Elk -cental station monitoring

[Pluto]

I am planning to change an existing wired OnQ controller to ElK -M1 gold. I dont' have a pots line and would like to use OOMA for primary with cellular as backup. I have

changed OOMA to "alarm mode" but apparently this does not work for all monitoring services. 

1- What alternatives are there to the ELKC1M14GSM - voip with cellular backup - ( TMobile / google fi) with voip  - ( Napco-starlink) - Telgard?

2- AlarmRelay seems to have been mentioned by various forum members for actual central station monitoring. What  are best low cost options. 

3-Any "pitfalls" to be aware of ? I plan to diy install. 

 

Thanks

Pluto

 

[madcodger]

I used internet monitoring with Alarm Relay for a few years, in a past house we sold last year (Elk M1Gold), and it worked great. No VOIP provider involved, just a Verizon Fios connection. M1XEP running through an unmanaged switch and a decent Asus router, and all was well. No cell backup in that case as Fios was remarkably reliable and ran underground right into house so I had very little "cut wire" worry. Alarm Relay was great about helping with setup (scheduled call with their tech that took maybe 10 min). So, personally, I wouldn't even go through Ooma as it's not needed as far as I can tell.

I'm planning to switch out the current Napco Gemini alarm in a rural property we own and use an Elk M1G and internet monitoring in a rural property with somewhat spotty internet that we own, but with cellular backup via Peplink router. Current monitoring provider uses proprietary radio system that fails constantly (uncommon except in very rural areas), and land line goes out often in winter due to storms, so also unreliable. If that provider (only alarm co in area that I can find) won't install/service Elk then I'll go with Alarm Relay for monitoring again after a self-install, as they were very good to work with and very reliable. If current provider will install and service the Elk then I may use them for monitoring just to maintain a relationship and have a service (repair) provider at this rural location for times I'm far away from the property. BTW, I looked at the Elk C1M1, but have decided against it as you appear to lose much control over your own system and are locked into Telguard. Not for me, personally, and I was very disappointed that Elk went down that path.

Personally, I think internet monitoring with hot (always on) backup at the router (e.g., cellular and/or dual WAN) may be more reliable than POTS in some situations, but some here will likely disagree. I won't see some of their comments (blissfullly figured out the ignore function on the forum), but take what they say into consideration as you make your decision, as well as my experience. Bottom line, though, is that Alarm Relay was great for me and I would recommend them. Good luck with your decision and feel free to reach out directly if I can be of any assistance.

[Bumbershoot]

18 minutes ago, madcodger said:

BTW, I looked at the Elk C1M1, but have decided against it as you appear to lose much control over your own system and are locked into Telguard. Not for me, personally, and I was very disappointed that Elk went down that path.

Have a look at this page, as it appears that Elk C1M1 now supports ATT/T-Mobile and Verizon.

[dbwarner5]

FYI, per the video link about around 18 minutes, Amy from  Elk states that this is NOT a DIY product. It requires a Telguard account which is only for dealers / installers.  

[madcodger]

@Bumbershoot @dbwarner5

My understanding is that while there are now versions of the C1M1 that support each of those three carriers, a Telguard account is required. I've heard reports of DIY installs of the C1M1, but in each report the user was limited in what they could actually do via the connection. It is apparently more like Total Connect than the connection many of us have enjoyed with our ISY or self-installed Elk. Happy if someone could prove me wrong, though.

The big problem I'm having is finding a dealer who will install Elk. Elk appears (to me, at least)  to be a shadow of its former self. I remember when they had a robust presence on certain industry forums. Some of us will remember Spanky. Anyway, looking more and more like a future Saturday spent figuring out wires, for me. Let's hope it's a rainy one.

[lilyoyo1]

I use alarm relay and I've been really happy with it. It's low cost, no connection issues, and very responsive. 

If you know what you are doing then by all means pursue it. Elk is a great system. However, before you start, I do recommend finding someone locally who can install just in case. The last thing you want is to be stuck trying to install it and get in over your head.

