Practice Test Geeks(CAT) Certified Alarm Technician Practice Test
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Signal Transmission and Central Station Monitoring Flashcards

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Read the first 7 Signal Transmission and Central Station Monitoring flashcards as text

  1. Which communication format is most widely used to transmit alarm signals from a control panel to a central monitoring station via telephone lines?

    Answer: Contact ID

    Contact ID is the industry-standard digital communication format adopted by virtually all alarm manufacturers for transmitting event data over POTS lines.

  2. What does the term 'polling' mean in the context of alarm signal transmission?

    Answer: The central station periodically querying a communicator to verify it is online

    Polling is the process by which the central station receiver periodically sends a check-in request to the field communicator to confirm the communication path is active.

  3. Why is a standard POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) telephone line considered a vulnerability in alarm signal transmission?

    Answer: The line can be physically cut, defeating communication before an alarm is sent

    A POTS line can be cut at an accessible point outside the premises, preventing the alarm signal from reaching the central station — a well-known defeat method.

  4. What is 'split reporting' in alarm signal transmission configuration?

    Answer: Routing burglar alarm signals to one central station and fire alarm signals to a separate central station

    Split reporting directs different alarm types (e.g., fire vs. burglary) to separate central stations, which is common when fire monitoring requires a UL-listed fire-specific central station.

  5. What is the purpose of a 'handshake' in the Contact ID digital communication protocol?

    Answer: To confirm the central station receiver has acknowledged and accepted the transmitted message

    The handshake is the central station receiver's acknowledgment tone sent back to the DACT, confirming the message was received correctly and ending the transmission.

  6. What is 'supervision' in the context of alarm signal transmission?

    Answer: Periodic check-in signals between a communicator and the central station to verify the communication path is intact

    Transmission supervision refers to scheduled check-in signals (heartbeats) sent by the communicator to the central station so loss of the path can be detected and reported.

  7. What is the primary advantage of using cellular communication over POTS for alarm signal transmission?

    Answer: Resistance to line-cut attacks since there is no physical wire to defeat

    Cellular communicators transmit over the wireless network, eliminating the physical telephone wire that an intruder could cut to defeat a POTS-based communicator.