Wireless Signal Transmitter? How To?
 

I have two alarm systems, both antiquated but functional. One is in a building with phone lines and that system is monitored by the alarm company.

Building #2 has power but no phone lines, so the alarm is simply a horn, no monitoring. The insurance company wants this building monitored now.

Buildings are 100' apart, across the street from one another, so a wire is not an option.

(A new alarm system is not an option, nor is adding the phone line to building no. 2.)

I can program the un-monitored alarm to close a contact on 'alarm' and I can program the monitored building to accept a contact input, I just need to get the signal across the road.

Is there a cheap way to transmit a signal closure in the unmonitored building to the monitored building?


X-10 maybe? It does not have to be 100% super safe or UL approved, just something fairly reliable.

Depends upon what you consider cheap. Yes, you need an RTU or possibly a terminal server either with built in wifi, or then you'd need a couple of wifi waps.

I thought that x10 was only through the power lines in the building, not wireless.

Will this work? I don't know if it will go 100 feet, but you could try.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=84145-65213-0919-9999&lpage=none

I will take a look at Lowes, thanks.

1 channel transmitters and receivers:http://www.attf.com/wire1.htm

You could also probably hack a garage door transmitter and receiver.

Very good, thanks.

More my style. :)

Most alarm companies now have a one-way cell box with batt backup to transmit the alarm to the monitoring operator. Seems to me it was $70-ish and $3 a month cell fee.

The VOIP craze has taken away the conventional telephone access route, and the cell gives a no-power backup to those people.

Setup the bell output to a relay to wireless xmiter on the one system to a receiver and relay on a zone of the other system. When the specified zone goes off you know its the other building. You can locate the transmitter in a location that will give you the best range.

I have used Inovonics FA transmitter's and receiver's before and they have pretty good range a few hundred feet , I am sure other brands will work also maybe linear.

Thanks. One of these suggestions will work.

I don't think I can get cell service for anywhere close to that price in Toronto.

The cell service is a special deal provided thru at least ADT. Whoever does your monitoring will arrange that part, and probably 'give' you the cell box for a contract.