A communication
system is provided that can be added to a legacy alarm
system to provide a plurality of communication
modes to a remote
server system from the legacy alarm system and provide
remote control and monitoring to a user of the system via two-way communication links. The communication system can be configured to communicate with an alarm processor of the legacy alarm system through use of a keypad
bus typically used by the legacy alarm system for communications between the alarm processor and one or more keypads. Communication
modes that can be provided by embodiments of the present invention can include, for example, communication over a public switched
telephone network, cellular transmission,
broadband transmission,
wireless broadband, and the like. The communication system can monitor all configured communication
modes and determine which communication mode is the best for providing communication between the alarm system and the remote
server. Through these communication modes and by virtue of being coupled to the alarm processor via the keypad
bus, the communication system can provide both transmission to the remote
server of the status and alarm condition of the legacy alarm system as well as provide control signals from the remote server to the legacy alarm system.