I'm told there are "smart house" systems where you can turn on lights at your house remotely by CALLING your house TELEPHONE.
For example: You can turn on the furnace so the house will be warm by the time you arrive. Or hot tub. Or air conditioner.
Or coffee maker, start clothes washer (though I do not know why), turn on stereo or open garage door, etc.

You call your house landline telephone from work or cell phone or from anywhere.
After 4 rings the system answers.
You enter a code for the item you want turned on.

At my fire station, if all personnel are away on a fire or medical call, and dispatch informs us of a tornado warning, can we use such a system to activate the tornado siren at the fire station?

Any suggestions?

Thank you.

Robert

I Like the DSC security panel for control you mention above, for the siren a Sensaphone may be enough, never used one though, they were too basic for my business.

Looks like they made Major advances since I last looked into them:
Sensaphone -
Look through their products.
Good Luck

Yes X10 and many devises can control most anything ower by electricity. Go to Smarthome and explore. About X10

Thanks, Strat and Ball

I'll investigate.
One system requires Internet access which we may not have in the field unless the appropriate cell phone.
Cell phone call would be good.

Robert
Untermitglied

Actually this is what you may need, I have used Viking for over 20 years, Great stuff, EXCELLENT Reliability. For 1 remote contact closure, use:
Viking Electronics Telecom & Security Products
For more than 1 contact, you can use:
Viking Electronics Telecom & Security Products

This is not what you asked for, BUT it might be worth something It could notify you via an SMS cell phone message that an alarm went off. Remote Monitoring System - Temperature, Humidity, Water, Smoke and Motion Detection, Rainfall, Intruder Monitoring by Sensaphone

Circuit Cellar - The Magazine for Computer Applications had an article not to long ago where someone described how to build a remote control via SMS messages from a cell phone.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

This is not what you asked for, BUT it might be worth something It could notify you via an SMS cell phone message that an alarm went off. ...

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I'd like that to call my cell phone, which is answered immediately 24 hours, to notify me of a burglar or fire alarm.
This house came with a system but we cannot afford to have it monitored by an alarm company.

I'm confused, do you want to activate the siren from your cell phone, or do you want the siren to call you, do you have beepers?
Is the Viking or Sensaphone too expensive? Can't dispatch notify you?
Notify of a Burglar or Fire alarm from what signal?
These system Mentioned require No Monthly monitoring. I'm missing the problem.
I can tell you what you need, but need to know exactly what you have.
Is the Burglarm at the station or your house?

I think Robert may have originally just want a way to set of the alarm but now sees other options exist. I have several, started with X10 and now use an Aube unit to control my hvac via phone line.

Thanks Ball.
The fire department needs to be able to set off my tornado siren if they are far away from the station.
Dispatch, which receives tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service, radios the department of a tornado warning and also sends a text to the pagers. Officers have their cell phones so they could call the land line and turn on the siren. Dispatch could also call and activate the siren. But dispatch cannot see if the area near the station is under any threat.
Sometimes we have had clear sky overhead when a warning was issued. So best if officers can activate the siren from wherever they may be.

Strat:

There is another thread where the OP wants to be able to activate the siren in 2 different modes. In both cases, the length of time before the siren stops would be 5 minutes. One mode is continuous and the other a fixed interval mode (3 sec on/3 sec off). Possible designs were suggested by me.
See: https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/electr...ls-469139.html

The siren is a 3 phase motor with apparently no controls at this point except on/off.

Tight budget, it seems too.

There have been other posts about the siren too, one about slowing it down.

I confused the issue by mentioning the ability to get notified.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

Strat:
There is another thread where the OP wants to be able to activate the siren in 2 different modes. In both cases, the length of time before the siren stops would be 5 minutes. One mode is continuous and the other a fixed interval mode (3 sec on/3 sec off). Possible designs were suggested by me.
The siren is a 3 phase motor with apparently no controls at this point except on/off.
Tight budget, it seems too.
There have been other posts about the siren too, one about slowing it down. ...

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Perfect assessment!
Poor volunteer department.
1st goal is being able to activate the siren from anywhere because they may be away
2nd is 5-minute timer.
Last is Steady tone: "Alert" and Wavering tone: "Attack"
Slowing its acceleration is too expensive and abandoned.

