Independent 4G lift phone installation · Not NBN Co, not an ISP
Lift phone about to stop working? A 4G GSM lift phone, fitted and tested from inside the lift.
The lift technician tested the emergency phone and found it dead, or it rings and nobody can be heard. The old copper line has gone and the 3G network has closed. One 4G GSM lift phone quote, from photos of the unit, covers a unit with its own battery that keeps working in a blackout. Quotes are free within 5 km of our Sutherland Shire office. Phone or photo estimates are free where the job allows.
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Paris M
★★★★★Jason is a God send! I have dealt with many technicians both in my work offices and home office., but Secure A Com IS the best I have ever dealt with. He is Professional, prompt , reliable and a doctor in this field of work. Thanks so much and I will be referring Jason to many of my clients!!
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Boris Shen
★★★★★Jason and his team are amazing, Great Quality of workmanship, very knowledgeable . Can be trusted to work on their own accord. I was extremely happy to find them as a new business partner Highly recommended ! Thank you
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Prue Haberecht
★★★★★Jason, thank you for doing a great job. Very professional and thorough. You found the problems and fixed them. Also you confirmed what work does not need doing. This helped us enormously. We really appreciate your service to SSNA.
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Gary Rockliff
★★★★★Jason is a true professional. A former highly skilled Telstra technician, Jason has wealth of knowledge and he understands the frustrations of both residential and business users. He knows the network inside out, thats why I refer my clients with network issues to Jason. Cheers Gary
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Paul Stein
★★★★★Great Service! We couldn't be happier with how our office relocation went. We have over 20 workstations, the boys from SECURE A COM wired our new office for phones and data. They even went to our old locations removed all the rack equipment and installed at our new Epping office. Completed the project on time and at a very reasonable price. What more could you ask for.
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Samantha Getty
★★★★★Top service! Fast response to my enquiry, excellent customer service and follow up. Highly recommended!
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Roland Matters
★★★★★Put Secure A Com in your contacts - excellent systems and work from initial info, through booking, service, report and invoicing
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Margaret Thomas
★★★★★Highly recommend. Professional,prompt service accompanied by a written report of work done.
Sound familiar?
“The lift company says we have to upgrade the lift phone to a 4G unit”
The lift company says the phone has to go to a 4G unit, and nobody in the building knows what it runs on now.
That's the first thing to find out, from photos, before anything is ordered. Sometimes a new SIM is the whole job. Where it isn't, we fit the unit.
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Telstra keeps messaging that the lift phone will stop working, or it gets cut off tomorrow. The copper line the carrier said they would leave for the lift is gone. The phone in the lift rings, but when you pick it up there is no one there. The lift technician did his test and said it is dead. The SIM was changed and it still does not work.
Nobody says “GSM gateway” until the lift company has. The person ringing is a building manager, a committee member or the agent for a block, and often none of them knows what the phone in the lift runs on. Since the 3G network closed it is the fastest-growing thing we are asked about: the line the phone lived on has gone. We work across Sydney from the Sutherland Shire and travel to buildings outside it; the extra travel is charged, and the rates are in our terms and conditions.
Free advice
Before you book: check the SIM first
A third of these calls end with advice and no booking. This is the advice.
Keep this list handy
Get all seven checks as a two-page PDF before anyone orders a unit.
Send me the free guide- Check the SIM before you replace anything. Many units do 3G and 4G, and it was a 3G-only SIM the carrier switched off. Unscrew the unit, turn it over, open the tray on the back, test the SIM in a phone and ring the carrier.
- Any carrier’s SIM, on the cheapest phone-only plan. It only has to make a call. Put it on an annual plan so it never lapses. Not a 5G-only SIM or plan: 5G is data only and cannot make the call, and 4G is the voice standard the unit needs.
- You own the SIM, and the lift company keeps the lift. Some lift companies charge monthly to manage the SIM; we fit the unit for a one-time price, with no monthly fee from us. You do not have to change lift contractors. We do the phone.
- Where the unit lives decides who can touch it. In the comms room or the control panel, that is us. Inside the lift car or the shaft, the lift company has the keys and has to open it.
