NextAlarm Awarded Patent for Two-Way Voice Over Internet

OJAI, Calif., May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Alarm monitoring provider and technology developer NextAlarm Monitoring Services, Inc. today announced the issuance of U.S. patent 7,734,020. The patent covers NextAlarm's unique method of transmitting alarm signals using a dedicated Voice over IP network. This method is to date the only widely available method to retrofit existing telephone-based alarm or medical alert systems to communicate over the Internet, and the only method to enable two-way voice communications over IP as well as digital alarm signals.

NextAlarm Chief Technology Officer Bryan Field-Elliot explained, "Although other technologies for monitoring alarm systems over the Internet do exist, ours is different in that it was built from the ground up to work with existing, legacy systems. Other solutions require entire new security or medical alert systems to be installed, whereas ours only requires the addition of a broadband adapter. Finally, two-way voice is a feature that is simply not available with other IP monitoring solutions. With our VoIPAlarm dealer program, anyone can keep their two-way voice system and still save money with a digital phone service, or even cancel their home phone altogether."

Two-way voice allows a monitoring station operator to communicate with the subscriber using a speaker and microphone built directly into the alarm system keypad. This feature is considered to be crucial in medical alert systems, where the subscriber may not be physically able to reach a telephone. These medical systems, known as Personal Emergency Response Systems, or PERS, are a fast-growing sector of the alarm industry.

VoIPAlarm, the dealer branch of NextAlarm, allows any alarm company or monitoring station to receive signals over IP using NextAlarm's patented technologies from legacy alarm panels or PERS devices. Other features offered by VoIPAlarm include electronic notifications of alarm events, NextView IP video cameras, and a branded customer portal allowing end users to take full advantage of the technology.

One longtime customer of VoIPAlarm is Fred Rosenfeld, president of leading PERS monitoring service provider Amcest Corporation. Mr. Rosenfeld commented, "VoIP is a big deal in the alarm industry right now. People are dropping their landlines and switching to services like Ooma, or phone service through their cable company, or just using their cell phones. For their alarm systems to keep working - and for them to keep working without having to buy new alarm systems - VoIPAlarm is a great technology. Now that it works with two-way voice as well, we can tell our people in the field that VoIP is no problem."

Two-way voice is available now from VoIPAlarm, using the Sparrow broadband adapter sold at major alarm distributors.

About NextAlarm(R) Monitoring Services, Inc.

NextAlarm(R) Monitoring Services, Inc., The Broadband Alarm Company(R), was established in 2000 by a team of alarm industry experts with more than 50 years of collective experience. The company provides service to thousands of homes and businesses in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, including those who have switched to Voice over Internet Protocol telephone service. For more information about NextAlarm, visit http://www.NextAlarm.com.  

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE NextAlarm Monitoring Services, Inc.