Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has issued the industry’s first Commercial Fire Approval to a software only central station receiver. The SCS-VR central station software program from DMP has been approved by UL for both commercial fire and commercial burglar alarm monitoring. When running on specifically configured network servers, this software provides all of the functions of a stand-alone alarm receiver without the cost and space requirements associated with older style hardware receivers. With a capacity that can exceed 20,000 monitored controls, the SCS-VR will supervise, manage, and report network and cellular-based alarm communications.
One of the key features of the SCS-VR is the ability to run on one or more servers for redundancy, and the software works with load balancing to avoid server overloads. Sets of account signals can be received into separate “groups” which can be defined to have specific dispatch or message handling rules, greatly increasing the flexibility of the SCS-VR in larger central station applications. Time updates can be programmed automatically via the network, and NIST validated AES encryption allows the use of the SCS-VR software in the highest security applications such as monitoring financial institutions and government facilities.
The virtual receiver can deliver powerful diagnostic reports including average and recent bandwidth per account, and current message and check-in status. The receiver can also track IP address changes on remote panels. Compatibility with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 or higher allows alarm message data to be seamlessly integrated into central station and account billing software systems.
Because it is a software/server alarm receiver, the SCS-VR can be programmed to communicate with Internet connections from more than one ISP connection. This can provide critical alarm monitoring redundancy in the event of a system-wide outage of a single ISP.
Mr. Terry Shelton, Director of PQA for DMP, sees the SCS-VR as providing a needed change in central station equipment. “Our dealers have often expressed their desire to get away from bulky hardware alarm receiver equipment. We are very pleased to be the first manufacturer to break the hardware receiver barrier with a Commercial Fire approval on this software only receiver. The future of central station receivers is software running on network components like the SCS-VR.”
Along with the industry’s first ANSI/UL 864 Commercial fire approval, the SCS-VR is already UL Commercial Burglary listed for ANSI/UL 1610 Central Station Burglary and ANSI/UL 1076 Proprietary standards. This innovative software program can leverage existing computer hardware, and reduce space and power requirements for receiving alarm signals, while providing full capabilities to receive and process network and cellular alarm signal communications.