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Definitions
Plain-language definitions of the telecom, alarm, and connectivity terms that come up in copper retirement and POTS line replacement projects.
35 terms
35 of 35 terms
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Alarm communicator
DACT · digital alarm communicator transmitter
An alarm communicator is the component that carries an alarm panel's signals to the supervising station. The classic form is the DACT — a digital alarm communicator transmitter that dials out over a phone line — while modern communicators send the same events over cellular or IP paths.
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Alarm panel supervision
communication path supervision · line supervision
Supervision is the automatic, periodic monitoring of an alarm system's communication path so that a failure is detected and annunciated rather than discovered only when an alarm fails to transmit.
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Analog telephone adapter
ATA · analog terminal adapter
An analog telephone adapter (ATA) is a device that converts between an analog telephone interface and a packet network, presenting FXS ports on one side and IP or cellular transport on the other.
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Area of refuge
area of rescue assistance · refuge area
An area of refuge is a fire-protected space — commonly at exit stairs or elevator lobbies — where occupants who cannot evacuate unassisted, such as wheelchair users, can wait safely for rescue. Building codes require these areas to include a two-way communication system so occupants can reach help.
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Authority having jurisdiction
AHJ
The authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) is the organization, office, or individual responsible for enforcing a code or standard and for approving equipment, materials, installations, and procedures under it — the fire marshal, building official, electrical inspector, or insurer whose sign-off an installation actually needs.
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Battery backup
integrated UPS · backup power
Battery backup is an integrated power source that keeps a replacement appliance and the analog equipment it serves operating during a mains power failure, for a rated period.
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Calling Party Control
CPC · CPC signal
Calling Party Control (CPC) is the disconnect signal on an analog line: a brief drop in loop current from the serving equipment that tells the premises device the far party has hung up, so it can release the line.
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Cellular failover
4G/5G failover · wireless failover
Cellular failover is the automatic switch of a site's traffic — internet, voice, or alarm signaling — from its primary connection to a cellular network when the primary fails, and back again when it recovers.
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Cellular gateway
cellular router · LTE gateway
A cellular gateway is an on-site device that connects local equipment to a cellular network as its wide-area link — routing Ethernet traffic, and in POTS-replacement designs also presenting analog FXS ports so phones, faxes, and panels ride the same cellular connection.
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Cellular POTS replacement
wireless POTS replacement · cellular line replacement
Cellular POTS replacement carries analog telephone lines over a mobile network, using an on-site appliance that presents FXS ports locally and transports the traffic over LTE or 5G.
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Central station
central monitoring station · central station service
A central station is a continuously staffed facility that receives signals from alarm systems, verifies them, and initiates the appropriate response — dispatching responders, notifying the owner, or logging the event — under the operating requirements of UL 827.
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Copper retirement
copper sunset · network retirement
Copper retirement is the formal process by which a carrier withdraws copper facilities from service, along with the analog services delivered over them, subject to the FCC's notice requirements.
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Dial tone
dialtone
Dial tone is the continuous audio tone a telephone line presents when it is off-hook and ready to accept dialed digits, indicating the line is available.
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DTMF
Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency · touch-tone
DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) is the in-band signaling method that represents each digit as a pair of simultaneous audio tones, used for dialing and for transmitting data between alarm panels and monitoring centers.
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Dual-SIM failover
dual SIM · carrier failover
Dual-SIM failover equips a cellular device with two SIMs — usually from different carriers — so it can switch to the second network when the first is unavailable or degraded, adding carrier diversity on top of whatever wireline failover exists.
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Emergency two-way communication system
two-way emergency communication · emergency communication system
An emergency two-way communication system is a code-required system that lets a person in a specific location — an elevator cab, an area of refuge, an elevator landing — talk with a staffed point that can summon help, without needing to dial or carry a phone.
