Category Archives: Intruder Alarms

New Euro 46 from Castle Care-Tec

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New intruder panel.

Castle Care-tec are upgrading the base euro 1 panel currently known as the Euro 1024 and renaming all there current panel range in the process. This change will come into place on April 1st 2010 and they will also update the in-sight remote connection software to enhance connection speed and functionality.

Flexible.

Expandability is not a feature of the new euro 46, but the extra benefits the new panel has should prevent the need for upgrading most systems. The Euro 1 Plus will now be re-badged as the Euro76. The Euro 76 is the same as the original Euro One Plus this does allow flexibility to add additional zones and can be expanded as before.

New features.

Below we list some features and understand that the dual-com will now fit inside the redesigned panel layout.

Euro 46 (Grade 2 and 3) v Euro 1024 (Grade 2)

The Euro 1024 can only be used as a Grade 2 security solution where as the new Euro 46 has the flexibility to commissioned as grade 2 or 3.

The Euro 1024 has 28 inputs the end of line resistors are restricted to 4k7 / 2k2 , DEOL or SEOL.

The Euro 46 has 46 inputs (thus the name)  True Double Pole wiring can be configured or DEOL wiring, however both can be integrated together should there be the requirement euro 46 also supports SEOL resistors. 4k7 / 2k2, 1k /1k and 6k8 / 4k7. are the selective resistor values that can be used•

The Euro 1024 only has 4 part set modes this can be limiting at times.

The Euro 46 actually has 6 separate areas that can be individually configured.•

The Euro 1024is limited to 20 codes whether they be manager or user.

The Euro 46 has the added value of 75 codes that can be programmed as manager or user.

The Euro 1024 is limited to the use of 4 keypads across the whole system.

The Euro 46 now has the ability to support up to six separate keypads on the system.

The Euro 1024 has one size box and this is a large enclosure.

The Euro 46 has two different size enclosures so you can choose depending on needs and space available to fit the panel.

An additional feature of the  Euro 46 is that it has a Switch Mode PSU this a is cool running process that ensures battery life is prolonged.

Integrated Door Entry Control and integrated Access Control are part of the standard set up and the panel supports remote maintenance better known as ARM.

Integrated with CCTV solutions the logging features complies with a policed monitored CCTV system and is easily tested and commissioned using the on board forced walk test facility.

Conclusion

Castle have thought long and hard about this panel panel and the new features allow it to fit into a market place dominated by small to medium size installations. The flexibility of this panel means that with the right marketing and trouble free from any un-found bugs we predict a that this panel will be a winner.

Castle Care-Tec New Panel Release

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Euro 46

Castle Care-Tech will be launching its new Euro 46 intruder alarm panel on April 1st 2010.

The panel

The new Euro 46 intruder panel seems to be targeting the mid- size intruder market and is suitable for either a grade 2 or 3 installation. Quite simply this panel has to be described as an entry level 8 zone panel and a base locked product. With the use of  Zems the zoning  can be increased to a maximum of 46 zones in total. It does boast simplicity, no MSX cards to add in and it is quite simply what you see is what you get.

No IP Integration

In a world that sees IP integration as the way forward, the Euro 46 does not seem to incorporate this feature. Communication is through the traditional Output method of a ribbon cable that enables it to be integrated to Redcare GSM , Dual-com Emizon  etc. You are also able to achieve downloading and remote servicing through a modem that can easily interface into the panel.

Benefits

Benefits include 6 areas rather than levels and this offers greater flexibility the Euro 46 also has the standard integrated access control built in. Interestingly Castle have decided to move away from ID with this panel and only offer EOL or double pole sensor termination. Various wiring  options mean upgrades are easy and together with the eol/dp sensor wiring perhaps this will bring some welcome stability to systems installed in harsh environments.

Setting

Card, tag or pin setting together with the ability to accommodate 6 keypads and 40 programmable outputs and up to 75 users add some excellent features and Castle claim that this is one of their easiest panels to programme however in fairness they have never been difficult .These features just adds to the suitability of the  the market they seem to be targeting with this panel.

Conclusion

In conclusion the Euro 46 promises to be a stable , flexible panel that should fit into most situations . It would appear that this panel could well help Castle to continue to capture new installers and end users into their fold, lets hope this is the reward for their efforts.

Emizon IP communicator

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IP communicator.

The Emizon 21 IP communicator is the latest player in the monitoring market. It’s a dual path signaling device and uses the broadband connection and GPRS  to connect to the central station. It comes in grade 2,3and 4, grade 4 being the equivalent of Redcare GSM.

Selling points.

Emizon is secure , simple future proofed and exceptional value for money. It is also 21CN compatible. Even if you have no alarm on site it can monitor your broadband connection to ensure your business maintains a 24/7 broadband connection if necessary. There are no call charges involved.

