Telephony
Telephony is the science of translating sounds into electrical signals, transmitting the signals and then converting them back to sound - basically, the science of telephones. The term is used frequently to refer to computers that perform functions traditionally performed by telephone equipment.
Home Security uses a fully managed, computer telephone system (Telephony), which tracks Caller I.D. and performs other sophisticated functions, such as automatic dialing. All outbound dialing is handled through our alarm automation software employing Telephony. By using this technology, in combination with our direct T-1.5 access to our long distance provider’s network, we are able to achieve a one second connection time anywhere in the United States.
Every alarm signal transmitted to our Central Station has an accompanying Caller I.D. record. Our alarm automation software matches this data with the customer’s account number to validate your specific customer location. If the Caller I.D. record doesn’t match what we have on file for your customer, our software immediately alerts the security dispatcher for further investigation. This Telephony feature affords us a higher degree of informational accuracy making improperly dispatched alarms nearly a thing of the past.
Another use of this functionality would be to “divert an account.” This is done when an account becomes a “runaway” or when one is sending seemingly endless signals without a resolution. HSMC can instruct our phone switch, using Telephony’s powerful software and caller I.D. capabilities, to “divert” all signals sent from a specific account. They are then transferred away from our receivers to a “non-answered,” or “phantom” extension. This stops the signals from accessing our receivers, which enables us to deal with higher priority alarms. We then can calmly notify the necessary persons about the “runaway” problem now that it is no longer sending streams of signals to be dealt with to the dispatcher’s monitoring screen. For those dealers that have their own 800 telephone numbers at our Central Station, “diverting the account” will save them money, since the “phantom” extension is not answered and the “runaway” account will no longer be racking up repeated telephone charges.
Please Note: Only the alarm transmissions from the panel are diverted. Normal telephone calls from the premises are unaffected by the “diversion” process. When the crisis has been handled, the account is then placed back in-service and all normal functionality is restored.