Communicating within a wireless security system
Techniques are provided that enable a wireless security system that is designed to detect and receive wireless transmissions in one protocol, to use sensor-transmitters that operate in a different protocol. The techniques involve, generally, the use of an integration device, and in some implementations, first enrolling sensor-transmitters of a first protocol into the integration device, along with device type information for the sensor-transmitters. Thereafter, during system operation, transmissions with message packets in the first message packet protocol are received by the integration device, recognized as having been previously enrolled, and a message packet in a second message packet protocol that includes device type information is then formulated and transmitted by the integration device, for receipt by a system control device for the wireless security system. In some scenarios, an enrollment process need not be done in the integration device, and the integration device is utilized in the communication process.
1. A method of communicating within a wireless security system, the method comprising:
receiving, at an integration device, information that identifies a device type for a particular sensor-transmitter that is configured to transmit information in message packets that are each formatted according to a first packet protocol that comprises a) a first identity code field in a first identity code field format, and b) a first condition information field in a first condition information field format;
receiving, at the integration device and from the particular sensor-transmitter, a wireless transmission that includes a first message packet comprising a) a first identity code in the first identity code field, the first identity code identifying the particular sensor-transmitter from among other sensor-transmitters, and b) first sensed condition information in the first condition information field, the sensed condition information indicative of condition information sensed by the particular sensor-transmitter;
building, by the integration device, a second message packet formatted according to a second packet protocol comprising a) a second identity code field in a second protocol format, b) a device type encoding mechanism, and c) a second condition information field in a second condition information field format, wherein the second packet protocol is different from the first packet protocol, the second message packet comprising a) a second identity code in the second identity code field, the second identity code identifying the particular sensor-transmitter from among other sensor-transmitters, b) information in the device type encoding mechanism that identifies the device type identified for the particular sensor-transmitter, and c) translated sensed condition information in the second condition information field, the translated sensed condition information being derived from the first sensed condition information;
determining, by the integration device, whether the wireless transmission is a supervisory transmission or a change-of-state transmission within a same group of transmissions from a same sensor-transmitter;
when the wireless transmission is a change-of-state transmission, updating the second message packet based on the change of state; and
transmitting, by the integration device, the second packet for receipt by a system control device for the wireless security system.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contents of the second message packet being based at least in part upon the device type identifying information comprises the second assigned identity code comprising an identity code within a range or group of identity codes reserved for the particular type of the particular one sensor-transmitter.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising a predicate step of the integration device receiving a predetermined message for enrollment from the particular one sensor-transmitter, and in response assigning for the particular one sensor-transmitter the identity code within the range or group of identity codes reserved for the particular type of the particular one sensor-transmitter.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising a further predicate step of the integration device creating an entry in its enrollment memory for the particular one sensor-transmitter being enrolled into the integration device.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the entry comprises the first assigned identity code and the second assigned identity code.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein upon the integration device receiving the wireless transmission formatted according to the first packet protocol, the integration device determines if the first assigned identity code is in the enrollment memory, and if not the wireless transmission is ignored, and if otherwise the integration device builds the second message packet formatted according to the second packet protocol.
7. The method of claim 2 , further comprising a predicate step of enrolling the particular one sensor transmitter into the system control device and not the integration device.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the receiving, the building and the wirelessly transmitting processes are the same whether the received wireless transmission is a predetermined enrollment transmission to enroll the particular one sensor-transmitter into the security system control device or is a transmission during normal operation of the wireless security system after enrollment of the particular one sensor-transmitter.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein updating the second message packet based on the change of state includes identifying a change of state and a current state for the particular sensor-transmitter.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the integration device, that the sensed condition information represents a trouble condition of a particular sensor-transmitter;
mapping the trouble condition to a particular category of a plurality of existing reporting categories; and
updating the second message packet based on the particular category.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the sensed condition information is determined to represent the trouble condition without the first packet protocol including a spot for a trouble bit.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the sensed condition information is determined to represent the trouble condition without the second packet protocol including a spot for a trouble bit.