Replacing Retiring Copper Lines for Fire Alarms and Elevator Phones
The Copper Sunset and Your Building
AT&T plans to exit copper across most of its footprint by the end of 2029, so these lines need a plan before the carrier's notice arrives.
A building should know which of its lines are fire alarm and elevator lines before a carrier's retirement notice arrives, because those lines take the longest to replace.
Fire Alarm Communicators and NFPA 72 Requirements
Fire alarm panels usually report to the monitoring company through a digital alarm communicator transmitter, called a DACT, on one or two phone lines.
NFPA 72 requires a DACT to connect to a managed facilities-based voice network, meaning a phone network the provider manages end to end for quality and reliability.
Ordinary internet phone service running over someone else's broadband generally does not qualify as that kind of network.
Cellular communicators and other transmission methods recognised in NFPA 72 are the usual replacement for a fire alarm's copper lines.
Fire alarm communicators need secondary power, and one industry bulletin cites at least 8 hours of standby where the authority accepts it.
The fire marshal, as the authority having jurisdiction, and the monitoring company decide what is accepted for a given building.
Elevator Emergency Phones and ASME A17.1 Codes
Elevator emergency phones fall under ASME A17.1, section 2.27.1.
The code requires two-way communication from the car to a monitored location, with line checks and backup power.
Under the 2019 edition, a call not acknowledged within 45 seconds must roll over automatically to an alternate location.
The 2019 edition also added text or video communication for passengers who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired, in some cars.
Cellular elevator gateways are an accepted replacement where they meet those requirements, and the elevator inspector decides.
Cellular Box Equipment and Burglar Alarms
Managed cellular boxes that present analog lines, often called POTS-in-a-box, are sold for fire alarm and elevator lines by vendors such as Granite, MetTel, Ooma and DataRemote.
A burglar alarm dialler is a separate case: it can move to a cellular communicator through the alarm company, or the old panel can be replaced.
Managing Your Phone Transition in the Lowcountry
CloudCentric is a managed IT provider in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, serving businesses across Charleston and the Lowcountry.
When the office's other lines move to UniFi Talk, CloudCentric lists the fire alarm and elevator lines separately and hands them to the fire alarm and elevator contractors.
Neither line goes on UniFi Talk or the UniFi analog adapter; CloudCentric does not sell a UniFi product into a fire alarm or elevator line.
If you are planning your transition away from retiring landlines, you can reach CloudCentric at (844) 422-7000.