-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscriber Trouble Reports Bulletin 5020 03/29/04 Copyright (C) 1992-2003, Central One All Rights Reserved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A subscriber trouble report is prepared each day just after midnight for transmission by email, fax or web access. This report should have been called the exception report but it has been around too long to change the name now. Do not confuse this report with an alarm log report filtered to show you trouble signals. A log report of trouble signals should be received or produced separately each day using main menu option F7 on your remote access menu. This report examines all of your accounts for a variety of conditions and presents them in a nice consolidated format: Fail to Test A fail to test is reported if no signal has been received at the central station within the number of hours (test interval) defined in the subscriber's account record. The most common test interval is 25 hours. However, the test interval does not need to be the same as the interval at which signals are actually transmitted. For example, if you would normally wait for two 24-hour tests to be missed before you investigate, you may specify a test interval of 48 to 50 hours. By doing so, you make sure that a system has missed both tests before the account is listed on the subscriber trouble report. Another example is where an account does not send dialer tests but it does send openings and closings. If you specify a test interval of 240 hours, the opening and closing account will appear on the subscriber trouble report whenever it goes ten days without a signal. Failure to test is not reported until the central station has received alarm traffic from the account. This allows accounts to be created in advance of the installation without cluttering the subscriber trouble report. No Contract This item is reported when an account has been placed on line but the central station has not received a required contract signed by the subscriber. It is reported every Monday until the contract is received. Too Many Signals This item is reported when an account sends more than six signals, other than opening or closing signals, in one day. Too Many Priority Signals This item is reported when an account has sent five or more signals within ten days which required central station operator intervention. This could be caused by a false alarm problem where the subscriber was able to cancel the dispatch. It can also be caused when an open/close account's business hours schedule is not set up correctly. Too Many Dispatches This item is reported when an account has had more than one dispatch in one day or more than two dispatches within the past ten days. Data Entry Status When a new account is created by telephone, the dispatcher asks a series of questions so the data entry department will know what paper work to expect: 1. Will a U.L. certificate be issued by the central station? 2. Will opening and closing signals be supervised? 3. Will signals be sent via WatchALERT? 4. Will a guard or runner be dispatched? 5. Will the central station send reports directly to the subscriber? The answers to these questions are entered into the central station computer which then tracks the progress of the new account data entry process. Items which may be listed as "missing" on the subscriber trouble report include: subscriber, signal and callout information (always required) certification information (required if central station will issue certificate) open/close instructions (required if open/close signals are supervised) line security information (required if WatchALERT) guard or runner instructions (required if guard or runner is dispatched) log report instructions (required if central station sends reports) Required or Expired Permit Some dispatch agencies require an alarm user permit number at the time an alarm signal is dispatched. If the central station is aware of this requirement you will be notified in the event your subscriber does not have a required permit. When an expiration date is provided with a user permit you will be notified 30 days prior to expiration that the permit will expire. You will be notified every day after the expiration of the permit. Some dispatch agencies either do not accept a dispatch or impose a fine upon the central station for dispatching without a valid permit number. A valid alarm signal WILL NOT BE DISPATCHED if doing so will result in a fine against the central station. Unrestored Zones This item applies to signals which have the "must restore" option set to yes in the subscriber's record. Signals received within the past ten days are included if they have failed to restore. A restore signal is any REStore or CANcel signal received without a zone number or received with a zone number which matches the zone number of the outstanding condition. For all WatchALERT accounts, central station data entry personnel are instructed to mark code zero (non-responding STU) a "must restore" event. All other events and conditions which need restore tracking require specific instructions or the use of a template. Scheduled Maintenance For each subscriber you may set up a periodic maintenance date and interval (in months). You may also designate a code letter which tells you what type of periodic maintenance is required. For example, if you wish to schedule an annual battery replacement for an account beginning on 1/1/90 you would advise the central station to add maintenance schedule "B" at 12 month intervals from 1/1/90. The "B" stands for battery change (you make up these letter codes - the central station does not keep a legend). Once this is done, the account will be included on the subscriber trouble report ten days before maintenance is due (12/22/89) and again on the due date (1/1/90). The next maintenance date is then calculated (1/1/91) and the subscriber record is updated. Runner Response Time When a signal requires a timed runner response this feature will report when the response time was incredibly short (suggesting that the runner did not actually go) or too long. System On Test More Than One Day You are notified when a system is placed on test beyond midnight or for more than just one day. This gives you an opportunity to confirm the action is appropriate. Systems may be placed on test by subscribers as well as technicians and other employees. U.L. Certificate Expiration U.L. certificate expirations are reported 30 days before expiration and again on the expiration date. Unlike expired alarm user permits, this item is not included on the trouble report after the expiration date has passed. No Opening or Closing Signals When an account that has been sending openings and closings, whether supervised or not, and then stops for a period of ten days this item is included on the report. It will remain on the report until an opening or closing is received or for ten additional days. Once the account has failed to send an opening or closing signal for twenty days it is removed from the report and the open/closed status of the account is changed to unknown. Signal From Unknown ANI When caller id or ANI (automatic number identification) is available for the signals we receive the central station stores the information in each subscriber's record. If a signal is received from a different ANI then this item appears on the trouble report. It may be that the subscriber has changed his telephone number or moved his alarm panel to a new line. It may also be that some other panel is erroneously reporting on the subscriber's account number (phantom signal). The "communicator phone" field in the subscriber database is where the last known ANI is stored. If you have a system that reports from two ANIs and wish to suppress this notification you may enter a question mark "?" in the first character of that field. ANI for that particular account will no longer be updated or reported. -------------------------- Dealer Selectable Options Several of the items described above can be eliminated from the subscriber trouble report at the option of the installing dealer. This allows you to receive only the items which interest you. -------------------------- Additional Reports A separate report is produced in connection with WatchALERT service. The "Derived Channel Status" report is prepared approximately once each week and is sent to you using the same method (fax, email or web access) used for the subscriber trouble report. For additional information about this report order bulletin number 1070.