Alarm Services
5 April, 2024
In 2025 all remaining ISDN lines will be switched off in the UK. For providers of alarm receiving platforms that want to continue to receive alarm calls, a move to IP technology and SIP-based alarm communication is necessary. The move to SIP technology is not only enabling the continuation of alarm receiving capabilities as such, it is also the key step to accelerate the development of new and innovative telecare services.
This blogpost dives deeper into the difference between ISDN and SIP and why modern SIP technology is such a crucial element for the evolution of next generation technology enabled care services.
ISDN was a pioneering technology when it was introduced in the 1980s and facilitated digital communication over traditional analogue telephone networks. It provided a standardized interface for voice, video, and data transmission, allowing users to make simultaneous voice and data calls. ISDN played a crucial role in its time, offering faster and more reliable connections compared to analogue systems. However, as telecom continued to advance, the speed and quality limitations of ISDN became increasingly apparent.
SIP technology emerged as a solution to address the limitations of ISDN. Unlike the fixed channels of ISDN, SIP operates over the internet, enabling communication between a range of devices and applications.
SIP is a modern signalling protocol used for initiating, maintaining, modifying, and terminating real-time sessions that involve voice, video, messaging, and other communication applications between endpoints in IP networks. It differs a lot from ISDN which is a circuit-switched technology used in old telephone networks.
SIP works with various media types and services, and can also be used for alarm communication. Two major care alarm protocols – SCAIP and NOW-IP – are based on SIP. Cloud-based SIP architecture is easy to scale, and gone are the days when ISDN cards needed to be dimensioned for maximum peak traffic. With SIP one can easily adjust to dynamic changes in communication needs.
Read more about SIP architecture in our blog series about why the SIP server is crucial in modern communication.
Alarm communication today is still focused on the shift from analogue to digital and how to ensure that a care device can communicate with an ARC platform in a reliable way with high level of successful calls.
Tomorrow, we believe the alarm is the trigger of some sort of communication to happen, and that the communication patterns between the caretaker and caregiver will change dramatically. A fall sensor might trigger a video camera to stream video to a health care worker without first be received by an ARC. And the elderly’s relatives can be engaged into alarm communication dialogues as they are trusted by the caretaker.
To enable the development of telecare services such as the above, modern communication technology and protocols are needed. SIP is such a modern communication protocol and it is needed in the handling of a multitude of SIP-enabled care devices, SIP cameras, and mobile phone apps utilising SIP and/or WebRTC clients.
The changed communication patterns and new types of devices being introduced to the telecare market, demand a high level of security and encryption. SIP technology’s encryption and authentication capabilities assure safe communication and is therefore a key catalyst to evolved telecare services.
When complexity in communication flows grow and the use cases get more and more demanding, it will be increasingly hard for ARC platform vendors to have the deep expertise required in both alarm communication and alarm management. This will drive the decoupling of the eco-system chain and fuel a need for specialist competence in alarm communication.
Modern alarm communication will be built around SIP technology as it – in addition to supporting alarm devices – also supports voice- and video enabled devices. From this perspective the closing of ISDN will be a good thing as it forces the TEC industry to take a step into the next phase of the evolved telecare future.
In addition to offering an ultra-modern communication platform, iotcomms.io has a deep expertise in SIP and VoIP technologies, alarm protocols, and analogue and digital networks. This kind of telecom and alarm communication competence is crucial in solving the current analogue to digital challenges while at the same time prepare for the future of new and enhanced telecare services.
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