Category: house

  • Home networking is done.

    Well it seems like Bell finally transfered my number over to Vonage today. I noticed because the Vonage phone was ringing more than it ever has, and there’s suddenly no voltage on the Bell line 😛

    If you’re an incredible geek or just interested, this is what my home network/phone wiring looks like now.

  • Home network re-wire project

    I drew four network diagrams before finally figuring out how I was going to hook things up at home. I really wanted something to provide QoS to the VoIP phone adapter, and ended up borrowing a Linksys wired router (BEFSR81) that does port-based QoS. Doing QoS in Linux is really, really scary, and I wasn’t prepared to spend the time to wrap my head completely around it. On this router I just say “port 1 has high priority over everything else” and that should work just fine.

    So last night I spent an hour installing the new router, reconfiguring my old Microsoft wireless router to be a bridge (but also a wireless access point at the same time), running an Ethernet cable in the ceiling to connect one router to the other, moving the UPS over to the wiring cabinet, and then re-wiring everything and tidying up. But now the networking part of this project is… done!

    The final part will be wiring the security system up to the VoIP connection, testing it, and then when our Bell phone line is gone, hooking up the house phone jacks to VoIP.

  • Flying free without a dial tone: it has begun…

    Bell finally showed up at 3pm and wired up my second pair in about 30 minutes. Boy, did the tech really not want to talk to me at all. Thanks Bell, for wasting an entire day of my time. I figured I wouldn’t have to be around, and the tech only knocked on the door to give me the “workorder completed” paperwork.

    An hour or two later (I was making dinner at the same time), I wired up the new pair into the basement, installed a jack on it, and had my TekSavvy 3Mb DSL service up and running. Sweeeet. 3Mb service seems pretty darn stable already. I faxed in my cancellation to TFNet today. They gave me solid years of service though, I’ve got no complaints about them.

    Then it was time to activate my Vonage retail kit, which I picked up at Best Buy. This is that little PAP2 phone adapter thing. Well… I had an issue. The signup website told me that my device was not configured for Canadian service, and to call Vonage to get it fixed. Great. So I called, and spoke to many people in India for a while. At first, I couldn’t find anyone who would believe me: they took me for some kind of ‘merican idiot I guess and made me check and re-check the device address I was typing in, etc. I almost went nuts from it. Also twice they transfered me to a Vonage USA representative even though everytime I started with “Hi, I’m calling from Canada…”

    My fourth time trying to get some help, I got it right off the bat. Turns out someone screwed up at some warehouse somewhere, and put a bunch of phone adapters that were programmed for the US into Canadian-marked boxes. So they took my details and a few hours later called back to say I could activate it in Canada now. Great. So now it’s active! But I have to wait 15 days for Vonage to transfer my number from Bell to my VoIP. But that’s fine, it will give me a chance to finish the rest of this project, which is:

    • finish phone wiring so that security system is routed through VoIP, with proper line interruption, and then test it out
    • configure my Linux server back into a router, and my wireless router into a “dumb” bridge
    • setup QoS on the Linux box using WonderShaper, to make sure that VoIP traffic gets priority over other stuff.
  • ADT did something right…

    Now that I no longer fear the big, bad world of security systems, I opened up the box in my basement with the security system’s guts. And looky looky, what did I find but the ADT default programming sheet the installer left, all nicely folded up (click for larger, readable version):

    ADT Installer Sheet

    While it doesn’t tell me my installer code (which they didn’t leave as the default, but isn’t my phone number either… grrrr), it does tell me that they are supposed to setup the system to use the SIA format – one that should work with Vonage.

    I’m still waiting for Bell to arrive and wire up a demarc box and jack for my new dry DSL. 🙁

  • Collecting more information about my security system

    I’ve amassed a whole lot of information about my security system over the last few days. I’m starting to feel better and better about switching to VoIP and ensuring that my system will be able to communicate.

    First off. my “ADT Focus 32” system is really a close of the DSC Power832, which is very commonly deployed. After scouring some websites for a while I managed to snag the Programming Worksheets and the Installation Manual for this unit, which I’m going to need if I want to program the thing myself.

    Secondly, I finally found good information about what protocols exist for security system communication and what will work for VoIP.

