System and method for take-over protection for a security system

• US 9,495,861 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Marshall, Doug, Eskildsen, Kenneth G., Okeefe, Mark Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Toan N
• Application Number:
  US14/557,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20160155319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.19, 340/541, 340/545.1, 340/545.2, 340/545.9, 340/3.1, 340/3.3, 340/3.32, 340/506, 726/19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/003 Address allocation methods and details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements

Abstract

A secure communications and monitoring system includes a control unit and a plurality of modules distributed in a region to be monitored. The control unit has an assigned identifier. When a module is installed in the system, the control unit transmits the identifier to the module, which stores the identifier. Before a module communicates with the control unit, the identifier is requested from the control unit. The identifier received from the control unit is compared to the stored identifier. The module will only communicate with the control unit where the identifier received at the module corresponds to the identifier stored at the module.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a system and providing a plurality of modules in the system each of which communicates with a monitoring system control panel;

providing a control panel identifier that is made available to at least some of the plurality of modules;

storing the control panel identifier in non-volatile storage at the at least some of the plurality of modules;

requesting, by at least one of the plurality of modules, that the monitoring system control panel communicate the control panel identifier to the at least one of the plurality of modules;

receiving, by the at least one of the plurality of modules, the control panel identifier and comparing the control panel identifier received by the at least one of the plurality of modules with the control panel identifier stored in the at least one of the plurality of modules; and

initiating communications with the monitoring system control panel only if the control panel identifier received by the at least one of the plurality of modules matches the control panel identifier stored in the at least one of the plurality of modules.

2. A method as in claim 1 that includes providing a plurality of ambient condition detectors, and evaluating the control panel identifier at the plurality of ambient condition detectors before initiating communications with the monitoring system control panel.

3. A method as in claim 1 that includes providing the non-volatile storage at each of the plurality of modules.

4. A method as in claim 3 that includes providing wireless communications between the at least some of the plurality of modules and the monitoring system control panel.

5. A method as in claim 4 that includes selecting the plurality of modules from a class that includes at least motion detectors, position detectors, glass break detectors, smoke detectors, flame detectors, gas detectors, thermal detectors, door access control modules, and authorizing modules.

6. A method as in claim 5 that includes providing wireless transceivers in the at least some of the plurality of modules and in the monitoring system control panel.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a communications system having a plurality of modules each of which communicates with a system control unit;

a predetermined identifier associated with the system control unit;

a storage element at each of the plurality of modules; and

circuitry at the system control unit to send the predetermined identifier to each of the plurality of modules for storage in the storage element, wherein each of the plurality of modules requests the predetermined identifier from the system control unit prior to communicating with the system control unit, wherein each of the plurality of modules includes circuitry to compare a received, requested identifier to an identifier pre-stored in a respective one of the plurality of modules, and wherein subsequent communications with the system control unit are not initiated where the received, requested identifier differs from the identifier pre-stored in the respective one of the plurality of modules.

8. An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein members of the plurality of modules are selected from a class that includes, at least, motion detectors, position detectors, glass break detectors, smoke detectors, flame detectors, gas detectors, thermal detectors, door access control modules, and authorizing modules.

9. An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the communications system comprises a regional monitoring system, and wherein the predetermined identifier is associated with the system control unit.

10. An apparatus as in claim 9 wherein the plurality of modules of the communications system will not communicate with the control unit that has a control unit identifier different from the identifier pre-stored in the respective one of the plurality of modules.

11. An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the communications system is selected from a class that includes at least a heating ventilating and air conditioning system, a fire detection system, a gas detection system, or a security monitoring system.

12. An apparatus as in claim 11 wherein at least some of the plurality of modules communicate wirelessly with the system control unit.

13. A secure communications and monitoring system comprising:

a control unit and a plurality of modules in wireless communication with one another,

wherein the control unit has an assigned identifier, and, when one of the plurality of modules is installed in the secure communications and monitoring system, the control unit transmits the assigned identifier to the one of the plurality of modules, and the one of the plurality of modules stores the assigned identifier,

wherein, before the one of the plurality of modules communicates with the control unit, the assigned identifier is requested from the control unit by the one of the plurality of modules, and the assigned identifier received from the control unit is compared to a stored identifier at the one of the plurality of modules, and

wherein the one of the plurality of modules only communicates with the control unit when the assigned identifier received at the one of the plurality of modules corresponds to the stored identifier.

14. A system as in claim 13 that includes comparison circuitry to compare the stored identifier to the assigned identifier received from the control unit.

15. A method comprising:

providing a plurality of detectors,

wherein members of the plurality of detectors are enrolled with a compatible security system,

wherein the members of the plurality of detectors exhibit a default state before enrollment with the compatible security system,

wherein, once one of the plurality of detectors has been enrolled with the compatible security system, the one of the plurality of detectors exhibits a different, non-default state such that the one of the plurality of detectors only operates with the compatible security system with which the one of the plurality of detectors has been enrolled and only communicates with a first control panel of the compatible security system with which the one of the plurality of detectors has been enrolled,

wherein enrolling the one of the plurality of detectors with a second control panel requires resetting the one of the plurality of detectors to the default state, and

wherein each of the plurality of detectors exhibiting the different, non-default state requests a control panel identifier from the first control panel that is compared with a pre-stored identifier and communicates with the first control panel only when the control panel identifier matches the pre-stored identifier.

16. A method as in claim 15 including providing at least one authorized user who can reset the plurality of detectors to the default state.