Security systems typically communicate with alarm monitoring centers using a telephone connection. Security systems will
check in with the alarm monitoring center with a diagnostic
signal at a predetermined interval—typically once per day. When a
security system is connected to a Voice-over-IP service (using
Broadband Internet), rather than a standard
telephone line, the opportunity exists to poll in real-time the status of the connection, and alert the owner (or alert the alarm monitoring center) that the customer's connection has been broken. The present invention offers a
system and technique for monitoring a
security system connected using a Voice-over-IP connection, in real time, and alerting the owner of the
security system, or the alarm-monitoring center, when the connection is broken. This alert can be used, for example, to issue a
telephone call to the police, informing them of the breach of line integrity and possible compromise of the premise.