Holistic fire protection concept IQ8System completed through wireless detector technology from ESSER

When Heinrich Hertz discovered electromagnetic waves in 1887, he laid the foundation for the development of radio communication. Meanwhile there is hardly a place in which one does not come into contact with radio waves in one form or another. Be it a clock radio, remote control for any number of different electronic devices or the worldwide favorite toy, the mobile telephone; all devices mainly send and/or receive signals via radio waves and work in an exactly defined frequency range.

Conventional cabling is also increasingly being complemented by radio communication in the fire detection technology, for example in cases where are structural or aesthetic reasons for using fire detectors which work without cable connection, for example historically protected buildings.

Ideal extension possibility
The possibility of installing wireless detectors –within the currently valid frame of standards– in the respective object offers a decisive advantage in this context. Thus for example wireless components can also be integrated into a conventional installation at a later point without any problems. The IQ8Wireless, the first wireless detector worldwide in which the sender is situated in the base, thus supplements the holistic fire protection concept IQ8System from the market and technology leader in Neuss/Germany and enables the wireless connection of various detector types of the IQ8Quad generation to the fire protection system. Through this, it is not only possible to realize complete fire protection systems with wireless components but also the easy and economical expansion of already existing systems can be facilitated. The respectively most suitable detector is simply placed into the wireless base, thus lengthy cabling work is not necessary in the case of subsequent detector installation. The IQ8Wireless components communicate with each other via a so-called dual-band transfer mode. By using a frequency hopping procedure, the radio channels are automatically changed when effected by interference sources. The result is a secure and reliable wireless connection with a range of up to 300m in the open air. The indoor range depends on the layout of the building as well as on the predominating surrounding conditions. One special feature distinguishes the IQ8Wireless from all other products on the market: the wireless component is contained completely in the base onto which the respective fire detector type of the IQ8Quad series can be placed.

Transponder or Gateway
The communication interface between wireless device and FACP is formed by the IQ8Wireless transponder which can be assigned up to 32 wireless bases with automatic IQ8Quad fire detectors or ten IQ8Wireless MCP. An exchange and/or change of batteries can be carried out quickly and easily. The allocation to a wireless transponder occurs comfortably via the programming software tools 8000. A further module for the allocation of wireless components into the esserbus-Plus is provided through the VdS-certified IQ8Wireless gateway. Compared to the wireless transponder, the wireless gateway has the advantage that it does not need an external power supply unit and that the mounting does not need to be carried out in an especially suited spot; an already existing detector is easily removed from its base and, without the usage of tools, is replaced by the gateway. This way up to ten wireless automatic detectors can be integrated into the esserbus-Plus. These then become fully addressable devices. The start-up of the new wireless gateway is also carried out via the programming software tools 8000.

Point of interest
In the meantime, wireless technology with its multi-facetted areas of application has proven to be of maximum benefit in the most diverse objects. When it comes to security-relevant disciplines as for example when police radio and wireless fire detection technology are operated in the immediate range of each other, a mutual influencing of different radio frequencies must be eliminated. In a police headquarters for example, the decisive question of whether the police radio and the fire detection system were mutually influencing each other needed to be clarified. Relevant measurements were then carried out, the results of which showed no influencing at all. For a large part, the reason that such an outstanding result could be achieved is due to one technical component which enables the ESSER-wireless detectors to operate at the extremely low transmission output of 10mW. Furthermore, a permanently high transmission quality is ensured even under varying environmental conditions, by the toggling to 5 or 20 channels in both of the intended frequency bands , as for example when the police radio becomes active. Because of the design of the building, the persons responsible decided in favor of installing the wireless model. 31 point-shaped automatic wireless smoke detectors were installed via a total of 5 wireless transponders where in each case one transponder is intended per floor and ensures the grouping and forwarding to the IQ8Control fire alarm control panel.

In many manufacturing enterprises today there are modern high-rack storage buildings in order to maintain optimal use of the floor space in high rooms for the goods produced. In most cases this is a storage system which is operated fully electronically by a storage management system. An interesting variation in this context is formed by mobile high-rack storage buildings which create an additional extension of the usable space. We found ourselves confronted with a special challenge when it came to the fire detection monitoring of such mobile shelves at the objectflor Art und Design Belags GmbH in Cologne/Germany. Today the company is among the leading vendors of elastic flooring for object and living areas.

The new IQ8Wireless wireless detectors were installed at the Frankfurt/Germany Exhibition Grounds in order to secure the changing exhibition booths during the exhibition times in Hall 8; 319 of them, connected to the fire alarm control panel via 23 wireless transponders, reliably carry out their service there. One decisive part of being awarded this contract was played by the possibility of being able to pointedly apply all the different fire detector types (optical, thermal and multifunctional) via wireless technology. Moreover, new regulations regarding the technical fire protection monitoring have recently come into effect, for example for raised exhibition booths. This aspect was what ultimately led to the application of wireless technology.

Convincing design
Intelligent fire protection today also entails convincing design. Where up to three different devices used to be necessary, the new generation of detectors unify up to four functions of fire detection in one housing: IQ8Quad is the first ever patented fire detector which completely integrates flasher, acoustic signaling and voice output. It can be used in the most varied environments and can multilingually generate up to five different speech announcements in its O2T model, so that important evacuation measures can be supported in the case of emergency.