I guess as I'm seeing this evolve, you really need 3 momentary switches labeled:

Intermittant
OFF
Continuous

Thus, you can activate/de-activate from multiple sources. A light could be useful, if you were debugging, so let's add a siren light to complete the interface.

Now, you just have to iron out some details, like voltages for the siren contactor. 24 VDC is common for controls.

Where you might put this thing and what else it has to interface too.

In the old days it might have been DTMF (Dial tone multi-frequency)

Sending SMS (email) messages may not be instantaneous.

A secure webserver would be ideal. That I cannot do yet.

The smart relay looks easy enough to do.

Products are out there. Learning curve steep. This MAY be able to do it. SitePlayer - SitePlayer Development Kit

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid

I guess as I'm seeing this evolve, you really need 3 momentary switches labeled:
Intermittant
OFF
Continuous
Thus, you can activate/de-activate from multiple sources. A light could be useful, if you were debugging, so let's add a siren light to complete the interface.
Now, you just have to iron out some details, like voltages for the siren contactor. 24 VDC is common for controls.
Where you might put this thing and what else it has to interface too.
In the old days it might have been DTMF (Dial tone multi-frequency)
Sending SMS (email) messages may not be instantaneous.
A secure webserver would be ideal. That I cannot do yet.
The smart relay looks easy enough to do.

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Thank you, KISS.
The siren motor switch conveniently uses 120 VAC to close its three-phase contacts.
The telephone device appliance moduals switch 120 VAC on to operate appliances or lights.

Another complication is that the siren is in a privately owned sewage treatment plant across a dirt drive next to the fire station. It has the only source of 240 VAC three-phase which powers Roots blowers which aerate the sewage.
In the treatment plant's laboratory is a regular landline telephone which is used to call out and report any problems.
We would be calling that telephone. (From the telephone I called my cell phone and obtained the number.)

Signs would alert sewage plant personnel thathe siren may be activated remotely instead of only from the light switch I installed on the laboratory wall. (I wanted to locate it just inside the laboratory door! )

Am also considering having the siren first energized for just 1-second to produce a quite audible "growl". This would warn anyone working in the treatment plant.
After 10 seconds of winding down, the siren would then go to full deafening 3,450 rpm.

I have designed a 5-minute timing circuit but am concerned about its robustness. Better to purchase an industrial timerelay.

My next project is to design and build a THREE-PHASE INVERTER to power the siren from common automotive lead-acid batteries! (In series, 20 woud create 240 volts.) But it would be easier and safer to replace the siren's dual axle three-phase motor with two 5-hp DC motors. (I can just see my inverter bursting into flames as the siren remains mute with tornado approaching!)

The Viking would work for 3 separate contacts, each to its own contactor Can be activated from any phone from anywhere.
Altronix make many Timers that are cost effective, but may need relays to remove the load of the timers should the coils current be too great.
I was thinking a Power supply and Battery Backup. But since Siren is AC, it doesn't matter.
A Note, turning on a Dryer Remotely would require a connection to the start button. Toasters need to be pushed down, won't push down without power. And if You automate a Coffee Maker, you can't use 1 with a timer, has to be old fashoned ON/OFF, Leave Coffee turned on, and supply power by your X10 or whatever.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stratmando

... A Note, turning on a Dryer Remotely would require a connection to the start button. Toasters need to be pushed down, wont push down without power. And if You automate a Coffee Maker, you can't use 1 with a timer, has to be old fashoned ON/OFF, Leave Coffee turned on, and supply power by your X10 or whatever.

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Thank you, Strat.
I was going to look at the coil amperage or measure it.

Yes. They conveniently don't mention that few modern appliances will start just from application of power. Our clothes washer will not start. (One should be home when a clothes washer is operating.)
The furnace and heating blanket are the only things I'd like to turn on before we get home late.
If we had a hot tub, would it start?

Don't know if preheating an unattended blanket would be safe. Emergencies and accidents can stop you from turning off or controlling overheating.
For the hot tub, it would depend on type of control. (Air switch. Membrane, etc.. )

No on the hot tub Bob but if you want to control your hvac at home go to Smarthome and look at their Aube telephone thermostat. Not expensive and does the job. Deluxe Telephone Controller - Smarthome