[Pluto]

I have cable internet via Comcast here but use OOMA for voip. I am encouraged to try the Alarm Relay ( when installed) with voip through OOMA. If not successful could add Comcast voip at least for the Elk / Alarm Relay. I don't want to add a pots line as basic service is around $30.00 here and that is before central station monitoring fees. 

I have seen one mention of the Netgear LB2120 4g LTE gsm modem that works as a backup to a main internet connection. It activates when the broadband is off line. Anyone have experience with this product?  

I have begun to review the online Elk install & program videos and it looks manageable with potential for adding automation when needed.

Thanks for the advice! 

[madcodger]

I still don't understand why you need (want) to use Ooma. You din't need ANY VOIP provider for Alarm Relay to monitor, as best I recall, as they can just do so digitally. No POTS or VOIP required, unless I am "misremembering". Heck, now I'm curious, so I need to check...

I have not tried that Netgear modem but have tried consumer-grade routers connected to USB hotspots that attempted the same thing (WAN fails, so they switch to the hotspot for connectivity). I had very spotty results, as the router didn't switch reliably. I liked the concept, though, so invested in a Peplink Balance 30 that has its own cellular modem and accepts two different sim cards if desired. It works perfectly, and out here in the boonies it connects for a few seconds almost every day. 

[Pluto]

I have cable internet via Comcast here but use OOMA for voip. I am encouraged to try the Alarm Relay ( when installed) with voip through OOMA. If not successful could add Comcast voip at least for the Elk / Alarm Relay. I don't want to add a pots line as basic service is around $30.00 here and that is before central station monitoring fees. 

I have seen one mention of the Netgear LB2120 4g LTE gsm modem that works as a backup to a main internet connection. It activates when the broadband is off line. Anyone have experience with this product?  

I have begun to review the online Elk install & program videos and it looks manageable with potential for adding automation when needed.

Thanks for the advice! 

 

Unless I have it wrong - it is a " phone " dial out using pots or voip for contacting the Central Station. With the Netgear LB2120 it would just offer a cellular fallback or "failover" . The Synology router is use ( MR2600Ac) also allows a 2nd internet or WAN connection by 4g dongle but I have not tested the speed of the "handoff". 

I plan to test the operation on my old ( OnQ ) system.

 

[madcodger]

You don't need it to dial out via phone as the Elk M1XEP can do direct IP monitoring with Alarm Relay. Here's an old thread on Cocoontech that discusses it: http://cocoontech.com/forums/topic/26307-changing-from-next-alarm-to-alarm-relay-with-elk/

[TrojanHorse]

Edit: just looked and on the website shows cell is $6 / month more. I get it if you want to save the money. But seems to me it’s better in every way - would listen to any counter arguments. One could make the case that if you’ve already decided to have monitoring, then you’re just comparing the difference between the 2, not the total cost. But that’s imperfect logic from the social science of economics...

 

Alarm Relay also has cell. You buy a module from them and it hooks up to the dialer on the Elk. That’s the route I chose as it seems the more robust than internet monitoring or POTS if your line is exposed. And I didn’t have a POTS line.

 

If I recall there was little to no savings with Ethernet. I actually want to say it was more expensive when I looked.

 

Have you considered cell monitoring (not cell backup on internet)?

 

 

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[madcodger]

11 hours ago, TrojanHorse said:

Alarm Relay also has cell. You buy a module from them and it hooks up to the dialer on the Elk.

I agree this could be a good option. My biggest question is whether it also allows for access to the Elk via IP, from devices such as the ISY, and for remote programming via ElkRP? I tried calling Alarm Relay yesterday but got transferred three times before ending up in a nameless VM and hanging up (not common for them, and far from their best day, in my experience. They might have many people working from home).

In my situation, I'm running a Peplink Balance 30 LTE router that can switch from its normal WAN to alternate internet sources (including two separate cellular connections if desired) within just a few seconds if the normal WAN is lost. But, there are those few seconds... So for ultimate protection, an "internal" cellular connection on the Elk might be even better, for just $72/year, apparently. But I don't think I would want that to be my only connection to the Elk, or one that interferes with "normal" IP access. So, if you know, that would be helpful and appreciated for me and hopefully others.

