Security system with improved communications reliability

An on-site control panel comprising:

• a primary communication circuit configured to support communication with an off-site central monitoring station (CMS) over a primary communication path;
• a secondary communication circuit configured to support communication with the CMS over a secondary communication path;
• a controller operatively coupled to the primary communication circuitry and the secondary communication circuitry, the controller configured to:
• communicate alarms to the CMS via the primary communication path when the primary communication path has not failed, and communicate alarms to the CMS via the secondary communication path when the primary communication path has failed;
• repeatedly send a primary path supervision message to the CMS via the primary communication path at a primary communication supervisory rate, and receive a corresponding acknowledgement via the primary communication path for each of the primary path supervision messages when the primary communication path has not failed;
• repeatedly send a secondary path supervision message to the CMS via the secondary communication path at a secondary communication path supervisory rate, and receive a corresponding acknowledgement for each of the secondary path supervision messages when the secondary communication path has not failed, wherein the primary communication supervisory rate is higher than the secondary communication supervisory rate;
• repeatedly performing a self-test of the circuitry supporting communication with the CMS via the secondary communication path at a self-test rate, wherein the self-test is configured to identify one or more failures associated with the secondary communication path;
• in response to the self-test identifying one or more failures associated with the circuitry supporting communication with the CMS via the secondary communication path, send a self-test triggered secondary path supervision message to the CMS via the secondary communication path, and receive a corresponding acknowledgement when the secondary communication path has not failed;
• when the corresponding acknowledgement is not received in response to sending the self-test triggered secondary path supervision message to the CMS, send a secondary path failure alert to the CMS via the primary communication path;
• and
• in response to the self-test not identifying one or more failures associated with the secondary communication path, not send the self-test triggered secondary path supervision message to the CMS via the secondary communication path.

A method for operating an on-site control panel, wherein the on-site control panel is configured to communicate alarms to an off-site central monitoring station (CMS) via a primary communication path when the primary communication path has not failed, and to communicate alarms to the CMS via a secondary communication path when the primary communication path has failed, the method comprising:

• the on-site control panel periodically sending a primary path supervision message to the CMS via the primary communication path at a primary communication supervisory rate, and receiving a corresponding acknowledgement via the primary communication path for each of the primary path supervision messages when the primary communication path has not failed;
• the on-site control panel periodically sending a secondary path supervision message to the CMS via the secondary communication path at a secondary communication path supervisory rate, and receiving a corresponding acknowledgement for each of the secondary path supervision messages when the secondary communication path has not failed, wherein the primary communication supervisory rate is higher than the secondary communication supervisory rate;
• the on-site control panel monitoring for one or more abnormalities associated with circuitry supporting communication with the CMS via the secondary communication path between times that the on-site control panel periodically sends the secondary path supervision message to the CMS;
• and
• after the on-site control panel detects one or more abnormalities associated with circuitry supporting communication with the CMS via the secondary communication path, the on-site control panel sending a secondary path failure alert to the CMS via the primary communication path.