If the phone line goes dead how can the alarm contact the central station?

• A. Cellular backup
• B. Dial the central station on a cell phone
• C. Satellite uplink
• D. Manual call only

Answer: (A)

When the landline is unavailable, the alarm system uses a backup path to reach the central station. The standard backup is a cellular communicator built into the panel, which automatically sends alarm signals over the cellular network even if the phone line is dead. This provides automatic, reliable transmission without requiring human action or a different, less common technology.

Dialing from a cell phone would require someone on site to make the call and isn’t automatic. A satellite uplink exists but is less common and more expensive for typical systems. A manual call only would defeat the purpose of automatic monitoring and could delay response.