Patent ID: 7995600

Claim:
A virtual receiver of an end user at a central monitoring station used to monitor a plurality of individual local security systems, said virtual receiver comprising: a plurality of subscriber numbers each associated with a respective local security system of the plurality of security systems and where the subscriber number includes a physical receiver number and line number previously assigned to the local security system and where each subscriber number identifies a source of an alarm to a central alarm monitoring station; and at least one replacement physical receiver of the end user at the central monitoring station, the physical receiver further comprising: a transmitting and receiving section including a plurality of replacement physical ports that connect a respective port of the plurality of ports to each of the plurality of individual local security systems; a memory retaining a virtual receiver number and a virtual line number assigned to each of said plurality of replacement physical ports of the virtual receiver and to the respective local security system connected to the port, wherein the assigned virtual receiver number and the virtual line number together define a physical connection monitoring the respective local security system in real time through the replacement physical receiver wherein the virtual receiver and line number of the respective local security system are used in place of the previously assigned receiver number and the previously assigned physical line number; and an automation system that monitors for and identifies alarms from one of the plurality security systems sent to a central monitoring station based in part upon the virtual line number and virtual receiver number, such that the subscriber number corresponding to the individual local security systems remains the same even if a local security system is connected to a different replacement physical port.