Deal Expert; Aug 22, 2011; 40432 posts; 28084 upvotes; Center of Universe

Feb 28th, 2021 10:51 pm

Check out Ring Alarm, but you'll have to buy all new hardware.

+1

Feb 28th, 2021 10:51 pm

EugW: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2009; 22056 posts; 8447 upvotes; Toronto

Feb 28th, 2021 10:51 pm

Corinthein wrote: ↑ Great info. Interesting Rogers offers this type of line, however I am with Bell. Maybe they offer something similar. Thanks

Bell’s Home Hub 3000 gateway for example has telephone jacks on the back. It offers the same internet based landline replacement home phone service. Works out of the box with alarm systems and fax machines, unlike third party VoIP offerings. I had my DSC PC3000 wired home alarm system and fax machine running off Bell’s Home Hub 3000 for years before I switched to Rogers.

The main drawback with these services is that if the modem goes down, so does the telephone, not surprisingly. The other drawbacks with some providers is I think distinctive ring and multiple lines are not offered, but I’m not sure with Bell in 2021.

Also, since the phone line is from the modem, the line will go down with a power outage, but I have my modem on a UPS which can power these devices for a couple of hours.

Mar 1st, 2021 12:10 am

jm1: Deal Addict; Jan 5, 2003; 4991 posts; 4899 upvotes; Toronto

Mar 1st, 2021 12:10 am

EugW wrote: ↑For my DSC PC3000 home alarm setup, The Monitoring Centre wanted to charge $900+ in equipment up front to upgrade to cellular, plus charge me $10 extra per month for cellular support.

I think my extra equipment to make my Ademco Vista 20P work on cellular with The Monitoring Centre was about $200, and that was several years ago. That's why OP needs to contact TMC directly to see what the cost would be for OP's specific equipment.

Mar 1st, 2021 2:04 am

Fantastical: Deal Addict; May 23, 2006; 1685 posts; 705 upvotes; Vancouver

Mar 1st, 2021 2:04 am

Try Hub6 for self monitoring. It works great for me!

https://www.hub6.io/hub6-safe-info?gcli ... gwQAvD_BwE

+1

Mar 2nd, 2021 9:31 pm

rdx: Deal Guru; Jun 7, 2005; 10171 posts; 1393 upvotes; Toronto

Mar 2nd, 2021 9:31 pm

I am using TMC and dropped the phone line 5 years ago and using GSM unit from them. Now I am thinking to switch to HUB6 Safe and drop TMC as well.

Mar 3rd, 2021 7:48 am

EugW: Deal Expert; Mar 23, 2009; 22056 posts; 8447 upvotes; Toronto

Mar 3rd, 2021 7:48 am

Check your insurance policies. You usually will get a discount with a third party monitoring setup. Not sure what they’ll offer fir discounts for self monitored setups.

Mar 3rd, 2021 8:24 am

Jon Lai: Deal Expert; May 30, 2005; 48773 posts; 9998 upvotes; Richmond Hill

Mar 3rd, 2021 8:24 am

EugW wrote: ↑ Check your insurance policies. You usually will get a discount with a third party monitoring setup. Not sure what they’ll offer fir discounts for self monitored setups.

Most don't offer discounts for self-monitoring, but usually the discounts are so small anyways that it's not going to sway your decision. My home insurance would have went down less than $10 per year.

Tons of things for sale!
Silver Coins and Numismatics | Heatware

Mar 3rd, 2021 11:18 pm

esq05: Deal Addict; May 22, 2006; 2682 posts; 1570 upvotes; Toronto

Mar 3rd, 2021 11:18 pm

vkizzle wrote: ↑ Check out Ring Alarm, but you'll have to buy all new hardware.

I recently installed the ring alarm and bought their retrofit kit ($150 at staples, cheaper in the states when on sale with free shipping to Canada). It works with the existing door/window sensors to add zones into the Ring alarm. Unfortunately, doesn't work with the wired motion detector or fire alarms... But they have pretty cheap hardware for that.

Controlling by phone and getting alerts everywhere is amazing. And it's $15/month for professional monitoring, with cellular and battery backup (or less with annual plan) that also includes cloud storage for all your ring video devices and lifetime warranty on all hardware.

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