    This report from the Canadian Alarm and Security Association (Google cache) shows that they did a little test of what protocols will work with VoIP. Here’s the Coles Notes edition:

    • The Contact ID protocol sucks, it won’t work with VoIP. DTMF Express didn’t work either. There’s too much echo coming back to the security system for it to receive signals from the monitoring station. In the case of Contact ID, your system won’t be able to receive the “OK” from the monitoring station, so it will keep on retransmitting until a counter is reached, and then your panel will display an error.
    • Pulse formats like 10, 20, or 40 pps should work fine. 4×2 and 1400Hz handshake seems to be the “standard”. However pulse is the slowest of all formats.
    • SIA format will work as well. Apparently this is because the VoIP hardware thinks that it sounds like a fax transmission, and switches the protocol for the VoIP signal to a type specifically for modem/fax type transmission. SIA is basicially bursts of modem transmission, so it works.

    This posts on dslreports is where I got some good info as well.

    So now from here, I’m going to call ADT and see if I can get them to program my panel remotely to use the SIA protocol. Then we should be hunky-dory when the VoIP switch happens.

  • Getting rid of Bell: still a head-spinning exercise

    The debate at home about going VoIP with Vonage for our main phone line heated back up at home yesterday. It’s something we’ve been thinking about for months, and according to our calculations we’d save $40 a month – but it has two main impediments:

    1. We use DSL for our internet connection and are not willing to switch to cable. “Dry” DSL is now an option (DSL service without local phone service on the same line) but it’s so new no one seems to know about it.
    2. Our security system requires that we have phone line monitoring. Nevermind the fact that we get reamed out the ass paying for it. And we’re locked into our contract until the summer of 2007.

    (1) is no longer an issue, now that “dry” DSL is available – DSL without Bell phone service. #2 is still an issue, though it might be possible to get it to work over VoIP.

    I called up my ISP to ask them abou dry DSL and they didn’t have a lot of answers for me unfortunately. They said to switch my line I’d have to fight Bell tooth and nail, and also that Bell still requires that you pay for using their wires even when they’re not providing service on it.

    I poked around online and found another provider – TekSavvy out of Chatham, Ontario. They mention dry DSL right on their website so I figured I’d call them up to talk about it. Well, I spent about 15 minutes on the phone with a fellow named Bill who answered all my questions and generally impressed the hell out of me with his candor and straightforward facts. Here’s what I learned:

    1. Yes, Bell still charges your DSL provider for using their copper when Bell isn’t charging you for phone service. In most places, that’s $16.99 a month. HOWEVER, that fee is currently unregulated (Bell set it themselves) and the CRTC is expected to set this fee in the next few months. It’s likely that the CRTC will force Bell to lower it. Right now, for my dry DSL, it would be $16.99/month on top of the DSL service.
    2. It is really hard to get Bell to convert a currently active phone line with DSL to “dry” DSL. They will fight and bitch and complain. Also you might be without any service for two or three weeks. BUT, if you have another free line running to your house (and you probably do – they always run lots of extra copper for future service), it’s much easier to get them to bring up dry DSL on that unallocated line. The wait time is still 2-3 weeks but since they’re not losing any money out of the workorder, there’s less crap to cut through. Once you get DSL up on the other pair, you can cancel your phone service and the other DSL service. You might have some overlap for a while though, but it sounds like less of a mess.
    3. If I wanted Vonage to keep my existing phone number, I’d have to ask Vonage to take it over when I activate their service. Yet another reason to do point #2 (get a second DSL service temporarially) first, because if I cancelled my phone number without Vonage taking it over, I’d never get it back.
    4. I even picked the guy’s brain about running my security system over VoIP. I’ve read about some people doing it but he said there are two main problems:

      the reason the security companies are so dead-set against internet monitoring is because of insurance and possible outages. If your internet went down say four or five times a year, that’s considered a lot of times. They are very slow to change their tune because they’re afraid of not being able to provide reliable enough service, and of losing their insurance coverage. And insurance policies take forever to catch up to technological advances.

      the reason that you will have problems trying to trick your security system into running over VoIP is because VoIP is asynchronous – only one side transmits at a time. Normal phone service it, by definition, synchronous – both ends of the line can talk and hear each other simultaneously. Security systems talk like this and need a synchronous connection. Your VoIP provider would have to be able to switch very fast between the two ends of the link while your security system is talking in order for the connection to work. I think this is what I have read about where people phone up Vonage and get them to change some setting on their line which improves the security system communication

    What I would kill for is for my security provider to just install and support a dialer capture module like this one. It tricks your existing system into thinking it’s talking to a phone line, while retransmitting the data over the internet using TCP/IP. Boy, would I.

