Freeze Alarm Question

secondcurve · 10-14-2013, 06:16 PM

I have a freeze alarm in my house and it works great except for one problem. The phone line the freeze alarm communicates via is a cable line and when the electricity fails, the cable modem goes off and it needs to be re-set manually. Thus, after a power failure the freeze alarm can be off for long stretches of time until someone goes to the house and resets the cable modem. Is the only solution to this problem to invest in a land line?

Thanks

Charlie T · 10-14-2013, 06:43 PM

I too have a freeze alarm which has saved my butt more than once over the years. I had the same concerns as you when I ditched Metrocast cable last year and went with internet TV (Roku

)

I chose to keep my Fairpoint land line just so the Freeze Alarm would have a reliable way to call me in the event of an outage. Search the forums and you will find many who agree that the most reliable utility in your home is the POTS line ( Plain Old Telephone Service). Internet phone service is not very reliable and I certainly wouldn't trust it to protect my home from major damage!. If you are the gambling type you could get a Computer UPS that you could plug all your telephone gear into to help in the event of a power outage. Don't plug your Freeze alarm in to the UPS as it has a battery (9v) back up. By doing it this way you will get a call when the power goes out and the freeze alarm is on its own battery power, the UPS should keep the phone running for a while. In this scenario at least you will / should get one notification that the power has failed, eventually the UPS will die but you will be aware to check it every so often.

YMMV Good Luck, counting the days until the boat can go back in the water.

Charlie T

wickedtravelah · 10-14-2013, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by secondcurve

I have a freeze alarm in my house and it works great except for one problem. The phone line the freeze alarm communicates via is a cable line and when the electricity fails, the cable modem goes off and it needs to be re-set manually. Thus, after a power failure the freeze alarm can be off for long stretches of time until someone goes to the house and resets the cable modem. Is the only solution to this problem to invest in a land line?

Thanks

You could also invest in a self charging external battery backup. They can cost upwards of $100, but you'll have peace of mind when the powers out. Just plug the cable modem into the back up battery and depending on the size you buy, you could run the cable modem and freeze alarm for several day or even weeks (let's hope not) without power.

ishoot308 · 10-14-2013, 07:36 PM

Just get an on off electrical timer. Set it for a 10 minute on off cycle say from 1:00 A.M. till 1:10 A.M. Plug your modem into it so it resets your modem every night. A power cycle should reset your modem as it does mine.

That's what I now do on the island since I can't get out there to reset.

Dan

brk-lnt · 10-14-2013, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Just get an on off electrical timer. Set it for a 10 minute on off cycle say from 1:00 A.M. till 1:10 A.M. Plug your modem into it so it resets your modem every night. A power cycle should reset your modem as it does mine.

That's what I now do on the island since I can't get out there to reset.

Dan

Yes, this.

You could get a UPS for the cable modem, but it might not last through a long outage, and the problem might also be that the modem needs to be reset AFTER power has been restored at the cable head-end. The timer solves those problems cheaply.

ITD · 10-14-2013, 09:46 PM

I don't understand why the cable modem needs to be manually reset. Mine resets itself, I would call the cable company and have them send you a new modem, or buy one yourself if they charge you rent.

ishoot308 · 10-14-2013, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ITD

I don't understand why the cable modem needs to be manually reset. Mine resets itself, I would call the cable company and have them send you a new modem, or buy one yourself if they charge you rent.

Mine does the same thing...Occasionally a power fluctuation or very quick power loss will require a reset of the modem either manually or by a hard power reset for a couple minutes. It happens at least once every couple months.

Dan

jetskier · 10-15-2013, 07:36 AM

Alternatively:

I don't like relying on my networking infrastructure for my freeze alarm notification and so I took a different approach.

I added a phone to my Verizon cellular plan ($10/month) and installed a bluetooth/POTs bridge. The freeze alarm communicates via POTs to the bridge and the bridge communicates via bluetooth to the cell phone. I have the whole thing on a UPS and it will run for weeks in the event of a power outage. The whole setup was less than $100.

Jetskier

secondcurve · 10-16-2013, 08:39 PM

Thanks for the suggestions/advice. I decided to have a land line installed. It will cost about 10.00 a month but it seems like the most reliable way to go.

ITD · 10-16-2013, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by secondcurve

Thanks for the suggestions/advice. I decided to have a land line installed. It will cost about 10.00 a month but it seems like the most reliable way to go.