- The old unit, and what cannot replace it. A 3G-only unit has to go; there is no upgrade for it. The lift phone cannot run on the building’s NBN or an internet phone line, because when the power fails the router fails and the phone with it. Cheap online diallers are not the same thing: ask what battery it carries before buying one.
- Signal, and how many units. No signal in the basement? Check the bars on a phone there first; if there is nothing, an aerial goes in the quote. One unit per lift, even in the same cupboard, with dual-SIM units as the failover option. The battery is a plug-in part the building can replace.
- Test it yourself, then send photos, not a booking. Hold the emergency button: you should get the lift company’s call centre and they should hear you. Then send the unit, the panel, the label and the signal bars.
Sound like you?
Which lift phone problem is yours, and what you end up with
The carrier or the lift company says the phone is about to stop
A message says the lift phone will stop working, often with a date. First find out what it runs on, because one of the three answers may need only a new SIM.
Usually points to: a clear answer on what it runs on, and a written quote if it needs a unit.
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A message says the lift phone will stop working, or the lift company has written to say it has to go to a 4G unit. Often there is a cut-off date in it, and nobody in the building knows what the phone in the lift runs on.
That is the first thing to find out. A phone on the old copper line, a phone on a 3G unit and a phone patched through the building's internet are three different jobs, and one of them may need nothing more than a new SIM.
What you end up with. A clear answer on what the phone runs on now, and a written quote for a 4G unit with its own battery if that is what it needs.
It dials, it rings, and nobody can be heard
It rings and nobody's there, or it never gets through, and a new SIM made no difference. Behind the panel it's usually one of a short list.
Usually points to: the cause named from photos, then a SIM swap or a new unit tested in the lift.
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Someone presses the emergency button and it rings, but when the call is picked up there is no one there. Or it dials and never gets through. Or the lift technician ran the test and said the phone is dead, and changing the SIM made no difference.
From inside the lift it all looks the same. Behind the panel it is usually one of a short list: a SIM switched off with the 3G network, a unit that only ever did 3G, a line that was unplugged, or the unit wired to the wrong cable.
What you end up with. The cause named from photos of the unit and its label, then either a SIM the building swaps itself or a new unit fitted and tested from inside the lift.
The lift phone was moved onto the building's internet
It was moved onto the building's internet when the copper went. It works until the power fails, which is when someone is stuck in the lift.
Usually points to: a 4G unit on its own battery and SIM, off the building's power and internet.
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When the copper line went, somebody plugged the lift phone into the building's internet phone service so it would keep working. It does, on an ordinary day. The call goes through a router, and the router runs off a power point.
When the power fails the router fails and the phone goes with it, which is exactly when someone is most likely to be stuck in the lift. The phone has to keep working through a blackout, so it needs a battery and a line of its own.
What you end up with. A 4G unit on its own battery and its own SIM, wired to the lift's own pair, so the phone no longer depends on the building's power or its internet.
The unit is in a basement with no mobile signal
The comms room is underground and a mobile shows no bars there. If a handset can't get a signal, the unit can't either.
Usually points to: a unit that reaches the network, with an aerial in the quote if the basement needs one.
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The comms room or the motor room is underground, and a mobile in there shows no bars on any carrier. A 4G unit is a mobile phone in a box, so if a handset cannot get a signal where the unit sits, the unit cannot either.
It does not rule the job out. Check the bars where the unit lives and send a screenshot. If the old unit worked where it sits, the new one needs no aerial; if there is nothing at all, an aerial cable runs to an outside wall or the roof.
What you end up with. A unit that can reach the network from where it sits, with the aerial run in the quote where the basement needs one.
The usual suspects
What’s usually wrong
On these calls it is nearly always one of eight things, and the first is the cheapest to rule out.
- The SIM.
3G-only, switched off with the network, or the bill lapsed.
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3G-only, deactivated with the network, or the bill lapsed.
- The unit.
A 3G-only dialler, replaced whole.
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A 3G-only dialler. Replaced whole.
