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"Some providers may indicate that they already provide a SIM capable of switching between several networks. This is absolutely true, however, what is not made clear in some cases is that an outage of the MNO with whom the SIM is hosted would mean that the SIM cannot 'lock onto' another network and is in effect rendered incapable of signalling due to an outage of a single supplier." I think many don't realise this; that the 'multisim' type of product can only help with day to day signal strength; not outright network failure. Interesting post as ever Joe, although I can't see manufacturers rushing to implement this, I wish they would though; for example I have a GPRS only site which fails every year when the Glastonbury carnival (with their temporary phone masts at full blast) rolls into town. Ultimately the customer will not pay for dual path; but a quick switch to a competitors network, just for 3 days, would cure this. Also, as I have mentioned before, a local town to us (Burnham) had no vodaphone whatsoever for 5 weeks earlier this year! So it is a real problem.

2.0 has been around the corner for some yrs now. I love to use the tech detailed but TBH I take the view how long will it take to get a return on the investment before Screwfix are selling it for buttons direct to the end user ?

Confusion! Convergence brought me here and in the short time I've done this I've seen others like the IT industry join the CCTV and Telecoms and visa versa electronic markets. I'm currently installing a fire system into a new monitoring station that originated as a guarding co and they are using apps for alarms with no interest in standard. Alarm co going to electrical or home automation. So little cohesion witnessed here. And we're all to blame.

Made me think of my very early PIR for external lighting. A very old man being inquisitive asked what i was doing. I exsplained the PIR would see him and turn his light on. He replied that he had heard some tall storys in his life. Another occassion was my first fax machine which i clearly didnt think through. i payed a fortune before i realised i dint know anyone else with a fax. Most of that machines early life was used sending and receiving for others. We have lived in a marvelous age

Joe We do what we do and hope the advice we are given is best. We are a small alarm co and punch well above our weight. Of course we think we have taken best advice on security but we may never know

J, Very interesting, and covers a lot more than your direct interest. Im assuming you think the final mile (ie the arc) is an easier attack point if its known than the individual site/system. To minimise the exposed footprint from send point to recieve point what would you suggest? Private circuits or VPN's. From the transmission point of view its easier to attack the fixed line (pstn) side than anything else but also the gsm side can be vulnerable. Id of thought that any high grade system based on regular polling would be immune to the reporting (not the attack) but if using an ATS 5 device if the device was attacked this would be shown in less than 3 minutes. However if the end that handles that reporting is attacked what would happen then? I assume a DOS style attack on an ARC would be more effective if it swamped it with false signals. The more i think about it the more it seems the arc is the most effective attack point? James