Understanding the Olarm Contact ID Signal String

Understanding the Olarm Contact ID Signal String

When Olarm sends an alarm event to a monitoring station, it uses the Contact ID protocol, which is Sur-Gard compatible. This protocol ensures that monitoring stations can correctly receive, decode, and act on alarm events sent from the Olarm APP.

A typical Contact ID string looks like this:

501E-180766E13001002

This string is made up of two main parts: the Sur-Gard Receiver Header and the Contact ID Payload.

1. Identify the Sur-Gard Receiver Header

Example:

501E-18

  • 501E → Sur-Gard receiver ID (identifies which monitoring station receiver processed the event)

  • -18 → Sur-Gard line/card/port number (identifies the specific line the event was received on)

This header is added by the monitoring station’s Sur-Gard equipment and is used for internal routing. It does not contain actual alarm details.


2. Identify the Contact ID Payload

Example:

0766 E 130 01 002

Olarm follows the standard CCCC Q EEE GG ZZZ format:



Field


CCCC

Meaning


0766

Example


Customer/subscriber account number

Q

E

Event qualifier (E = new event, R = restore)

EEE

130

Event code (e.g., 130 = burglary alarm)

GG

01

Partition number (00–08; 00 for non-partitioned systems)

ZZZ

002

Zone ID (001–099) or user number; 000 for system status events


3. Example Breakdown

For the full string:

501E-180766E13001002

  • Sur-Gard Header → 501E-18

  • Account (CCCC) → 0766

  • Qualifier (Q) → E (new event)

  • Event Code (EEE) → 130 (burglary alarm)

  • Partition (GG) → 01

  • Zone/User (ZZZ) → 002 (system status)



Extra Tips

  • The Sur-Gard header is monitoring station–specific and does not vary per customer.

  • The Contact ID payload is what determines the alarm type, source, and status.

  • Olarm ensures all Contact ID strings are fully compliant with Sur-Gard standards for seamless monitoring station integration.

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