    So that’s a lot to think about, but it’s also more information than I’ve ever gotten on the subject. Many thanks to TekSavvy, I might just be calling them up for my new DSL service if I can solve issue #2.

  • Dear FedEx: I love you.

    So what’s been going on around the house lately?

    The garage door opener stopped working. Well, to be more specific, the safety sensors that detect something obstructing the door stopped working. This may have had something to do with the combination of:

    • They weren’t installed correctly in the first place: they are mounted on the floor instead of on the track, and the brackets are bolted directly to the concrete instead of on a wooden block as the instruction state.
    • We cleaned out the garage on the weekend and used the hose to wash it out. The sensors probably got splashed in the process. Strangely, it didn’t stop working until the next evening.

    So anyways, a flurry of inquiries, store-checking and phone calls ensue to get it fixed. Sure, I could get a guy out who could install new sensors, but no one is home during weekdays, and it was going to be over $120 plus tax for that. No frickin’ way. I’m not incredibly cheap but I don’t like being ripped off, and when I knew that this was a 15-minute job and some guy with a van and a tool belt is going to charge me $65 for the privilege, no way.

    After checking every Home Depot and calling every garage door place around (none of which will sell me this part directly), I ended up calling the manufacturer, Chamberlain, to order it. Well they were very frickin’ friendly, the part was reasonably priced, and 2-day air shipping for $8 sealed the deal.

    FedEx blew my socks off this morning when it got delivered THE NEXT DAY, ie. about 45 minutes ago. I was expecting Monday or Tuesday, given the usual customs hang-ups between us and “them”. Sweet. “Frickin’ Sweet!” as Peter Gryphon would say. I even sent those Chamberlain folks a nice thank-you note because, well, good CSRs are the unsung heroes of any company, and I got helped good dammit. Credit where credit is due.

  • reno-rama

    Basement renovation is in full swing at our house. Strange, slightly dirty people have been invading our basement three times a week and forcing our cats to take refuge.

    Seriously though, Sandy’s dad and his hired man / our friend Garth started working on our basement last week. So far the progress has been great, and our stack of saved Home Depot gift cards has been getting smaller.

    So far…

    • The washer, dryer, and laundry room sink have been moved closer to the furnace, water heater, and freezer. All these will be in the laundry room which won’t be finished on the inside. New outlets were put in, and the plumbing was moved, as well as rerouting some drainage, and extending the dryer vent pipe.
    • Virtually all of the framing is done, save for the staircase. Which makes it start to look finished and gives me that “I have walls!” kind of feeling.
    • Most of the new electrical work (new outlets and lights) has been roughed-in.
    • I’ve been working on putting in a new phone jack and running audio/video and network/serial cables from the basement to the living room above. Our computers will be in the basement when this is done, so the outlets will connect my PC’s video/audio out to the TV, as well as a serial line to plugin my IR tranciever which I will use with an IR keyboard I picked up a while ago to control my computer from the living room. Muahaha! There’ll also be a network connection for the GameCube and possibly future living room hardware.

    Putting up drywall will start this week I believe. Sandy and I are going to have the privilege of “mudding” and sealing up the drywall. Hooray for dust! Then will come the ceiling, painting (we picked a colour this weekend), and carpet. Then it will be DONE.

  • yay for neighbours!

    This morning our neighbour Mike gave me a ride to the GO Station! It was raining and was probably going to miss the train if something didn’t happen. Thanks!

  • Finally, an excuse to wire all floors

    I bought a broadband adapter (aka Ethernet card) for my GameCube yesterday, $29 pre-owned at EB. A pretty good deal I think.

    Plus, I’m planning on setting up my PowerMac 6100/66 in the basement, now that i have an extra monitor to use with it.

    So now… I need to figure out how to get network throughout my house. Luckily, my house is small. Also luckily, the wall behind the entertainment unit where the GameCube backs onto the stairs to the basement, and the other side of the wall is unfinished, so that will make it much easier to say mount a proper wall box with an RJ-45 jack.

    Also, this wall is right below where the computers are right now, and right above where the computers will be when we finish the basement – so it’s relatively easy to run cable.

    Mmm, now I can’t stop thinking about going home and running cable. Cable runs are good.