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Long-distance connectivity with Simplex ES Net Life Safety

Johnson Controls announced enhancements to the Simplex ES Net Life Safety Network; improving connectivity between customers’ buildings, visual alarm safety, and cost savings. The new ES Net Network Bridge device enhances system visibility and control across distant buildings and campuses by allowing fire alarm system data to travel over a customer’s existing network infrastructure by creating a secure VPN tunnel.

“With these latest features, customers now have access to the complete Simplex ES Net package,” said Anna Khanova, Vice President, Global Product Management, Johnson Controls. “This total, integrated fire and life safety solution is ideal for large facilities, campuses and enterprise operators looking for a network with better safety and response, lower installation and expansion cost, and increased quality and reliability.”

Long-distance connectivity

The ES Net Network Bridge improves system-wide monitoring and control in facilities and campuses where life safety networks are often widely dispersed. By connecting multiple buildings over long distances with high-speed, high-bandwidth, high-resilience connectivity via existing network infrastructure, facilities can eliminate the need to run new or additional dedicated wiring for the fire alarm system.

With this enhancement, the Simplex ES Net now provides a singular, shared pathway for secure, encrypted data transfer across all networked devices, including panels, detectors, strobes and alarms, as well as system health. This gives an operator complete, centralised, multi-building visibility from a single workstation, allowing more effective response and more simplified system reconfiguration.

The ES Net Network Bridge meets the NFPA 72 Class N pathway specification, which specifically addresses the use of IP network infrastructure for fire alarm and emergency communication systems.

A complete life safety solution

Simplex ES Net is an IP-based, UL-Listed fire and life safety network that optimises system design and installation flexibility with impressive network capacity, speed, performance and resiliency. Its combined features make it ideal for large commercial facility managers looking to simplify their life safety operations, while taking advantage of robust features that help meet codes and the needs of users, occupants and first responders.

For example, ES Net provides compliance with NFPA 72 requirements for synchronised notifications without extra wiring, modules or programming. This feature is especially helpful in large open buildings like airports, sports arenas, atriums or malls where multiple strobes are connected and visible at one time.

It also allows in-building emergency alert audio and firefighter telephone communication to be sent digitally over the life safety network, providing crucial communication capability for first responders. This makes it easier and more cost-effective for users to implement audio messaging throughout their facilities and meet codes like Life Safety 101 and NFPA 72, which mandate voice evacuation messaging in certain facilities.

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