NextAlarm.com on Tuesday will announce at The Cable Show support for two-way voice monitoring that not only works over the PSTN, it is also compatible with VoIP.  Two-way monitoring means it's possible for two-way voice to/from the dispatcher. Essentially when an alarm system sends a signal, two-way voice enables the system to patch in a dispatcher who can listen in on the home through microphones in the keypads and/or speak through the keypads and pass information on to authorities.  In addition, anyone at the site can easily speak with the dispatcher without having to reach for a telephone, which is certainly beneficial in the event of a medical emergency.

Many VoIP systems which compress the voice also compress the DTMF (touch tone) digits making alarm systems incompatible with broadband VoIP services. NextAlarm's two-way voice service is one of only perhaps a couple providers that offer alarm systems that are compatible with VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and digital phone service.  (I've written about NextAlarm's VoIP compatibility, which you can check out here.)

NextAlarm's patented Alarm Broadband Network (ABN) allows customers to enjoy the benefits and cost savings of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service, while still allowing their alarm systems to accurately communicate with monitoring centers.  ABN operates over a standard cable adapter or DSL connection and works with any alarm system capable of sending signals using the contact ID format.  In addition, ABN requires no changes to a subscriber's existing alarm system.  All a subscriber has to do is simply plug the ABN adapter into their home network and plug their alarm panel into the adapter rather than into a regular phone line.

"We feel this two-way voice feature is going to be very popular with our subscribers," said Alex Elliot, NextAlarm's founder and CEO.  "The feature doesn't require a phone line and is available at a very reasonable price."