- The line.
Still on the old copper, now off, or unplugged during the NBN install.
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Still on the old copper, now switched off; or unplugged during the NBN install.
- On the internet phone.
Through a router with no battery: it works until the power goes.
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Through a router with no battery: works until the power goes.
- A cheap dialler with a small battery.
A couple of hours of backup, not enough to see out a blackout.
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A couple of hours of backup, not enough to see out a blackout. SafeWork NSW says (opens in a new tab) a lift phone should keep working for at least 2 hours after a power outage.
- A dialler the carrier has blocked.
One carrier stopped a class of diallers; the building needs a unit it accepts.
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One carrier stopped a class of 4G diallers working on its network; the building needs a unit it accepts, or a different SIM.
- No signal.
A basement with nothing on any carrier, so an aerial to the outside.
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A basement comms room with nothing on any carrier; an aerial to the outside.
- The wrong cable.
On the blue data cable instead of the lift's own pair.
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The unit on the blue data cable instead of the lift’s own pair.
Behind the panel?
The GSM unit for a lift: what a 4G lift phone actually is
A small box in the control panel or the comms room that puts the lift's emergency handset on the mobile network. A SIM, a radio and a battery, so the phone still dials out in a blackout, and it makes its own test call.
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A small box in the lift control panel or the comms room that puts the lift’s emergency handset onto the mobile network. Inside it is a SIM, a radio and a battery, so when the building’s power goes the phone in the lift still dials out and the person on the other end can still hear. It connects to the lift’s own pair at the control panel, the wires the old copper line used, so the handset in the car does not change. The lift company’s number is programmed in, and it makes its own test call on a schedule so a dead SIM is noticed early. Units built for the job carry a battery sized for a blackout; cheap online units often do not.
Power cut?
Why a lift phone cannot run on the building’s NBN
The phone has to work when the power's off. The old copper line did that from the exchange. An internet phone runs through a router on the building's power, so in a blackout both stop. That's why it needs its own battery and its own way out.
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A lift’s emergency phone has to work when the power is off. The old copper line did that from the exchange, without anyone in the building having to think about it. An NBN or internet phone line does not: the call goes through a router, the router runs off the building’s power, and in a blackout both stop.
The 3G units fitted in the meantime did the job until the 3G network closed. So the phone now needs a battery of its own and its own way out of the building, which means a 4G unit on a mobile SIM. The building’s internet is a separate question with its own page: fibre to the building.
For the rest of the building, the building manager’s guide covers the comms room, the frame and the riser.
How it works
What we actually do
Four steps, and the first is done from photos before anyone attends. In our own words on a call in 2022, not a count: in over a hundred of these we can think of one that needed extra wiring.
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Find out what it runs on.
Photos of the unit, its label and the panel, and a signal check where it sits, before anything is ordered. If a 4G SIM in the existing unit fixes it, that is the whole job, and it is usually the building's to do.
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Fit a 4G unit with its own battery.
In the comms room or the lift control panel, on the lift's own pair, the wires the old copper line used. A dual-SIM unit where the building wants failover, and an aerial cable to the outside where the basement has no signal, which is data cabling done in the same visit.
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Program it, then test from inside every lift.
The lift company's emergency number goes into the unit, and they are given the new number for their records. Then the button is held in each lift: the call, voice both ways, and the unit's own self-test call.
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Write it up for the committee.
What was fitted, where and on which number, in writing for the committee, the building manager and the lift company.
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What was fitted, where it sits and which number it is on, in writing, so the strata committee, the building manager and the lift company all hold the same record. The comms room itself, if it needs work, is MDF jumpering.
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Reviews
What people say after the job.
“A professional outfit. A good communicator who turns up when he says he will and provides a quality service with a minimum of fuss at a good price.”
A real job from the field
Mosman, NSW · 4G GSM · Filmed on site, 2 min
The lift's emergency phone was on 3G, and the 3G network was closing.
Mosman, a building we'd done other work for. The old 3G unit came off and a 4G GSM unit went in its place, with a 4G SIM. Then the test: every light on the new unit, and dial tone from the lift. One visit, start to finish.
