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Per Mar Security Services
Per Mar Centre
1910 East Kimberly Rd
Davenport, IA 52807
Tel# 1-800-4-PERMAR (737627)
Fax # 563-359-6700

VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol – The Benefits and the Hidden Danger

September is National Preparedness Month

Cost May Kill Travel Program

School Safety: What Parents Can Do To Help

New Alarm Dispatch Policy Now in Effect

In an effort to promote our relationship with your local law enforcement agency, a new dispatch policy is being implemented called Enhanced Call Verification. Enhanced Call Verification will reduce unnecessary police responses due to false alarms.

Many communities around the nation, such as Eau Claire, Wisconsin, have made it a law that a second call from the alarm company must be made to the customer before dispatching the police. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they have gone one-step further and now require the customer or a third party to go to the site and verify there has been an actual break-in before the police can be dispatched. In addition, Madison, Wisconsin is in the process of establishing this same policy. By taking the initiative, we hope to prevent this type of law from being enacted in your community while reducing unnecessary police response.

As a member of the Central Station Alarm Association, we now follow their standard dispatch procedure for “Enhanced Call Verification”. In the event of an alarm, our first call will continue to be placed as you have instructed to the home or business. However, if we are unsuccessful in reaching a designated person on the first call, and before requesting a police dispatch, we will place a call to a second number. The second number should be a number (such as a neighbor, relative, owner, or manager’s cell phone) that would most likely be answered when the homeowner is away or the business is closed. Unless you provide a specific second number, our dispatchers will automatically use the first person on your emergency contact list as the second number to call. Please note when the second number is called, the recipient is not required to respond; we would only be asking if the recipient knows of some reason the police should not be dispatched due to a potential false alarm.

For information regarding Enhanced Call Verification please contact Per Mar Security Services Customer Care Department at 866-441-7487.

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VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol – The Benefits and the Hidden Danger

The obvious benefit to VoIP is cost savings. All of the advertising and hoopla promotes this advantage of unlimited long distance. With some systems you can take your long distance capability with you when you travel, as well as receive calls wherever you can make a broadband connection. Some people are driven by the idea that they are now no longer at the mercy of the phone companies, and have a choice. This is a misconception, as a user must still depend on a phone company or cable company for their broadband connection, (high-speed internet).

The benefits seem to stop there, and there are a number of potentially negative aspects. Depending on individual circumstances, some of these negatives may greatly outweigh any potential cost savings, as they create severe security vulnerabilities. We will describe those shortcomings in a moment, but first it is important to point out that the VoIP providers are all aware of these very serious security deficiencies, most point the deficiencies out in their agreements (contracts). They also don’t go out of their way to tell you that your 911 service may not work, and then don’t make it clear that when it does work you are actually communicating to one of their operators first, who then summon the Police or Fire Dept for you. It is also interesting to note that one regional company does not even supply you with a copy of the agreement until you sign up for service. This problem of not notifying the public is so serious that our lawmakers recently passed H. R. 5252. On June 8, 2006 the US House of Representatives passed by a vote of 321 to 101 the "Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) Act of 2006," H. R. 5252 included Alarm VoIP Consumer Notification language, which requires VoIP providers to provide "clear and conspicuous" notice to consumers who have alarm systems, prior to installation or number activation. This was done in an effort to force the VoIP providers to be more forthcoming with this information so that consumers can make more informed decisions about their service and security.

It is also important to note that there are several different types of VoIP, however they all have the following issues, and some even more.

1. Your VoIP will not work very long or not at all in a power outage. There are several points of vulnerability here. While the VoIP provider may provide a modem with a back up battery (typically last 15-30 minutes of talk time), you may have a router or hub that needs power. For PC based systems, your computer will need power. The various carriers (DSL and Cable) have back up power issues along the entire length of their systems. If any one of these components goes out, you have no phone service. This is not the case with POTS, (plain old telephone service). Short of major catastrophes, POTS is usually still viable even with the power out.
   
    
2. Your 911 service will not work the same as with POTS, or not at all. Currently, with POTS, when you dial 911, the system automatically connects you to the emergency dispatch center for the area, and the address where the call is coming from is automatically displayed on the dispatchers screen. Most of the new enhanced Emergency Call Centers cannot receive this information directly from a VoIP system. When you read the subscribers agreement from most VoIP providers closely, you will see that their system relies on your 911 call to come to one of their call centers first, and they in turn contact the Emergency Communications Center in your area, and relay the information to them. Again, in the event of a power outage this may not work at all. In the case of portable VoIP the 911 service is not feasible at all. One of the national VoIP providers recommends that you inform any guest and visitors in your home of the important differences in and limitations of 911 Dialing as compared with basic 911 or E911.
   
