What To Do When Your Campus Fire Alarm Monitoring System Fails

No one wants to discover their fire alarm monitoring system has stopped working - especially when that system serves a large campus. Unfortunately, that's exactly what one client recently experienced at a university campus filled with dorms, classrooms, labs, and thousands of lives to protect.

Their system, originally installed years ago, had reached a critical "inflection point". The alarm monitoring hardware no longer communicated with modern fire alarm panels. Therefore, no point-specific alarm data was being delivered to dispatch.

The software couldn't be updated, the hardware was aging, and the system was no longer supported. All of this added up to a dangerous situation where there was no reliable alarm monitoring on their busy college campus.

Let's walk through how this client solved the problem, and what it teaches us about upgrading outdated fire alarm systems with the right balance of both legacy support and forward-looking integration considerations.

Legacy Fire Alarm Monitoring Systems Don't Last Forever

Many large institutions (particularly universities, hospitals, and municipalities) have legacy alarm monitoring systems that were installed one or two decades ago. These systems might have worked flawlessly for years, but eventually the cracks start to show:

• Support for legacy hardware becomes difficult or impossible to find
• Interfaces to newer fire alarm control panels (FACPs) aren't available
• Communication technologies (such as serial lines or copper wiring) fall behind
• Integration with dispatch software is unreliable
• Systemwide failures go unnoticed due to lack of remote supervision

That was the exact situation facing a university campus in Hawaii. The dispatch center was no longer receiving any alarm data from their existing system. That meant a breakdown anywhere on campus - whether it was an alarm going into trouble, supervisory, or full fire alarm - would go unreported.

The issue wasn't just about hardware. It was about compatibility, reliability, and the fundamental ability to monitor life-safety systems.

Most "Fixes" Are Temporary Workarounds That Eventually Fail

The typical response to a failing fire alarm monitoring system is to try patching it. This can include replacing one piece of hardware, adding a third-party converter box, or using makeshift interfaces between incompatible components.

These fixes might work for a while, but they introduce new problems:

• They often lack UL or NRTL certification
• Each interface adds another point of failure
• Integration becomes increasingly custom and difficult to support
• Dispatchers lose visibility, or must rely on incomplete data
• Field technicians waste hours troubleshooting poorly documented workarounds

In this case, the client had an existing system based on older Digitize hardware. It included a DGM 8LS, multiplex radios, and an earlier generation Prism system. The client also used a Siemens FC922 Fire Alarm Control Panel, which communicates via BACnet Ethernet Output.

However, there was no out-of-the-box way to interface the FC922 panel to the older Digitize system. Dispatch was left in the dark.

The fix couldn't be another temporary patch. It had to be a new core with proper interoperability - without scrapping everything on campus and (expensively!) starting from scratch.

The Ideal Fire Alarm Monitoring Solution Bridges Old and New

To solve a problem like this, you need a system that's built to be both backward-compatible and future-ready.

It should:

• Interface cleanly with modern FACPs, like the Siemens FC922 from this example
• Support BACnet over Ethernet for high-speed data communication
• Transmit data over an existing RF frequency (in this case, 465.9125 MHz)
• Display real-time, point-specific alarm data at the dispatch center
• Offer visual and audible annunciation with customizable priorities
• Include battery backup and power monitoring
• Be expandable to support more annunciators or line drivers in the future

That's a big list of needs, especially when you're integrating across multiple manufacturers, communication technologies, and generations of hardware. However, that's exactly the type of challenge that campuses, military bases, and public safety facilities face every day.

A Real-World Example: A Custom Fire Alarm Monitoring System for a University Campus

This client's situation led to a full replacement project using the Digitize Prism LX system, along with supporting hardware and software engineered for maximum compatibility and performance.

Let's break down what this solution looked like:

Step 1: Use a BACnet Interface for the Siemens FC922 FACP

The university had installed a Siemens FC922 panel, which outputs alarm data via BACnet Ethernet. That data needed to be ingested into a Digitize-compatible system.

The answer was to create a custom BACnet module that interfaces with a Muxpad II, allowing the Prism LX system to receive point-specific alarm data via the campus's licensed RF frequency.

