zorax2 Posted May 6, 2014 Posted May 6, 2014 I called Leviton Tech Support and they confirmed that the HAI C3 is 2G only. While I am in a suburb of a major metro area with good AT&T and T-Mobile coverage (with 3G & 4G), I have no idea as to how good 2G coverage might be nor how long 2G (if it is even currently available) will be supported in this area. I've read that 2G service is being discontinued at a fairly rapid pace. Would you buy a HAI C3 today given changes in 2G support or in my situation? Are there any other similar cell phone type dialer devices similar to the C3 that only require a prepaid type SIM card that can work with Safety Watch / Alarm Relay? It would be great if it could act as a landline backup in the way that the C3 allows you to do. I prefer to stay away from a subscription type monitored cell communicator due to the extra expense. I read somewhere that an authorized Elk dealer may offer discounts to either subscribers here or the Cocoon Tech forums. I'm not necessarily concerned about the ELK warranty as I know the equipment is rock solid but rather to ensure access to future firmware updates as their registration process now appears to be more restrictive. Can you please PM me if you are aware of any discounts from an authorized dealer? Thank you for your help!
apostolakisl Posted May 6, 2014 Posted May 6, 2014 I have also heard that 2G may be phased out. But ATT keeps renewing my card with no warning, so I don't know. The reception where I live is all bars lit up, even though my 4g phone never has all bars lit up. The C3 has a better antenna. I would suggest talking to alarm relay. They have pricing schedules using the dedicated alarm cellular devices that end up being similarly priced when you consider that you will no longer be paying for the cell service separately.
MWareman Posted May 6, 2014 Posted May 6, 2014 My T-Mobile Sim was prepaid at $100 for the first year (immediate 'gold' status and 1 year credit lifetime bonus). Then you can renew for the min $10 for each additional year of service. After 5 years (so far), its cost me $140 total for cell service ($28/yr or just over $2/month), and I have over $100 on the account since it rarely calls out. Average gets less each year.... Alarm Relays pricing is way more expensive than that. I don't see T-Mobile dropping 2G anytime soon - many fleet solutions still use it, along with CDPD.
apostolakisl Posted May 6, 2014 Posted May 6, 2014 My T-Mobile Sim was prepaid at $100 for the first year (immediate 'gold' status and 1 year credit lifetime bonus). Then you can renew for the min $10 for each additional year of service. After 5 years (so far), its cost me $140 total for cell service ($28/yr or just over $2/month), and I have over $100 on the account since it rarely calls out. Average gets less each year.... Alarm Relays pricing is way more expensive than that. I don't see T-Mobile dropping 2G anytime soon - many fleet solutions still use it, along with CDPD. That is a good deal. I'm paying $100 every year with ATT. I didn't realize you could do each year for only $10 after the first with T-mobile. You can't with ATT. I have to wonder if they still do that with new accounts, if so I'll switch. EDIT: Just looked it up and it appears the same deal is still going. http://www.t-mobile.com/promotions/gene ... t=OnsiteAd
MWareman Posted May 6, 2014 Posted May 6, 2014 Yep - it (was) something of an accidental discovery when my Wife got a prepaid T-Mobile phone a few years ago. I thought 'Why wouldn't you put $100 on the account up front'.... followed by 'Hey, my alarm system'
zorax2 Posted May 6, 2014 Author Posted May 6, 2014 My T-Mobile Sim was prepaid at $100 for the first year (immediate 'gold' status and 1 year credit lifetime bonus). Then you can renew for the min $10 for each additional year of service. After 5 years (so far), its cost me $140 total for cell service ($28/yr or just over $2/month), and I have over $100 on the account since it rarely calls out. Average gets less each year.... I use T-Mobile Prepaid phones for my kids and do that $100 / year thing for 1,000 minutes. In our case, we never use more than a 300 minutes per year but I've been renewing each year for $100 for an additional 1,000 minutes to keep the old minutes. I’m happy to see that someone posted the link to that deal – very nice! I don't see T-Mobile dropping 2G anytime soon - many fleet solutions still use it, along with CDPD. I went to the T-Mobile coverage map http://opensignal.com/network-coverage-maps/t-mobile-coverage-map.php and I might have weak or non-existent 2G coverage as best as I can tell. There seems to be coverage in the Minneapolis / St. Paul downtowns along with the major freeways – but not much else. You mention that many fleet solutions use it but are they also sunsetting those devices? Given the issues with the 2G sunset, I tried to find a HAI C3 like device with 3G or 4G and could not find anything like it. The only dialers I could find were proprietary dialers using AlarmNet, Connect 24, Uplink, etc. In general, the approximate $9 cheap monthly monitoring service goes to about $21 to $26 per month to use a proprietary supervised cell device. For most people this would probably relate to: 1. T-Mobile / AT&T type 1,000 minutes for $100 and $108 for monitoring per year = $208 per year total cost (unless you can get MWareman's deal until 2G disappears which costs only $10 wireless and $108 monitoring for $118 per year). Either way, this is an incredible deal for those who already have a HAI C3 paid for and can wait until the end of 2G service. 2. Telguard / Uplink / DSC type service including monitoring (initial setup fee of $35 to $45) of $251 to $311 per year. Basically, you get a “proper supervised monitored†service for an extra $42 to $103 per year compared to the HAI C3. In either case, the sunk / upfront cost for a new installation will run either $225 for a HAI C3 vs roughly $150 for a proprietary cell communicator. The big issue here is the cost per year for the HAI C3 vs the proprietary solution. The 2G service will end – but how soon? Therefore, while the proprietary cell communicator will likely last 10 years at $15 per year, the HAI C3 will likely cost anywhere between $225 for 1 year to $45 per year if 2G sticks around for 5 years. Is there any device similar to the HAI C3 that anyone is aware of? If not, for those of us who choose to use a cell based monitoring service the long term economics probably dictate a proprietary solution.
zorax2 Posted May 7, 2014 Author Posted May 7, 2014 AT&T posted an SEC filing indicating it will fully shut down its 2G network on January 1, 2017. Here's a link to the article at Security Systems News: http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/article/att-2017-end-line-2g
zorax2 Posted May 7, 2014 Author Posted May 7, 2014 Further reading showed that T-Mobile and Sprint may save as much as 25% of their bandwidth to support existing 2G users (utility meters, POS transaction terminals, trucks, etc.). They seem to be committed to the long haul. Apparently, RacoWireless is somehow tied in or a subsidiary of T-Mobile. Here's a link to this interesting information: http://www.racowireless.com/services/2g-support/ The blogs on this site will also provide a lot of useful information.
apostolakisl Posted May 7, 2014 Posted May 7, 2014 I found this for tmobile. http://support.t-mobile.com/community/c ... ion-update It appears that they are only re-allocating 1900mhz band. So I don't know how long for the 850mhz and if there is currently 850mhz in use where I live. I don't know how to find out either.
apostolakisl Posted May 14, 2014 Posted May 14, 2014 I just got this ad for wireless monitoring. I don't know if the company is any good, but the price of service is hard to beat, especially with the hardware only being $89. http://www.smiththompson.com/how-it-works/
zorax2 Posted May 14, 2014 Author Posted May 14, 2014 As you posted, very good pricing. I may have to check more closely regarding their reputation and ability to monitor outside of Texas.
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