Pager Agents

The Pager Agent in AlarmWorX Multimedia allows you to send alarm information using a message to a pager. The Pager Agent sends alarm information to a pager via dial-up modems. The Pager Agent connects to a wide variety of pager services and supports the most popular protocols:

Tele-Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP)
Simple Messaging Service (SMS)

Other variations are supported as well, such as Paging Entry Terminal (PET), which is basically the same as TAP.

Note: For high volume applications it is often better to use the email agent for pager support. This is due to the fact that a majority of pager services support email to page. In the email agent, you can set the SentTo field to "Pager number@Pager service", i.e.5551230@service.com. This causes the pager service's email system to process the email and send the information to the pager. This method avoids the delay associated with modem dial-up.

The method through which a page is sent depends on the type of pager being used. For example, in the United States the predominant pager types uses TAP, and uses a standard modem to communicate. TAP pagers can also use Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) carriers. The Multimedia Configurator calls out the use of "Modem/ISDN Service" (rather than specifying actual protocols used) because this is more straightforward for users to understand.

Note: It is the paging service and the Multimedia software that communicates via TAP; it is not something special in the modem itself. Therefore, most Hayes-compatible off-the-shelf modems should work for sending TAP messages.

SMS pagers offer more sophisticated interaction. For example, they permit two-way paging. In the case of Multimedia this allows users to send an Acknowledgement back to the alarm system directly form the pager. SMS paging messages are not sent over a modem, but rather use the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) network. Again, rather than calling our the low level protocols used, the Multimedia Configurator interface refers to the method of communication and calls this GSM/PCS service.

The following configuration fields are available for the Pager Agent which has two types, Alphapager and Numericpager (both have the same settings):

Media Item Name: Enter a name for this pager configuration.
Node: Click the ellipsis button to select a Node.
Description: Allows you to add comments to the agent configuration.
Media Template: You must choose a template to be used with the Pager Agent. The template determines the actual message that gets sent to configured pagers. You can select whether the message includes the timestamp of the alarm, the tag name that generated the message, the actual alarm message itself, and many other parameters. The Configurator includes a template, called Default Pager, created for sending alphanumeric pager messages. For more information about templates, refer to Media Templates.
TEST button: Sends a pager message to test your configuration.
Scheduling: If you are using scheduling, choose from the configured schedules on the drop-down list. See Schedules for more information.
Role: Select a role from the drop-down list. For information about roles, refer to Working With Roles.
Enable Alarm Prioritization: When this check box is checked, the multimedia system processes alarms based on the severity level of the alarm. If the check box is not checked, alarms are processed only on a first-in-first-out basis.
Pager Number: Enter the number of the pager to which you wish to send the message. Use the General Settings button in the Pager/SMS/GSM/TAP folder to configure pager services, dial-out numbers, modem properties, port settings, etc. (See Configuring the Pager Agent section).
Acknowledge Code: Enter the string you wish to use as the acknowledge code.
Use GSM/PCS Service: Select the GSM/PCS service you wish to use with the Pager Agent from the drop-down list.
Use Modem/ISDN Service: Select a service to use with your modem or ISDN line from the drop-down list.
Apply button: Saves all changes to the configuration database.
Reset button: Clears all recently added information.
Refresh button: Clears the changes that were just made, unless you clicked the Apply button.