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Enhanced 911
E911 · E-911
Enhanced 911 (E911) is the capability that delivers a 911 caller's callback number and location to the emergency call center automatically, so responders can find the caller even when the caller cannot say where they are.
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Fax over cellular
cellular fax · analog fax over LTE
Fax over cellular is the transport of analog fax transmissions over a mobile network, using an appliance that presents an FXS port to the fax machine and handles the timing and signaling fax requires.
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Fixed wireless access
FWA · fixed wireless
Fixed wireless access (FWA) uses a mobile network as a fixed location's primary internet connection, in place of a wired circuit.
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FXO
Foreign Exchange Office · FXO port
FXO (Foreign Exchange Office) is the interface that connects to a telephone line and consumes dial tone — the side of the connection that behaves like a telephone.
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FXS
Foreign Exchange Subscriber · FXS port
FXS (Foreign Exchange Subscriber) is the interface that supplies dial tone, loop current, and ring voltage to an analog device — the side of the connection a telephone plugs into.
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Global Navigation Satellite System
GNSS · satellite navigation
A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is any satellite constellation that lets a receiver compute its position and precise time from satellite signals — GPS (United States), Galileo (EU), GLONASS (Russia), and BeiDou (China) are the major systems, and GNSS is the umbrella term covering them all.
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Internet failover
WAN failover · cellular failover
Internet failover is the automatic switching of site traffic to a secondary connection — commonly cellular — when the primary circuit fails, so connectivity continues without manual intervention.
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Line seizure
line grab · line seizure module
Line seizure is the ability of an alarm panel to disconnect any other device sharing its telephone line and take exclusive control, so it can transmit an alarm even if someone is mid-call.
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Loop current
loop start current · line current
Loop current is the direct current that flows around the local loop when an analog device goes off-hook, powered by the line's battery feed. Its presence tells both ends the line is in use, and many analog devices sense it to detect line state.
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Machine-to-machine communication
M2M · machine to machine
Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication is automated data exchange between devices without human involvement — meters reporting consumption, controllers reporting status, systems accepting remote commands.
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Managed cellular
managed connectivity · managed wireless service
Managed cellular is a service in which the provider supplies not just the connectivity but the provisioning, monitoring, alerting, and support around it, so the customer operates lines rather than managing SIMs and carrier relationships.
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Managed facilities-based voice network
MFVN
A managed facilities-based voice network (MFVN) is NFPA 72's term for a voice network that a provider physically operates and actively manages end-to-end — delivering dial tone and signaling compatibility equivalent to traditional public switched telephone service, including backup power for its field equipment.
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Network modernization
technology transition · IP transition
Network modernization is a carrier's replacement of legacy circuit-switched and copper infrastructure with IP, fiber, and wireless technology, together with the regulatory framework governing that transition.
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POTS
Plain Old Telephone Service · plain ordinary telephone service
POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) is the traditional analog telephone service delivered over a copper pair from a carrier's wire center, providing dial tone, loop current, and in-band signaling.
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POTS line
analog line · copper line
A POTS line is a single analog telephone circuit delivered over a copper pair, identified by its own telephone number and billed individually.
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POTS line replacement
POTS replacement · copper line replacement
POTS line replacement is the migration of an analog copper telephone line to a managed cellular or IP connection using an on-site appliance that presents the same analog interface, so the connected equipment continues to operate unchanged.
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Ring-down line
ringdown · automatic ringdown
A ring-down line is a circuit that connects to one predetermined far end automatically: lift the handset (or press the call button) and the other end rings immediately, with no dial tone and no number to dial.
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Supervising station
supervising station alarm system
A supervising station is NFPA 72's umbrella term for a facility that receives alarm, supervisory, and trouble signals from protected premises and acts on them — covering central station service, proprietary supervising stations, and remote supervising stations.
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Wire center
central office · CO
A wire center is the carrier facility — commonly called a central office — where copper subscriber loops for a defined geographic serving area terminate and are connected to the wider network.
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