Phonewatch - Broadband Filter?

knockon

I have my phonewatch alarm installed 7 years. I also have a radio link back up and both monitored. I also have Sky and Vodafone broadband for several years. My alarm goes off 3 weeks ago and I find out it hasn't called the monitoring station. Bottom line - phone watch engineer called out and said your broadband was interfering with the phone line so it required a Filter (cost €90). I feel hard done by as nothing has changed in my house except Phonewatch alarm did'nt contact the monitoring station. Broadband and Sky has been there for 5 years at least. Lastly shouldn't the radio back up have worked anyway regardless of the broadband? Isn't their a self test function on the radio link? Shouldn't the Engineers who call at least once a year picked this up?

Appreciate any comments.

KoolKid

Ask them when they last got a test call from the alarm.?
Most company's set up automatic test calls to the monitoring station every day.
If they were missing these call they should have been contacting you immediately to check whats wrong.
Also was your alarm serviced since your broadband went in?
A service would also include test signals being sent to the monitoring station.
If they have not received any test calls since your broadband went in & they never addressed that issue you should get all your monitoring fees returned to you as your system was not being monitored. :eek:

knockon

KoolKid wrote: »

Ask them when they last got a test call from the alarm.?
Most company's set up automatic test calls to the monitoring station every day.
If they were missing these call they should have been contacting you immediately to check whats wrong.
Also was your alarm serviced since your broadband went in?
A service would also include test signals being sent to the monitoring station.
If they have not received any test calls since your broadband went in & they never addressed that issue you should get all your monitoring fees returned to you as your system was not being monitored. :eek:

Alarm has been serviced every year. Broadband has been in since the alarm was installed. The only thing that has changed is the alarm out of the blue stopped contacting the monitoring station. It was working as I got he odd call regarding an accidental activation up to a few months ago.

KoolKid

I would be asking them for records of all calls from the alarm to the station.
I would also be asking for a better explanation if there were calls received when the broadband was in place.

altor

knockon wrote: »

I have my phonewatch alarm installed 7 years. I also have a radio link back up and both monitored. I also have Sky and Vodafone broadband for several years. My alarm goes off 3 weeks ago and I find out it hasn't called the monitoring station. Bottom line - phone watch engineer called out and said your broadband was interfering with the phone line so it required a Filter (cost €90). I feel hard done by as nothing has changed in my house except Phonewatch alarm did'nt contact the monitoring station. Broadband and Sky has been there for 5 years at least. Lastly shouldn't the radio back up have worked anyway regardless of the broadband? Isn't their a self test function on the radio link? Shouldn't the Engineers who call at least once a year picked this up?

Appreciate any comments.

The DSL on the line can interfere with a call going through, not all the time. The engineer would of sent through signals when he was on site. Realistically if you have a system monitored plus have DSL on the line then it should have the filter. If the signals did not get through then it should of switched to the GSM unit. I would be concerned and ask for a reason why when it could not get through on the land line did the GSM unit not take over....

KoolKid

Still ideally, there should be 24 hour auto tests.

altor

Yes there should be, this would flag up any issues quicker but with DSL on the line the filter should of being fitted too.

KoolKid

Agree, It should have been fitted as soon as the service engineer noticed there was DSL broadband in the house.

altor

The main question he should be asking is why did the GSM did not take over when the alarm did not dial out on his line. The panel itself depending on the model would of tried to ring a few times and if that is the case should of got through. Something does not sound right here. I would not be paying for the filter either if they are only now giving that as the reason.