Methods and systems for enabling end-user equipment at an end-user premise to effect communications having certain origins when an ability of the end-user equipment to communicate via a communication link connecting the end-user equipment to a communications network is disrupted

Apparatus for effecting communications over a communications network, said apparatus comprising:

• a processing entity configured to:
• receive a request for a communication originated by first end-user equipment at a first end-user premise when an ability of the first end-user equipment to communicate via a first communication link connecting the first end-user equipment to the communications network is disrupted;
• and
• determine, based on an origin of the communication that is specified by an identifier of a piece of equipment of the first end-user equipment from which the communication originates, that the communication is to be effected over the communications network;
• and
• a routing entity configured to cause information pertaining to the communication to be exchanged between the first end-user equipment and the communications network via a wireless communication link established between the first end-user equipment and second end-user equipment at a second end-user premise and a second communication link connecting the second end-user equipment to the communications network.

Non-transitory computer-readable media containing a program element executable by a computing system to perform a method for effecting communications over a communications network, said program element comprising:

• program code for causing the computing system to receive a request for a communication originated by first end-user equipment at a first end-user premise when an ability of the first end-user equipment to communicate via a first communication link connecting the first end-user equipment to the communications network is disrupted;
• program code for causing the computing system to determine, based on an origin of the communication that is specified by an identifier of a piece of equipment of the first end-user equipment from which the communication originates, that the communication is to be effected over the communications network;
• and
• program code for causing the computing system to cause information pertaining to the communication to be exchanged between the first end-user equipment and the communications network via a wireless communication link established between the first end-user equipment and second end-user equipment at a second end-user premise and a second communication link connecting the second end-user equipment to the communications network.

A method for effecting an alarm system communication originated by an alarm system at a first end-user premise, the first end-user premise including first end-user equipment connected to a communications network via a first communication link, said method comprising:

• determining that an ability of the first end-user equipment to communicate via the first communication link is disrupted;
• based on an origin of the alarm system communication that is specified by an identifier of a piece of equipment at the first end-user premise from which the alarm system communication originates, establishing a wireless communication link between the first end-user equipment and second end-user equipment at a second end-user premise upon the ability of the first end-user equipment to communicate via the first communication link being determined to be disrupted;
• and
• causing information pertaining to the alarm system communication to be transmitted to communication equipment associated with an alarm monitoring central via the wireless communication link and a second communication link connecting the second end-user equipment to the communications network.