Another thought occurs. Where does liability, if there is any, begin or end?

The point has been suggested that the alarm installer should be the only one to install and maintain an alarm jack because there is a chance that lawsuits will fly should the alarm system not function. If it is determined that the problem was with the jack, we as phone guys don't want the liability and the alarm installer doesn't want to rely on someone else to keep him out of trouble.

That arguement is bogus because if there is going to be a lawsuit anybody and everybody even remotely involved is going to be named as a party. Obviously the alarm installer doesn't run his own wiring from the jack back to the central monitoring station, so like it or not other people are involved. Many times our premises wiring is used to bring dial tone to where the jack location is. So if we are part of the link anyway, what difference does it make which one of us installs the jack? We are all just as guilty to the lawyers.

Point is if the alarm installer wants to try to mitigate liability for everybody he needs to make the system as reliable as possible and provide redundant means of reporting. I wouldn't worry about the jack.

-Hal

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