It saves money on two counts. It is cheaper to monitor than Redcare GSM and more importantly it means no dedicated line is required.

So how did it all start?

Emizon was conceived as far back as 2001 when the original patents were filed for.

The concept was proved in 2005 and touted to the industry in 2006. In 2007 the ARC’s started to accept the platform and a steady rise in popularity has meant it is now increasing its market share across the world.

Some control panels have Emizon integrated into them during manufacture so this product is undoubtedly here to stay and certainly looks like it could dominate the IP monitoring market for years to come.

10 reasons to use IP Monitoring

1) Emizon works with all broadband providers. Offers integrated security as it is able to integrate to CCTV and Access control.

2) 100% guarantee to work on the new BT 21CN platform.

3)  Firmware upgrades and pin changes can be made with the touch of a button.

4)  The grade 4 Emizon is equivalent to Redcare GSM and is accepted as totally secure within the insurance industry.

5)  No dedicated line is required so savings can be made on phone line costs when upgrading.

6) In terms of cost the Emizon can deliver two signalling paths for the same money as you would normally pay for single path.

7)  The TDC is easy to install and is not site specific , meaning it can be kept in stock for same day installation.

8)  Through broadband access via the Emizon you can remotely interrogate your alarm panel so you can do remote servicing on your alarm panel.

9)  Comes in grade 2,3,and 4 so can be used for any application.

10)  Gives the customer not only notice if their alarm panel has lost its monitoring path but also helps to monitor all broadband services so if the customer needs 24hour on line reliability to run their business it they will know of any  BROADBAND failure.

BT 21CN network changes.

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Will my intruder alarm work?

For those who do not know the BT 21 century network is basically a massive upgrade being undertaken by BT to upgrade its old copper network to a faster more reliable fibre solution.

Cardiff.

Cardiff was the starting point back in 2008 and has been a test bed for the new technology while BT continue planning the upgrade of exchanges in other areas. The main role out of the programme will commence in April 2010 and will take several years to complete Nationwide.

Digicoms.

The main concern is that some older CPE (customers premises equipment) may fail .This includes the digicom which is still widely used across the UK. A digicom is a digital communicator that alarm panels use to transmit their signals back to the central station It is old technology and relies on a”handshake” from the central station to tell it that a signal has been received and not to attempt to re-dial. Due to latency in the new BT system where analogue products such as digicoms will have their data changed from analogue to IP and then back again the “handshake will possibly be missed causing the digicom to dial many calls to the central station resulting in overload.

40% failure rate.

It is estimated that as many as 40% of systems will suffer failure after the change over leaving many premises vulnerable to Criminal attack. So concerned are insurance companies their risk managers are sending briefings to their brokers and customers to let them know about the potential issues.

Immune.

There are newer products out there that claim to be immune from any issues relating to the 21CN changeover. These include Redcare classic, Redcare GSM, CSL Dualcom’s there are also some pure IP communicators such as Webway and Emizon that will suffer no issues as they have been designed in advance to cope with the change over.

Conclusion.

It will undoubtedly be to everyone’s advantage to upgrade their signalling from a digicom. After all the digicom is old technology and the least secure of all the signalling devices mentioned in this article It could be argued that this is a window of opportunity for installers for some extra work but it will also be their responsibility to ensure their customers are informed and properly advised as to how they should signal their alarms to the monitoring station.


Integrated IP intruder alarm solutions

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Integrated IP intruder alarm solutions

This site is all about saving money. Sometimes you do have to spend a little to save a lot;  This is defiantly the case when dealing with intruder alarms on multiple sites.

A facility Manager’s utopia?

So how can IP and integrated security help here? Facility mangers will be very familiar with the pitfalls of dealing with multiple sites looked after by several different alarm companies.

Integrate , make things simple !

The hassle of dealing with different service departments and invoices can often be confusing. |Facility managers need one one point of contact in order to control their costs.

Monitoring

Another issue is monitoring. Your sites may use dualcom, Redcare, Redcare Gsm or digicom. For those people who have limited knowledge of how all these different technologies work can be a costly minefield.

So what is the solution ?  It’s quite simple, standardize.

Standardize

How does it work? You need to consider an IP communication platform to signal alarms to the central station and a central PC within your own organisation for administration of codes and fault monitoring.

Upgrade to integrated security.

Firstly you will need to change the control panel on  all your sites. This is going to cost money but some alarm companies may do this for a very good price in order to secure your long term business.  Secondly by using an IP platform such as Emizon you will find some very good savings to be made on your annual monitoring costs. Typically £150 per site per annum.

Networked

The alarm panels will also report to your server and can be networked so that you the facility manager will know what is happening with each panel.  This takes the need away to rely on a service engineers report and invariably the charges that will accompany this call out. The software is simple to master and gives back control to the end user.

So by integrating all your sites together,  long term savings will be inevitable.

Please feel free to contact us for more detail.