There are many scenarios in which a fire alarm system may need to be updated or extended. New regulations, building extensions or simply replacing old or faulty equipment are just some of the reasons why it may be necessary to add additional devices to an existing system. But, how easy is this to achieve?
What are the Challenges with Updating a Hardwired Fire Alarm System?
A hardwired fire alarm system will generally consist of a main fire alarm control panel which controls all of the field devices in a property. Every device – detectors, manual call points, input/output devices, sounders and more – is connected to the control panel via cabling, either on a loop or on a two-wire wiring system.
Adding or replacing a field device to an existing hardwired fire alarm system means that it needs to be connected to the existing wiring. Therefore, new cabling must be put in place to allow the device to communicate with the fire alarm control panel. Not only is this time consuming, but it can cause damage to the building’s integrity or harm the aesthetics of the property as well as disrupting the buildings operation, in many cases resulting in business downtime.
What is the Solution?
Wi-Fyre, an innovative fire detection system from Eurofyre, allows the installer to create a hybrid fire alarm system that gives them the ability to integrate wireless fire detection technology with an existing hardwired system. This means that additional devices can be added to any system without the need for additional cabling, reducing installation time and disruption to a building’s operation.
Wi-Fyre is extremely versatile and has six modes of user-selectable operation, providing support for almost any existing fire alarm system:
- Conventional
- Standalone (residential)
- Addressable (collective)
- Reflective
- ProFyre Addressable
- ProFyre 2-Wire Addressable
How Does Wi-Fyre Work?
At the heart of Wi-Fyre is the Wi-Fyre Wireless Transponder. Each transponder is capable of communicating with up to 30 mixed field devices and is connected into the existing fire alarm wiring via a compatible interface module.
A Wi-Fyre Wireless Survey Head is then used to test the signal strength between the transponder and the device to be installed. Providing the signal is at a suitable level, the wireless field device can then be installed and connected to the transponder.
Wi-Fyre Devices
There are a number of Wi-Fyre devices available, including:
For more information or to learn about the benefits of Wi-Fyre, please feel free to give us a call on +44 (0)1329 835024 or email info@eurofyre.co.uk where we would be happy to answer any questions.
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