[STOP READING NOW IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT SOMEWHAT OFF-TOPIC INFO/COMMENTARY THAT IS AT BEST ONLY MARGINALLY RELATED]

Owning this Maine property has taught me much about backup connectivity but I'm still learning and am at best a novice. It turns out it was great preparation for this COVID-19 mess as we had to create systems and processes for the business that allowed for "iffy" connectivity and slow or even intermittent connections, for the times when I am here (and I'm trying to dramatically increase that time). In our "civilization" home we have a full gig connection, and the office has about 250 mbps. In contrast, there are frequently times in Maine when we're under 2 meg (yep, that's a single digit) from either of two primary sources and the only immediate path to even a moderately better speed becomes a satellite with latency exceeding a full second (which can be worse than a slow connection, we've discovered). That said, except for video conferencing (I'm often the guy you can't see and can only hear), streaming (you learn to download favorite shows in advance, when the connection is good), and the occasional large file frustration, we can't tell that it has hindered us much personally or professionally, but only because we are able to pay for redundancy (two WAN sources plus multiple cellular options). It has, however, convinced me that solid internet could be a huge help to rural economies so I'm trying to help figure that out, partly for my own needs but also because it could benefit many others in a community we've come to love. If anyone has a connection to Elon and he wants a great, US-based town/county in which to pilot his low-latency satellite system, I've got a great suggestion for him! Until then, it's a matter of trying to figure out other wireless options.

[apostolakisl]

I use voip and a google voice phone number with an OBI modem.  It is all free and works perfectly.  I have a backup cellular dialer but aside from testing, it has never been used.  I run a test call to Alarm Relay every night (they don't seem to mind) and it always goes through using the google voice line.  Also, false alarms always result in Alarm Relay calling me to see what's up.  Fortunately, never had a real alarm, unless you count that time I set the garage on fire.  But I put it out.  Turns out Insteon switches with melted paddles still work if you replace the paddle.  Recommendation. . . when welding, don't leave to answer the phone.  Thank you Elk for telling me the garage was on fire when the fire was only on my workbench.

Looking forward to Starlink, which should allow me to get rid of the backup cellular.  By the way, used a website (findstarlink.com) to figure out when to look for the satellites, and it worked great.  Had a beautiful view of them last night starting just above the horizon and heading straight up to the moon (67 degrees up) where they disappeared.  They didn't actually go into the moon but disappeared fairly close to it, not because the moon was so much brighter (it wasn't) but rather I believe the satellites went into the Earth's shadow.  The sats were at least as bright as the N star, probably a bit brighter, not up to Venus brightness though.  Amazing how fast those buggers moved.

[TrojanHorse]

Another reason I chose cellular dialer is that the dialer uses less battery power than a router and modem so in a power outage I have days on the Elk if it’s in a non alarm state.


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[Teken]

