ADT Security advises facility managers and plant managers to ensure their building’s automatic fire alarm monitoring systems are NBN-ready.

According to Dallas Pearce, Customer Service Centre Manager at ADT Fire Monitoring, with the NBN rollout underway, it is important that facility and plant managers check and confirm their system is NBN-ready to ensure they continue to receive 24/7 fire monitoring. He adds that this will help to protect people and property and reduce the damage and cost of a fire incident.

Traditionally, automatic fire alarm systems work by sending alarm signals through an existing analogue copper telephone line to an alarm response centre. Once the NBN is operational, fire alarm systems will be connected to a building using fibre technology.

To ensure an automatic fire alarm system is NBN-ready, check that the retail services provider (RSP) used for the building’s telecommunication services will provide service on the UNI-V voice port; advise the RSP that the facility has essential Automatic Fire Alarm Monitoring and provide the back-up phone number – also ask for this number to be converted and added as a voice service as part of the NBN conversion; request a back-up battery for the facility’s communication device to ensure the alarm will still be able to communicate in the event of a power failure; and when connected to the NBN, call the fire alarm monitoring provider to confirm correct operation of the phone line.

It is important to first confirm that the fire monitoring system is connected and operational to the NBN box before disconnecting the existing copper phone line.

ADT Fire Monitoring ASE (Alarm Signalling Equipment) is built to comply with Australian telecommunication regulations, making it compatible with the analogue port on the NBN Network Termination Device (NTD) while also working on the NBN.

ADT Fire Monitoring has successfully tested its ASE with NBN retail service providers such as Telstra UNI-V and UNI-D, Internode and APN.

ADT Fire Monitoring customers can call ADT once they are connected to test that their alarm system is still communicating correctly.