With a traditional system, running separate fire signal, network, and power cables to each door or device can sometimes be difficult, time consuming and expensive, Power over Ethernet is an option but you still have to run a separate fire cable-interface to the door and supply batteries at some point. So say Accon, who are offering power, network and fire in a single Cat5e/6 cable. The West Sussex firm has launched their Trilogy system (patents pending) which combines a Category A Fire signal, Network data, and Uninterruptable Power through a single Cat5e/6 cable, removing the need to install any services at the door. Accon director Ren Kitchener said: “To us it was an obvious natural progression that developing a new midspan system that enabled the installer to run just a single cable to the door which combines all three services was definitely the future. Taking this approach also offered a significant reduction both in time and cost in designing, installing, cabling and maintaining a system.” With each hub able to support up to eight devices, by PoE or classically powered, it’s claimed to be a cost-effective approach and flexible enough to connect a mix of access control types, magnetic locks, hold open or free swing door closers, pan and tilt cameras, IP audio/video entrance products, door hold back devices or any IP device requiring power or a fire interface.
Ren adds: “Apart from being able to inject a fire signal down the Cat5e/6 cable, it’s also the construction of our system that sets it apart, such as monitored, redundant, load sharing switch mode bulk power supplies offering the same availability as you would expect on an oil platform control system, remote connect-disconnect of the battery during maintenance and installation, regulated three hour DC battery back-up instead of using unreliable DC-to AC inverters with a take up delay (often incorrectly referred to as a UPS), and the fail safe remote test facility to check that the fire signal has actually interrupted the door lock supply via the double pole relay (remote fire test).”
For more details – contact Accon on [email protected] or visit the website at www.accon.co.uk.