I agree this could be a good option. My biggest question is whether it also allows for access to the Elk via IP, from devices such as the ISY, and for remote programming via ElkRP? I tried calling Alarm Relay yesterday but got transferred three times before ending up in a nameless VM and hanging up (not common for them, and far from their best day, in my experience. They might have many people working from home).
In my situation, I'm running a Peplink Balance 30 LTE router that can switch from its normal WAN to alternate internet sources (including two separate cellular connections if desired) within just a few seconds if the normal WAN is lost. But, there are those few seconds... So for ultimate protection, an "internal" cellular connection on the Elk might be even better, for just $72/year, apparently. But I don't think I would want that to be my only connection to the Elk, or one that interferes with "normal" IP access. So, if you know, that would be helpful and appreciated for me and hopefully others.
[sTOP READING NOW IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT SOMEWHAT OFF-TOPIC INFO/COMMENTARY THAT IS AT BEST ONLY MARGINALLY RELATED]
Owning this Maine property has taught me much about backup connectivity but I'm still learning and am at best a novice. It turns out it was great preparation for this COVID-19 mess as we had to create systems and processes for the business that allowed for "iffy" connectivity and slow or even intermittent connections, for the times when I am here (and I'm trying to dramatically increase that time). In our "civilization" home we have a full gig connection, and the office has about 250 mbps. In contrast, there are frequently times in Maine when we're under 2 meg (yep, that's a single digit) from either of two primary sources and the only immediate path to even a moderately better speed becomes a satellite with latency exceeding a full second (which can be worse than a slow connection, we've discovered). That said, except for video conferencing (I'm often the guy you can't see and can only hear), streaming (you learn to download favorite shows in advance, when the connection is good), and the occasional large file frustration, we can't tell that it has hindered us much personally or professionally, but only because we are able to pay for redundancy (two WAN sources plus multiple cellular options). It has, however, convinced me that solid internet could be a huge help to rural economies so I'm trying to help figure that out, partly for my own needs but also because it could benefit many others in a community we've come to love. If anyone has a connection to Elon and he wants a great, US-based town/county in which to pilot his low-latency satellite system, I've got a great suggestion for him! Until then, it's a matter of trying to figure out other wireless options.

Not related to this topic but more toward your last question. Have you considered using and deploying a site to site transceiver building to building bridge / long range AP?

This assumes you have direct access to another location / property where Internet is available and bandwidth is plenty. I went this route on two small projects as I needed a off site method to upload security video, nightly back ups, and various logging.

As I don’t use cloud storage for mission critical data especially for privacy & security reasons never mind direct access & control.

This might be something to consider for backup internet access.

NOTE: Don’t be that guy trying to mount a transceiver on several 60-80 foot high trees and expecting reliable connectivity during high winds!



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[apostolakisl]

19 minutes ago, Teken said:

 

Not related to this topic but more toward your last question. Have you considered using and deploying a site to site transceiver building to building bridge / long range AP?

This assumes you have direct access to another location / property where Internet is available and bandwidth is plenty. I went this route on two small projects as I needed a off site method to upload security video, nightly back ups, and various logging.

As I don’t use cloud storage for mission critical data especially for privacy & security reasons never mind direct access & control.

This might be something to consider for backup internet access.

NOTE: Don’t be that guy trying to mount a transceiver on several 60-80 foot high trees and expecting reliable connectivity during high winds!



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I would love to pick your brain on this.  My church is having issues with its cable internet and Spectrum is giving me lots of friction.  Our live streaming is not performing like it should be despite turning bit rates down to way under our supposed bandwidth.

Cutting to the chase, I live 3.7km away line of sight.  I am on a hill and so is the church.  I took my telescope out last night and discovered I can actually see the corner of the church from my house.  Ubiquiti is telling me that for $130 I can get two point-to-point tx/rx and push 147mbs through that connection.  This seems almost too good to be true.  For basically the cost of 1 month of Spectrum service, I can set up a connection that would effectively be free.

I wonder if this can actually work this well.  Will rain cause issues?

[larryllix]

For sat. dish the rain is not usually a problem unless it very heavy and that may be more to do with cloud cover penetration. However rain on the reflective dish surface is more of a problem as it interferes with the focusing surface. Fog many not be your friend here though.

[Teken]

I would love to pick your brain on this.  My church is having issues with its cable internet and Spectrum is giving me lots of friction.  Our live streaming is not performing like it should be despite turning bit rates down to way under our supposed bandwidth.
Cutting to the chase, I live 3.7km away line of sight.  I am on a hill and so is the church.  I took my telescope out last night and discovered I can actually see the corner of the church from my house.  Ubiquiti is telling me that for $130 I can get two point-to-point tx/rx and push 147mbs through that connection.  This seems almost too good to be true.  For basically the cost of 1 month of Spectrum service, I can set up a connection that would effectively be free.
I wonder if this can actually work this well.  Will rain cause issues?

