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‘Plug-and-play’ fire alarm management and monitoring software

ZYTEQ Fire, in partnership with GLOBAL FIRE Equipment (GFE), has announced the launch of OWL, an advanced ‘plug-and-play’ fire alarm management and monitoring software for the company’s CHAMELEON Network range of intelligent control panels.

OWL’s graphical user interface (GUI) displays all devices, alarms and all the information about the status of the entire fire detection alarm system(s). The configuration file of the control panel is used to import the devices (loops, zones, texts and device types). The software is easy to operate, simple drag-and-drop icon placement provides easy device allocation within mapping.

OWL’s graphics and icons allow users to quickly identify and respond to fire alarms and faults in real-time. Basic command actions such as activate sounders, silence sounders, silence buzzers and system reset can be activated in an intuitive way from the software’s main page.

Simple control buttons allow the user to enable/disable field devices. Real-time device conditions and analogue values can also be obtained from all field devices via a menu selection. All events are graphically displayed on the screen using a floor plan layout.

The software provides a cost-effective solution for all types of installations and is suitable for use with everything from a single panel system up to multi-panel and multi-site applications. Thanks to the high-quality GUI included, OWL users can monitor the status of their fire alarm panels and receive real-time information and complete visibility of their entire fire detection alarm system.

OWL is fully compatible with ZYTEQ Fire’s aforementioned CHAMELEON Network range of intelligent control panels: G-ONE, GEKKO and OCTO+ as well as the range of smoke and heat detectors manufactured at the ZYTEQ Fire factory in Cape Town. As it’s a PC-based platform, OWL can be accessed simultaneously from different PCs wherever they’re located in the world as long as they are on the same network. The software can be backed up in case of a main PC outage, while the customer’s configuration file can also be restored.

Each panel can be displayed on the screen as though the operator was standing in front of it, while basic command actions can be achieved in an intuitive way from the software’s main menu. Simple control buttons allow the user to enable and disable field devices. Analogue values can also be obtained from all field devices via a menu selection.

OWL software records every individual alarm, fault, user access and interaction on the fire detection alarm system, providing complete system visibility. The affected area of the building is highlighted, with the icons indicating the exact location of an alarm event or fault. Every system interaction is logged. Those logs can be exported if and when required (for example, to provide an insurance company with a log of alarms/warnings in the event of a fire or to deliver a Fire and Rescue Service the fire detection logs for weekly fire testing).

There are two levels of control with the OWL software: administrator and operator. Up to four administrators can have full access to the system and use the software to make any changes to the system’s cause and effect configuration. Programming for administrators is password protected.

An unlimited number of end users can be granted operator control and receive e-mail or SMS notifications, or both. Once the users are defined, each individual user can then be given specific instructions.

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