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Mosman, a building where we had done other work, with a lift on a 3G emergency phone. With the 3G network closing, any emergency device still on it has to be upgraded, and this lift’s dialler was one of them.
The old 3G unit came off and a 4G GSM unit went on in its place, with a 4G SIM in it. Then the test: every light on the new unit, and dial tone from the lift.
That is the whole job on camera, a lift’s emergency phone moved from 3G to 4G in one visit, and the kind of swap we were doing for a run of buildings before the network went.
Price
What does a 4G lift phone cost?
Quoted not fixed
What's included
- Free quote within 5 km
- Free estimate from photos
- Written quote, valid 14 days
- 12-month cabling warranty
- Maker's warranty on parts
Free Spaces account with every job, if you want one. What's Spaces?
One price for the unit and the fitting. You buy the SIM and own it, and there's no monthly fee from us. An aerial goes in the quote only where the basement needs one.
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This work is quoted. Quotes are free for properties within 5 km of our Sutherland Shire office. Beyond 5 km a site inspection is charged at $250 inc. GST, and the written quote follows the inspection; the inspection fee may be credited against the job at our discretion.
We are a specialised service, so we may not be local to you. If you are outside Sydney or more than 40 km from our office, we can still come to you, but the extra travel means an extra travel charge. All travel charges are set out in our terms and conditions.
Phone or photo estimates are free at any distance where the job allows, so most of this work is priced from photos and a rough distance before anyone drives anywhere.
What you get in writing
| Quote | Price | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Photo or phone estimate | Free | A ballpark from your photos, a rough distance in metres and your answers, before anyone drives anywhere. Free at any distance where the job allows. |
| Written quote | Free | Free for properties within 5 km of our Sutherland Shire office, after a look at the job. Valid 14 days. |
| Site inspection, further out | $250 inc. GST | Beyond that distance a site inspection is charged, and the written quote follows it. The inspection fee may be credited against the job at our discretion. |
Trusted on site by
Commercial fault and cabling work, done by the same technician who comes to your house.
Your options
What a lift phone can run on, and what happens when the power goes
| What it runs on | When the power goes | Where it stands now | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The old copper line | A phone line from the exchange, which carried its own power. | Kept working, which is why lift phones were put on it. | Switched off as buildings moved to the NBN. It is not coming back. |
| A 3G unit | A dialler with a SIM on the 3G mobile network and a battery of its own. | Kept working for as long as its battery lasted. | The 3G network has closed. A 3G-only unit is replaced whole; a unit that also does 4G may need nothing more than a new SIM. |
| The building's NBN or internet phone | A router on the building's internet and the building's power. | The router stops, and the lift phone stops with it. | It works on an ordinary day, which is how it gets missed until the lift technician tests it. |
| A 4G unit with its own battery | A SIM the building owns on the 4G network, wired to the lift's own pair. | Runs on its own battery, and makes a test call on a schedule so a dead SIM is noticed early. | What we fit, for a one-time price, with no monthly fee from us. |
SourcesHide sources
Sources: Our own call records for lift phone enquiries, and the label on each unit. Our own fees and reports are in our terms and conditions.
Whoever your provider is, the answer is the same.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Something not covered? Call 02 9188 1577 and ask, or send it through the contact form and you get the answer in writing.
What does it cost to find out what our lift phone needs?
Usually nothing. Photos of the unit, the panel or comms room it lives in, the label on it and a screenshot of the signal bars are enough to quote the replacement, within the free-quote distance in the terms. A site visit beyond that is the service call, credited per the terms.
Do you need to come to the building, or can we send photos?
Send photos. The unit, the panel, the label and the bars, and the quote comes from those. A visit first is for the site where nobody can find the unit or the signal is unknown, and the terms say what that costs and when it is credited.
The carrier says our lift phone will stop working. What do we actually need?
First find out what it runs on: the old copper line, a 3G unit, or the building's internet phone. Copper and 3G are gone or going; an internet phone dies with the power. The answer is a 4G unit with its own battery on a SIM you own, and sometimes only a new SIM in the unit you have.