    
3. Lastly, but most significant, your alarm system may not work with the VoIP service, and if it does today, there is great potential that it may not tomorrow, and the worst part is you wouldn’t know it. For the last 30 years, the Alarm Industry has been using devices called digital alarm communicators, to communicate alarm signals from the alarm premises to the monitoring Central Station. Ninety-five percent of the alarms installed today use this technology. Basically, these communicators use DTMF (touch-tones) to send and receive signals. When some VoIP providers break the sounds into packets for IP transmission, they become very distorted at the receiving end and cannot be translated. In those cases where an alarm communicator is functioning with VoIP, it can change without the end user being aware. At any given time, the VoIP provider could make a change to their system or software, and now the signal is indecipherable. The real danger is that the alarm owner could be totally unaware of this loss of service. When an alarm system that uses POTS has a phone line failure, the alarm panel detects this and warns the operator via the keypad. Currently, alarm panels do not detect this type of loss with VoIP systems.

The intention here is not to vilify or detract from the VoIP providers, but rather to help consumers make informed decisions about this new technology and their security.

Going forward the alarm industry, fax machine, modem, office products, 911 centers, and many others will catch up with this new technology. Until then the Alarm Industry has some solutions: 1) use of long-range radios to transmit alarm systems (wireless monitoring), and, 2) the use of internet communication devices to monitor alarms. Both are available now however, the cost of either can quickly diminish the savings from VoIP.

If you’re considering eliminating your POTS in favor of VoIP, contact your local Per Mar Security Services Security Consultant first to review your options.

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September is National Preparedness Month

This fall, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Preparedness Month Coalition are urging all Americans to take some simple steps to make their families better prepared for emergencies including:

Get a Kit - Get a kit of emergency supplies that will allow you and your family to survive for at least three days in the event an emergency happens. The kit should include basic items like water, food, battery-powered radio, flashlight and a first aid kit. Go to www.ready.gov for a complete list of recommended supplies.

Make a Plan - Plan in advance what you and your family will do in an emergency. Your plan should include a communications plan and address sheltering-in-place and evacuation. Go to www.ready.gov for more information and templates to help get you started.

Be Informed - Learn more about different threats that could affect your community and appropriate responses to them. Go to www.ready.gov for more information about natural disasters and potential terrorist threats and visit www.ready.gov for more information about the emergency plans that have been established in your area.

Get Involved - After preparing yourself and your family for possible emergencies, take the next step: get training in first aid and emergency response and get involved in preparing your community. Citizen Corps provides residents with opportunities to prepare, train and support local emergency responders. For more information or to get involved visit www.citizencorps.gov to find your local Citizen Corps Council.

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Cost May Kill Travel Program

A government proposal that would force air travelers to pay up to $200 a year for a fast pass through airport security could kill the program, advocates and lawmakers said Wednesday, September 13. That price, double what was expected, would "severely threaten" the long delayed Registered Traveler program, said Steven Brill, a Manhattan entrepreneur planning to launch the idea at four airports this year. The Registered Traveler offers fee paying fliers expedited airport screening. Travelers in the program would have to pass a background check to rule out ties to terrorism and would get an ID card to speed them through checkpoints. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said last year that it expected to charge about $30 for a terrorism check. Now it wants to charge another $70 to pay for TSA screeners at Registered Traveler checkpoints, TSA spokesperson Ellen Howe said. It also may charge an additional $20 for a criminal background check. Those costs are in addition to yearly fees of up to $80 that fliers would pay to companies operating the program. The program would operate only at airports that choose to apply and are approved by TSA. The TSA wants to avoid spending taxpayer dollars on Registered Traveler.

Source: USA Today

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School Safety: What Parents Can Do To Help

Most schools have programs to prevent violence and help keep students safe, but safety precautions shouldn’t stop there. As a parent, you also can take specific actions to improve school safety.

To raise awareness of school safety and security issues, the National Crime Prevention Council, best known for its 25-year-old beloved icon, McGruff the Crime Dog, has developed the Be Safe and Sound initiative in collaboration with National PTA. This effort, funded by the Allstate Foundation, Assa Abloy Group and the Security Industry Association, provides advice that parents, community members and educators can use to help make school a pleasant environment for all children.

The National Crime Prevention Council provides the following tips for parents:

• Listen and talk to your child regularly. Communicating with your child on a number of topics related to school, friends and his or her interests can give you valuable insight. In addition, talk to your child about violence and how to solve problems.
• Set an example. Show your child that you can settle conflicts peacefully and nonviolently. Also, show your support for school policies and rules. If your child feels a rule is wrong, explain how the rule can increase school safety.
• Work with others. Join a parent, school or neighborhood association to discuss problems with violence in the community. Work together to find solutions and ways you can provide support to the schools in your local area.

The National Crime Prevention Council provides tools for parents as part of its Be Safe and Sound initiative. The "Caregivers' Guide to Safety and Security," for example, outlines how parents can improve school safety and security. It contains an overview of safety and security guidelines, an assessment checklist and tips on advocating for change at their children’s schools.

To learn more about the Be Safe and Sound initiative, visit www.ncpc.org/besafe.

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