That’s funny as the distance and topography is very close to what was seen here. We did in fact use Ubiquiti hardware in various flavours to connect several buildings and has worked great.

No problems with rain but ice, snow, and freezing rain can be an issue. So you really need to have a long term maintenance plan for access when needed. The site which had the tree mounts I wasn’t going to scale it every month during winter just to get rid of snow / sleet.

So went very much ghetto McGyver and wired up heat tape around the base. This offered enough heat to dissipate any snow / ice.

Since this site is literally in the bush there isn’t very much interference to worry about. You’ll need to take that into consideration for your metropolitan install as all manner of conflicting signals will be present.

If there are any cell, microwave towers, be prepared to tinker. The other site which is in the city goes to several homes to create a sort of pirate ISP. The original goal was to share and stream content back in the day - securely. Did that for a few years and it just expanded to being used for more back up / fail over purposes.

It was my first backup WAN I had before dual cell units and costs were available / reasonable.

On a related tangent this sort of technology has been used forever in schools and other business settings where I worked. It’s only because of great companies like Ubiquiti which has made the tech so small and affordable that I even did this. No way could I have installed a massive dish from the 80’s on any of the properties we have!


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[apostolakisl]

11 minutes ago, Teken said:

 

That’s funny as the distance and topography is very close to what was seen here. We did in fact use Ubiquiti hardware in various flavours to connect several buildings and has worked great.

No problems with rain but ice, snow, and freezing rain can be an issue. So you really need to have a long term maintenance plan for access when needed. The site which had the tree mounts I wasn’t going to scale it every month during winter just to get rid of snow / sleet.

So went very much ghetto McGyver and wired up heat tape around the base. This offered enough heat to dissipate any snow / ice.

Since this site is literally in the bush there isn’t very much interference to worry about. You’ll need to take that into consideration for your metropolitan install as all manner of conflicting signals will be present.

If there are any cell, microwave towers, be prepared to tinker. The other site which is in the city goes to several homes to create a sort of pirate ISP. The original goal was to share and stream content back in the day - securely. Did that for a few years and it just expanded to being used for more back up / fail over purposes.

It was my first backup WAN I had before dual cell units and costs were available / reasonable.

On a related tangent this sort of technology has been used forever in schools and other business settings where I worked. It’s only because of great companies like Ubiquiti which has made the tech so small and affordable that I even did this. No way could I have installed a massive dish from the 80’s on any of the properties we have!


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First off, this is central Texas.  Frozen precipitation is an event to behold here.  The kids are in heaven for about 3 hours until it melts.  My 6 year-old has seen snow once.

Can I ask what units you are using?  The unit Ubi recommend here is a new unit, so I doubt it is what you have, but if I could compare the specs that would make me feel better.  Ubiquiti also suggested an AirFiber 5xhd to get up to 250mbs but the price goes from $130 to $800.  That is a pretty big price increase for what doesn't seem like much of a jump in quality.  Probably there is more to ity than just bandwidth.  Not sure exactly, that is why I'm a bit confused.  They also have quite a few more devices and I find it challenging to understand the differences.

Fortunately I would not be mounting anything to a tree.  Both units would be mounted to the buildings (my home at one end and the sanctuary at the other).  There is a cell tower on the far corner of the church property, perhaps 100 yards from where I would be mounting the Ubi device.  I would love it if I could mount the Ubi device on that tower as I really can easily see it line of sight.  The spot I can see on the corner of the church is just barely visible as there is a water tank that blocks 90% of the sanctuary structure from my view.  Not sure if that tank matters since I would still have line of sight.