Our lift phone was on 3G. Do we need a new unit, or just a new SIM?
Check the SIM before you buy anything. Many units do both 3G and 4G, and it was a 3G-only SIM the carrier switched off; a 4G SIM in the old unit is sometimes the whole fix. A 3G-only unit has no upgrade and is replaced whole. A photo of the label tells us which.
Can the lift phone run on the building's NBN?
No. When the power fails the router fails, an internet phone fails with it, and a lift phone has to keep working through a blackout so someone stuck in the lift can be heard. It needs its own battery and its own line, which since the copper was switched off means a 4G unit on a mobile SIM.
Who supplies the SIM, and who pays for the plan?
You do, and you own it. Any carrier's SIM on the cheapest phone-only plan; it only has to make a call, so no data, and never a 5G-only plan, which cannot make calls. An annual plan so it never lapses, and give the lift company the number. No monthly fee from us.
Does the lift company have to do this?
No. The lift company keeps the lift; we do the phone. You do not have to use their communications arm or change contractors. Some lift companies charge monthly to manage the SIM; ours is a one-time price for the unit and the fitting, and the SIM is yours.
The unit is inside the lift car. Can you still do it?
Where the unit lives decides who can touch it. In the comms room or the lift control panel, we fit and test it. Inside the lift car or the shaft, the lift company holds the keys, so the job is done with them on site.
There's no mobile signal in our basement. Does that rule it out?
No. Check the bars on a phone in the comms room first and send a screenshot. Where there is nothing on any carrier, an aerial cable runs to an outside wall or the roof and goes in the quote. If the old unit worked where it sits, the new one needs no aerial.
Do we need one unit per lift?
Yes. Two lifts, two units, even in the same cupboard. A unit with two SIM slots, one carrier on each, is the option for a site that wants failover if one carrier drops out. The battery in the unit is a plug-in part the building can replace itself.
We're a strata committee. What do you give us for the approval?
A written quote for the unit and the fitting, licence and insurance details on request, and after the job a write-up of what was fitted, where and on which number. The phone is common property, so the committee approves it.
How do we test the lift phone ourselves?
Press and hold the emergency button in the lift. You should get the lift company's call centre, and they should be able to hear you. If it rings and nobody can hear, or it dials and never connects, send photos of the unit and the panel.
Do you do this outside Sydney?
Yes. We are based in Sydney and we travel outside it, because few people do this work and the calls come from a long way off. The extra travel is charged, and the rates are in our terms and conditions.
Are you licensed to do this?
Yes. Our technician is an Open Registered Cabler, registered through ASIAL, an ACMA-accredited cabling registrar, and the wiring from the unit to the lift's pair at the control panel is customer cabling, which is what that registration is for. The lift itself stays with your lift company.
Dig deeper
Guides for this job
5 guides
- 16Oct
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MDF jumpering joins your provider's line to your unit's own cable at the building's main frame. What the MDF room is, what goes wrong there, and how to prepare.
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FTTB Meaning: NBN Fibre to the Building, and Is It Any Good?
Fibre to the building (FTTB) explained: how NBN reaches a unit, who owns which part of the line, whether it is any good, and what to check when it is slow.
Read the guide › - 21Aug
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Best 4G Router or Modem in Australia: How to Choose One
How to choose the best 4G router or 4G modem in Australia: the SIM slot, bands, antenna and ethernet ports, for a home or a caravan, and when 4G makes sense.
Read the guide › - 20Aug
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Jitter and Packet Loss on NBN FTTB: A Noise in the MDF Room
Jitter, high ping and packet loss on NBN while the speed test looks fine: a fibre to the building job, the noise on unearthed frames, and who fixes it.
Read the guide › - 21Aug
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No Internet in a New FTTB Apartment: A Short and Moved Pairs
No internet in a new apartment on fibre to the building: a short on the unit's cable, pairs moved between the frames, and the wrong pair details.
Read the guide ›
4G GSM Lift Phone
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