This BACnet interface acts as a translator, converting BACnet data from the FACP into a format the Digitize system can understand. This is done while maintaining all point information and event details.

Step 2: RF Communicate Using Existing Frequencies

Rather than rebuilding the radio infrastructure, the project reuses the client's existing licensed frequency (465.9125 MHz) to transmit alarm data from the Muxpad II back to the dispatch center.

A line driver card with RF TX/RX and an FSK modem provides smooth transmission, with low latency and high reliability. The Multiplex 32-Line Driver Rack (MUX) includes driver cards that ensure electrical isolation and reliability across campus.

Step 3: Centralize Monitoring with the Prism LX

At the heart of the system is the Digitize Prism LX, a next-generation platform with a color LCD display, Linux OS, graphic thermal printer, and full Ethernet connectivity.

This device is more than just a monitoring terminal. It's a fully programmable alarm management platform that supports over 30,000 text messages, multiple communication inputs (including Ethernet and RS-232), and browser-based configuration.

Notably, the Prism LX runs 50x faster than the older CPU-7 version. The newer Prism offers a dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor and updated power supply that meets modern standards (IEC 61000-3-2).

Step 4: Real-Time Display at the Dispatch Center

For on-site monitoring, the client installed a 23.8" Commercial-Grade Remote Annunciator, equipped with touch-screen functionality, alarm filtering, priority sound/color schemes, and event acknowledgment controls.

This Remote Annunciator connects to the Prism LX via SIPPDD-10 Ethernet D-LAN, allowing for supervised communication over non-dedicated LAN infrastructure.

It supports up to 10 Remote Annunciators and can be expanded further if needed. The annunciator includes a wireless mouse, keyboard, USB dongle, and a downloadable event history log.

Step 5: Battery Backup for Power Resilience

To keep the system running during outages, a 24V SEBB Charger was included, with support for dual 12V 55AH sealed lead acid batteries (supplied separately). The charger connects via RS-485 and sends real-time battery health and charge state data back to the Prism LX for monitoring.

This ensures that the system remains online even during utility failures. That's a must-have for any life-safety system.

Step 6: On-Site Support, Training, and Compliance

Recognizing the complexity of the system, the installation included on-site supervision and training to be sure that personnel could fully operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the system.

A one-year software maintenance and support plan was also included, with multi-year options available. This guarantees access to future software updates and keeps the system in compliance with NFPA 72 requirements.

You Need Reliability, Compatibility, and Expandability

By the time the installation was complete, the client had a fully integrated, fully supervised alarm monitoring system that:

• Communicated directly with a Siemens BACnet panel
• Delivered data to a modern Prism LX platform
• Displayed alarms at the dispatch center with full point info
• Used existing RF infrastructure to avoid major rebuilds
• Included remote annunciation and backup power
• Met compliance and support standards

Most importantly, they had restored total visibility over their fire alarm network - which had been missing for far too long.

Start planning before your next alarm failure

If you're managing a university, hospital, airport, or public facility with legacy fire alarm infrastructure, don't wait until the system fails to take action. Fire alarm monitoring isn't something you want to discover is broken in the moments you need it.

Whether your system is showing signs of age, or you're struggling to integrate new panels like the Siemens FC922, there are proven solutions that bridge old and new technologies.

Digitize systems - particularly the Prism LX and Muxpad II - have been installed at military bases, campuses, transit systems, and government facilities across the country. With native support for radio, Ethernet, and other protocols, you can upgrade without throwing everything away.

Let's Discuss Your Fire Alarm Monitoring Needs

Whether you're facing a complete system failure or planning a proactive upgrade, you don't have to figure it out alone. Each site is different, and the best solutions are always tailored to your infrastructure and goals.

To learn more about integrating Prism LX, Muxpad II, or BACnet with your fire alarm panels, reach out to Digitize. The team can walk you through real-world case studies, equipment options, and how to build a system that keeps your dispatch team informed - no matter what happens.

Call: (973) 663-1011
Email: info@digitize-inc.com