[Teken]

First off, this is central Texas.  Frozen precipitation is an event to behold here.  The kids are in heaven for about 3 hours until it melts.  My 6 year-old has seen snow once.
Can I ask what units you are using?  The unit Ubi recommend here is a new unit, so I doubt it is what you have, but if I could compare the specs that would make me feel better.  Ubiquiti also suggested an AirFiber 5xhd to get up to 250mbs but the price goes from $130 to $800.  That is a pretty big price increase for what doesn't seem like much of a jump in quality.  Probably there is more to ity than just bandwidth.  Not sure exactly, that is why I'm a bit confused.  They also have quite a few more devices and I find it challenging to understand the differences.
Fortunately I would not be mounting anything to a tree.  Both units would be mounted to the buildings (my home at one end and the sanctuary at the other).  There is a cell tower on the far corner of the church property, perhaps 100 yards from where I would be mounting the Ubi device.  I would love it if I could mount the Ubi device on that tower as I really can easily see it line of sight.  The spot I can see on the corner of the church is just barely visible as there is a water tank that blocks 90% of the sanctuary structure from my view.  Not sure if that tank matters since I would still have line of sight.

Given the distance the bridge to bridge is out of the question. The AirFiber in terms of price goes up because of the internal tech like number of antennas, sensitivity, and power output. I’m sure there’s a lot more magic sauce involved so would ask Ubiquiti / forums.

I can’t recall the model used for the bush line as it’s been almost ten years. That unit came from an online auction from an American college in Utah. So it was very much commercial enterprise hardware.

Speaking of which you’ll need to see if your town requires you to have any sort of license or permits. I don’t know if this is something you need to worry about but for the bush line we didn’t follow anything besides common sense and being respectful in how it was going to be used. Reason being is the bush line also doubles as a RF repeater / transceiver for the HAM gear which sits below the AP’s.

In the city it was truly dumb luck all three homes stop using satellite TV. So the original location and mounts were repurposed to mount AP / Bridges.

At the $130 price range I don’t believe you’ll be well served going that route. If this is for the long term I would probably sit down with the church and discuss wants vs needs. As you know it has to make sense in money is going to be spent. Going $800.00 X 2 isn’t a lot if this solves a long term problem for everyone. The first time there’s an outage an you’re still rocking internet and remote control $1600.00 won’t even matter besides:

That was $1600.09 well spent!


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[apostolakisl]

5 minutes ago, Teken said:

 

Given the distance the bridge to bridge is out of the question. The AirFiber in terms of price goes up because of the internal tech like number of antennas, sensitivity, and power output. I’m sure there’s a lot more magic sauce involved so would ask Ubiquiti / forums.

I can’t recall the model used for the bush line as it’s been almost ten years. That unit came from an online auction from an American college in Utah. So it was very much commercial enterprise hardware.

Speaking of which you’ll need to see if your town requires you to have any sort of license or permits. I don’t know if this is something you need to worry about but for the bush line we didn’t follow anything besides common sense and being respectful in how it was going to be used. Reason being is the bush line also doubles as a RF repeater / transceiver for the HAM gear which sits below the AP’s.

In the city it was truly dumb luck all three homes stop using satellite TV. So the original location and mounts were repurposed to mount AP / Bridges.

At the $130 price range I don’t believe you’ll be well served going that route. If this is for the long term I would probably sit down with the church and discuss wants vs needs. As you know it has to make sense in money is going to be spent. Going $800.00 X 2 isn’t a lot if this solves a long term problem for everyone. The first time there’s an outage an you’re still rocking internet and remote control $1600.00 won’t even matter besides:

That was $1600.09 well spent!


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The higher priced models are $400/ea, so the $800 was total.  If it works, that is still only 6 months of Spectrum bill.  But $130 I could drop almost as an experiment and not really be phased by it if it doesn't work.  But $800 would ruffly feathers if it turns out to not do the job.  Anyway, that image I sent you is from Ubi's web page.  It isn't some calculation I did, they did it. 

Speak of the devil, the church live stream just dropped.  Spectrum is so ticking me off.  They agree that there are bandwidth issues but they don't fix it.

[Teken]

The higher priced models are $400/ea, so the $800 was total.  If it works, that is still only 6 months of Spectrum bill.  But $130 I could drop almost as an experiment and not really be phased by it if it doesn't work.  But $800 would ruffly feathers if it turns out to not do the job.  Anyway, that image I sent you is from Ubi's web page.  It isn't some calculation I did, they did it. 
Speak of the devil, the church live stream just dropped.  Spectrum is so ticking me off.  They agree that there are bandwidth issues but they don't fix it.

