Johnson Controls Connected Fire Panel Q&A

Fire safety is an ever-present concern at every industrial facility. Connected Fire Panels provide better insight into the health and performance of fire systems within a building. Johnson Controls answers your top questions about Connected Fire Panels.

What advantages do Connected Fire Panels offer a facility?

Connected Fire Panels provide facility managers with real time insight into their fire systems’ health and performance. Users have secure access to the fire control panel, even when offsite, through cloud-based remote visibility. With mobile push notifications, building managers receive critical information and instant alerts to an alarm or trouble condition. Connected Fire panels work with all the latest Simplex ES Fire Panels—4007ES, 4010ES and 4100 ES. One of the key benefits the Connected Fire Panels offers is that it gives the customer access to our Remote Services Solutions (RSS) team. RSS allows us to diagnose and resolve many system issues quickly over the phone, avoiding the inconvenience of scheduling and dispatching a service technician onsite. By leveraging Johnson Controls Connected Fire Panels, customers also gain access to historical fire panel event logs for incident investigation, expert remote service technicians and remote cybersecurity testing. This solution empowers customers to develop, run and manage operational applications without needing to build and maintain any additional infrastructure, mitigating risk and saving valuable time and resources.

Why did Johnson Controls decide to launch Connected Fire Panels?

For a buildings manager in charge of fire and life safety, what could be more valuable than a tool that enables the proactive system health overview of all their buildings’ fire panels from a single point? Whether they are at a home computer or working on a laptop, or on a smart phone or tablet while on the road, knowing the exact status of their life safety systems would save them time and costs. That visibility into the status of each system could enhance the daily maintenance and efficiency of their facilities, with little reliance on internal IT departments. Customers reached out to Johnson Controls to ask for such a solution, and our team created Connected Fire Panels. This offering is part of a suite of connected fire safety services and technologies powered by OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital suite. When combined with our technicians’ extensive industry knowledge and training, these solutions drive the outcomes that matter most, including improved asset performance and reliability, code compliance and advanced operational efficiency of customers’ fire and life-safety systems.

What was Johnson Controls seeing in terms of industry demand for connection?

Customers, now more than ever, need their building environments to be as connected as they are safe and secure. To best protect occupants from the unexpected, they require an advanced level of operational insight that can only come from digital, data-driven solutions. The industry needed a solution that would help users across industries save both time and money without compromising safety. Connected Fire Panels integrate seamlessly with existing building solutions to provide actionable insights into fire system performance.

How do the Connected Fire Panels work?

A gateway is installed in the ES fire alarm panel that transmits data to SafeLINC cloud via the Local Area Network or a wireless cellular network. SafeLINC Cloud is a globally accessible, secure, managed cloud database that receives and hosts data from all connected control units. It also holds facility and user access information and manages which users have access to which fire panel’s data. A web-based dashboard connects to SafeLINC Cloud and displays real-time events and status information for a customer’s fire panels. It also allows them to search historical event logs and view system reports. The mobile app, available for both iOS and Android devices, provides access to data stored in the SafeLINC cloud and keeps the customer in constant contact with their life safety systems wherever they are.

What information can building managers gain access to?

Building managers gain access to:

• Real-time Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP) events notification
• View and download status reports at their convenience
• One portal, one view of every connected FACP
• Historical fire panel event logs for incident investigation, expert remote service technicians and remote cybersecurity testing

How does Johnson Controls protect cybersecurity of the panels?

The gateway system undergoes thorough cybersecurity testing by Johnson Controls, and they can update the system remotely to ensure optimal protection as digital technologies are constantly changing.

Who are these panels for?

Johnson Controls Connected Fire Panels create powerful connectivity within multi-building campuses such as universities, hospitals and manufacturing facilities. For example, consider an urban college campus spread throughout a major city; the moment a fire alarm in a building is activated, a facility manager will receive a mobile alert no matter where on campus—or off campus—they are located. Rather than wasting time rushing to the facility, they can instantly share all information with the team members closest to the situation, allowing for a speedy response. This same remote capability enables enhanced asset health monitoring throughout the campus, ensuring all the facility’s fire systems are always fully operational, from dormitories to science laboratories.

How are software updates to the panels handled?

Future gateway software updates can be downloaded to the gateway remotely.

What is involved in installation? Or maintenance?

Easy installation means minimal IT involvement and no disruptions to facilities or costly replacement of hardware, wiring or auxiliary components. This solution empowers customers to develop, run and manage operational applications without needing to build and maintain any additional infrastructure, mitigating risk and saving valuable time and resources.

What is the cost?

It all depends on how many panels a customer is looking to connect. If interested, please reach out to a local Johnson Controls sales representative for pricing information.