(Also) posting this here b/c the Elk subforum can be a lonely place. Thanks for any advice you have.

 have an M1Gold in my current home, integrated with an ISY994 via M1XEP. Has worked flawlessly for years. But now we’re buying a vacation home in a very remote area, where satellite internet and cellular are the only options (no cable or even POTS available). So, a C1M1 seems like a good idea. However, I’ve heard secondhand/“theoretical” reports that the C1M1 may be less reliable for connecting to the ISY. Can anyone comment on this based on actual experience, and/or offer up their thoughts on the C1M1 as a replacement for the M1XEP in this situation? I’ve also heard little bits here and there about Uplink, but have no experience or real knowledge of them, and think (don’t know) that Uplink may not allow for me to remote in to the unit to check on things, use RP to make changes, etc., which the C1M1 seems to allow. Finally, I’ve done all my own work on my Elk and would like to do the same here, and continue using Alarm Relay for monitoring. Comments on that welcome, too. Thanks!

Alarm relay doesn't support the protocol that the c1m1 connects on.  Elk recommends the following services but they are not the only ones.

• Cellular services recommended by elk
  • Rapid response
  • Cops
  • grand central monitoring
  • Sentrynet
• Dial capture devices suggested 
  • Telguard tg1
  • Uplink 4530ex  - model number not confirmed

Thanks. I finally got so disgusted with trying to find a local Elk dealer/installer (in case something happened to me, I want my wife to have a local service person), that I just gave up and swapped out the Napco with a DSC, so I could use an Envisalink (which is sort of a slow dud, frankly, and wasn't even close to being "worth it" as it required replacement of a perfectly good Napco Gemini, which I greatly regret). Shame, because I loved my self-installed Elk in two previous homes. But as a company, they are a shadow of what they were 10-15 years ago, in terms of customer support. I don't like the DSC half as much. But at least I have a local service company to work on it if needed. Elk was not very helpful in connecting me with a local person in my fairly rural location. There's a company ripe for being sold, in my view. Perhaps a new owner would do something with it. They were amazing, "back in the day". Now? Meh.

Edited October 16, 20205 yr by madcodger