For $130 give it a try and if it only gives you marginal speeds it at least proves the concept for your location. You can than sit down and make a business proposal to the group.

If $800.09 is for both Wow you can’t go wrong - unless it doesn’t work! Any possible way to relay and connect to a sub building?? We had to do this for one install because there was no line of sight. Asked one of the small town shops if they had internet.

Of course I knew they didn’t so made a deal to provide them access while they split the ISP cost five ways and permission to mount the bridge.

Win - win!!


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[apostolakisl]

1 hour ago, Teken said:

 

For $130 give it a try and if it only gives you marginal speeds it at least proves the concept for your location. You can than sit down and make a business proposal to the group.

If $800.09 is for both Wow you can’t go wrong - unless it doesn’t work! Any possible way to relay and connect to a sub building?? We had to do this for one install because there was no line of sight. Asked one of the small town shops if they had internet.

Of course I knew they didn’t so made a deal to provide them access while they split the ISP cost five ways and permission to mount the bridge.

Win - win!!


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There are two buildings on site which are connected by fiber.  Only the sanctuary is tall enough to clear the trees.  I just looked through the telescope again and I'm pretty sure I'm seeing the corner of the sanctuary passed the edge of the water towers.  It is a bit hazy out right now.  I really need to get another person at the church, probably do it at night with a bright light, maybe a strobe and locate exactly what spot I am seeing.

 

[Teken]

There are two buildings on site which are connected by fiber.  Only the sanctuary is tall enough to clear the trees.  I just looked through the telescope again and I'm pretty sure I'm seeing the corner of the sanctuary passed the edge of the water towers.  It is a bit hazy out right now.  I really need to get another person at the church, probably do it at night with a bright light, maybe a strobe and locate exactly what spot I am seeing.
 

I believe your in good shape doing all of the site to site prep. Completing a site survey from both ends will let you know:

Go - No Go

Like you, we used two strobes along with two illegal high power lasers at night. Having to sit around until 3:00 AM on a roof wasn’t one of the best memories I’ve ever had.

Make sure the mast along with (shielded) cabling is well grounded. For the bush line I have a RJ45 surge protector which goes to a sacrificial 48 port switch which is physically isolated and grounded within its own cabinet. This switch is then connected to the primary switch through the SFP+ uplink fibre to the main switch to keep it isolated.

The site has no utility power and runs completely off grid so two solar generation systems power each system in a series parallel configuration with optical SSR relay isolation.

I know some members who happen to stumble upon this or past threads from me might find lots of this a bit over the top. But those who have ever lived through any natural disaster can attest it changes a persons view and how they managed their lives going forward.

Lightning causes more damage per year around North America in a single instance than any fire. Those who have ever seen a tree split in half or lit on fire truly know how humbling that is to experience and what impact it has on our worldly possessions.

I know when my home and our secure site was built with Ufer grounding this was top of mind along with insuring below 25 ohm ground resistance. This is why proper grounding topology, low resistance, short and direct path to ground must exist.

This is also followed by proper methods of isolation and containment using optical fibre, relays, and 1:1 transformers. Proper spark gapping is a must but Joe Public can only do so much when speaking about lightning from the Gods.

Regardless, even in the bush insurance is key to help recover those investments. Containment is an absolute must and is the only thing that will slow the spread of fire should it arise. Make sure all the hardware that connects to this new system is isolated and secured from all other infrastructure.

Nothing is worse to learn you caused more damage than if this hardware wasn’t in place.




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[madcodger]

@Teken I appreciate the thought, and I think this has helped @apostolakisl. But in my case, the closest place with "good" internet is 15 miles and several hills away. Maine is an interesting, amazing place but it's both rural and rugged. So, no close internet to tap into other than the options already in use. Starlink is my next best thing to try, when available. But thanks for ideas!