Alarmbridge Service - Service Specifications

The iotcomms.io Alarmbridge Service supports secure and interoperable alarm communication across analog and IP-based systems. Designed for protocol conversion, device connectivity, and ARC platform integration, the Alarmbridge Service ensures reliable alarm transmission for healthcare, security, and assisted living applications. Below are the key specifications of the Alarmbridge Service.

1. Analog Protocols

   • BS 8521:1

     Supports the British standard for social alarms, ensuring compatibility with legacy healthcare and residential alarm devices.

   • TT92 and TTNew

     Supports these established analog alarm protocols, enabling broad interoperability with legacy devices.

2. IP-Based Protocols

   • SCAIP (Social Care Alarm Internet Protocol)

     Integrates with modern IP-based social alarm devices, standardizing IP alarm communication for healthcare applications.

   • NOW-IP

     Supports the NOW-IP protocol, connecting with advanced telecare devices.

   • SIA

     Compatible with security and intrusion alarm systems, expanding support for ARC platforms in security use cases.

1. SIP Core Integration

   • Secure Access from Public Internet

     By integrating with iotcomms.io's SIP Core Service, the Alarmbridge Service enables secure access to ARC services from the public internet, ensuring a robust connection for external devices.

   • NAT Traversal Support

     The SIP Core Service addresses NAT traversal issues, enabling reliable connectivity for devices located behind NAT configurations and ensuring seamless communication with ARC platforms.

1. Voice Call Event Receiver

   • Alarm Initiation via Voice Call

     Allows a standard voice call to trigger an alarm event of a specified type, configured per the event sender settings. This feature enables versatile alarm initiation from ordinary voice calls, integrating seamlessly with ARC systems.

2. Protocol Conversion

   • Analog-to-IP Conversion

     Converts analog alarms to IP-based protocols, allowing ARC platforms to modernize the infrastructure while maintaining support for legacy devices.

   • IP-to-Analog Conversion

     Translates IP-based alarms to analog protocols, enabling modern IP-based devices to communicate with older ARC platforms.

3. Event Callback and Routing

   • Event Receiver

     Configurable to accept alarms from analog or IP sources, with options to specify a SIP address, phone number, or an API endpoint as the receiver.

   • Event Sender

     Customizable destination for sending converted alarms, with routing options to SIP addresses, phone numbers, or REST callback URLs.

4. In-Call Commands and Control

   • Remote Command Handling

     Enables ARC operators to issue in-call commands, such as volume adjustments and switching between one-way and two-way communication, enhancing control during active alarm sessions.

5. Alarm Call Clear-Down Phase

   • Protocol-Specific Clear-Down Commands

     During the call clear-down phase, the Alarmbridge Service sends the necessary protocol-specific commands to end the session, ensuring proper session termination and accurate closure of alarm records.

6. Heartbeat and Connectivity Monitoring

   • Device Heartbeat Signals

     Provides regular connectivity checks for devices, issuing automatic alerts if a heartbeat signal is missing.

   • Device State Monitoring

     Tracks the online status and communication activity of registered devices, providing continuous visibility for ARC operators.

7. Reliable Delivery with Re-Transmissions

   • Built-in alarm event re-transmissions

     Ensure that events are successfully delivered to their intended destination.

8. Alarm Event Rewriting

   • Configurable Rewriting Rules

     Allows alarm events to be re-written based on custom configurations to meet the requirements of the receiving system.

   • Facilitating System Interoperability

     Adapts event formats, content, or protocol-specific attributes to bridge differences between devices and ARC platforms, enabling seamless integration.

1. Alarm Event API

   • New Alarm Event Callbacks

     Sends /newAlarmbridgeEvent callbacks to specified URLs, allowing real-time alarm event processing and logging for API-integrated or IP-based devices.

   • Event Receiver Options

     Configurable to use SIP, phone number, HTTP endpoints, or voice calls as flexible alarm reception options.

2. Device Provisioning API

   • Automated Device Management

     Supports bulk provisioning of alarm devices via API, enabling efficient onboarding for larger deployments.

   • Configuration Management

     Allows remote configuration updates, ensuring devices are always aligned with ARC protocols and event handling requirements.

1. End-to-End Encryption

   • TLS Encryption for SIP and HTTP

     Ensures secure transport for all alarm signals, maintaining data integrity across both analog and IP-based alarm sessions.

   • SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol)

     Provides encrypted media for VoIP alarm sessions, securing sensitive communications between devices and ARC platforms.

2. Compliance with Industry Standards

   • Data Security

     Designed to meet stringent security requirements for emergency and healthcare communications, adhering to standards such as HIPAA for data protection.

   • High Availability

     Built on a redundant, cloud-native architecture to provide high uptime and reliability, supporting continuous and dependable alarm monitoring.

The Alarmbridge Service delivers secure, adaptable, and reliable alarm communication across healthcare, group living, security, and other critical applications, making it a robust service for ARC and monitoring platforms handling diverse alarm systems and protocols.

The Alarmbridge Service complies with a comprehensive set of industry standards and proprietary protocols, ensuring secure, interoperable alarm communication across analog and IP-based systems. Below is a list of supported standards and proprietary protocols that facilitate seamless integration with ARC platforms and diverse device networks.

1. Social Care and Alarm Protocols

   • BS 8521-1:2009

     British Standard for analog social alarms, enabling compatibility with legacy healthcare and residential alarm devices and widely used in the UK for social care communication.

   • SCAIP (Social Care Alarm Internet Protocol)

     Based on CENELEC TS 50134-9, this European standard defines IP-based social alarm communication, commonly used in healthcare and telecare applications.

   • NOW-IP

     Defined under **BS 8521-2:2020**, this British Standard specifies IP-based social alarms, providing a standardized protocol for modern telecare and assisted living devices.

   • SIA-DCS (Digital Communication Standard)

     Compliant with the SIA DC-09 standard, supporting the SIA-DCS protocol for digital security and intrusion alarms, ensuring interoperability with security and intrusion detection systems.

2. NAT Traversal and Network Security

   • RFC 3581 - Symmetric Response Routing (rport)

     Enables NAT traversal for SIP responses, ensuring reliable communication in NAT environments.

   • RFC 5626 - Managing Client-Initiated Connections in SIP

     Maintains connectivity for devices behind NAT, supporting consistent communication with public networks.

3. Session and Call Control Protocols

   • RFC 3261 - SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)

     Core standard for establishing, modifying, and terminating SIP-based sessions, ensuring compatibility with SIP devices and ARC platforms.

   • RFC 3311 - SIP UPDATE Method

     Allows modification of session parameters during an active call, supporting flexible call handling.

   • RFC 3326 - SIP Reason Header Field

     Communicates termination reasons for enhanced session management.

4. Media and Encryption Protocols

   • RFC 3711 - SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol)

     Encrypts audio streams in VoIP sessions, providing secure media transport for alarm communication.

   • RFC 5630 - SIP over TLS

     Encrypts SIP signaling, ensuring secure session setup and message exchange.

   • RFC 5764 - DTLS-SRTP

     Facilitates secure key negotiation for media streams, commonly used for encrypted WebRTC communication.

5. DTMF and Media Control

   • RFC 2833 - RTP Payload for DTMF Digits, Telephony Tones, and Signals

     Supports the transmission of DTMF tones over RTP, enabling keypad input recognition for alarm handling.

   • RFC 4733 - RTP Payload for DTMF, Telephony Tones, and Signals

     Expands on RFC 2833 to support additional telephony tones and signals.

6. Codec and Media Negotiation

   • RFC 4566 - SDP (Session Description Protocol)

     Manages codec and media type negotiation, supporting compatibility with a wide range of SIP and IP devices.

7. Proprietary Protocols

   • TT92

     Proprietary analog protocol used in legacy alarm systems, ensuring interoperability with older ARC platforms.

   • TTNew

     An updated proprietary protocol variant for analog alarm communication, allowing compatibility with specific legacy devices.

These standards and protocols ensure that the Alarmbridge Service delivers secure, compliant, and interoperable alarm communication, supporting diverse applications across healthcare, security, and assisted living environments.

The Alarmbridge Service is proven to interoperate with ARC software from major alarm receiving platform suppliers such as:

• Enovation/UMO

• LeGrand/Jontek

• Skyresponse

• Tunstall/PNC

The Alarmbridge Service connects with alarm devices from suppliers like:

• Attentive Telecare

• Careium

• Essence

• Everon

• Legrand/Neat

• Navigil

• TeleAlarm

• Tunstall