Secondcurve, it's still worth a call to the cable company, your modem should reset itself, it may be a matter of a firmware update if it is not that old, or a new one if it is old. You can by them at best buy, or if the cable company gives them free they should send you another.

It will save you $120 a year, and the landline will bring telemarketer and political calls, I'm seriously considering giving my land line up.

BTW I have video feed from my house plus my alarm system thru my TW cable modem, haven't had to reset it yet in 10 years.

secondcurve · 10-17-2013, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ITD

Secondcurve, it's still worth a call to the cable company, your modem should reset itself, it may be a matter of a firmware update if it is not that old, or a new one if it is old. You can by them at best buy, or if the cable company gives them free they should send you another.

It will save you $120 a year, and the landline will bring telemarketer and political calls, I'm seriously considering giving my land line up.

BTW I have video feed from my house plus my alarm system thru my TW cable modem, haven't had to reset it yet in 10 years.

Tanks ITD. I did an audible this morning and put the land line on hold for 30-days while I try to figure things out.

10-14-2013, 06:16 PM	#1
secondcurve Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,116 Thanks: 1,321 Thanked 559 Times in 288 Posts	Freeze Alarm Question I have a freeze alarm in my house and it works great except for one problem. The phone line the freeze alarm communicates via is a cable line and when the electricity fails, the cable modem goes off and it needs to be re-set manually. Thus, after a power failure the freeze alarm can be off for long stretches of time until someone goes to the house and resets the cable modem. Is the only solution to this problem to invest in a land line? Thanks

10-14-2013, 06:43 PM	#2
Charlie T Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 306 Thanks: 256 Thanked 181 Times in 86 Posts	It's a toss up I too have a freeze alarm which has saved my butt more than once over the years. I had the same concerns as you when I ditched Metrocast cable last year and went with internet TV (Roku ) I chose to keep my Fairpoint land line just so the Freeze Alarm would have a reliable way to call me in the event of an outage. Search the forums and you will find many who agree that the most reliable utility in your home is the POTS line ( Plain Old Telephone Service). Internet phone service is not very reliable and I certainly wouldn't trust it to protect my home from major damage!. If you are the gambling type you could get a Computer UPS that you could plug all your telephone gear into to help in the event of a power outage. Don't plug your Freeze alarm in to the UPS as it has a battery (9v) back up. By doing it this way you will get a call when the power goes out and the freeze alarm is on its own battery power, the UPS should keep the phone running for a while. In this scenario at least you will / should get one notification that the power has failed, eventually the UPS will die but you will be aware to check it every so often. YMMV Good Luck, counting the days until the boat can go back in the water. Charlie T

10-14-2013, 07:36 PM	#4
ishoot308 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gilford, NH / Welch Island Posts: 6,223 Thanks: 2,381 Thanked 5,266 Times in 2,046 Posts	Timer Just get an on off electrical timer. Set it for a 10 minute on off cycle say from 1:00 A.M. till 1:10 A.M. Plug your modem into it so it resets your modem every night. A power cycle should reset your modem as it does mine. That's what I now do on the island since I can't get out there to reset. Dan __________________ It's Always Sunny On Welch Island!!

10-15-2013, 07:36 AM	#8
jetskier Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Reading, MA and South Down Shores Posts: 851 Thanks: 57 Thanked 183 Times in 114 Posts	Alternative Approach Alternatively: I don't like relying on my networking infrastructure for my freeze alarm notification and so I took a different approach. I added a phone to my Verizon cellular plan ($10/month) and installed a bluetooth/POTs bridge. The freeze alarm communicates via POTs to the bridge and the bridge communicates via bluetooth to the cell phone. I have the whole thing on a UPS and it will run for weeks in the event of a power outage. The whole setup was less than $100. Jetskier

10-16-2013, 08:39 PM	#9
secondcurve Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,116 Thanks: 1,321 Thanked 559 Times in 288 Posts	Thanks Thanks for the suggestions/advice. I decided to have a land line installed. It will cost about 10.00 a month but it seems like the most reliable way to go.

10-14-2013, 09:46 PM	#6
ITD Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Moultonboro, NH Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 476 Thanked 691 Times in 387 Posts	I don't understand why the cable modem needs to be manually reset. Mine resets itself, I would call the cable company and have them send you a new modem, or buy one yourself if they charge you rent.