AFAM partners with M2M One NZ and Future Electronics to upgrade fire alert technology to Cat M1 in thousands of commercial buildings across New Zealand.
Introduction
The prospect of a fire in a large commercial building is a terrifying prospect with both human life and assets at risk. Without the right systems and technology in place to monitor and alert authorities, the outcome could be catastrophic.
In New Zealand, fire safety in commercial and residential buildings is a critical concern. The country has witnessed devastating fires in both urban and rural settings, prompting the government and private sectors to invest in robust fire safety measures and regulation. Since 2004, this has included annual building audits and the mandated use of connected fire detection systems designed to alert fire services to an incident in real time.
Christchurch-based Automatic Fire Alarm Monitoring (AFAM) is at the forefront of fire detection technology. Founded in 2005, the company provides fire alarm monitoring services to thousands of building owners and service agents nationally. Their customers include aged-care facilities, commercial buildings and large multi-story complexes.
At the heart of their innovative technology is a CTU which is installed and connected to a building’s fire alarm panel. The CTU monitors each panel 24/7. If an event occurs, the device wirelessly communicates with AFAM’s Automated Monitoring System and notifies fire services, agents and building owners.
Challenge
In 2023, it was announced that New Zealand’s 3G network would be shut down within two years. For AFAM this posed a significant challenge as until that point, its fleet of CTUs had utilised 2 and 3G connectivity – with some older units relying on dial-up as a backup.
With thousands of buildings equipped with legacy systems, the task of upgrading the technology presented both logistical and technical challenges. These challenges included re-designing their CTU to operate on a new network, navigating building infrastructure compatibility, and developing a deployment timeline focused on minimising customer disruption.
To tackle these challenges, AFAM made two key decisions. Firstly, to prioritise the assessment phase of the project so it had a detailed understanding of its existing technology fleet and customers. And secondly, to partner with IoT connectivity and hardware specialists – M2M One NZ and Future Electronics – to help them successfully transition their technology off 3G.
Solution
Over a six-month period, AFAM worked closely with M2M One NZ to determine and test the best technologies to suit their requirements. Key criteria included technology which was simple to implement, was modern and future proof, and operated on a specialist network able to deliver 24/7 uptime. Critically, AFAM also desired a solution which could be standardised across all of its customers.
As their final solution, AFAM chose to operate their new CTU on a CAT M1 network with connectivity provided by a Sierra Wireless module. This was combined with dual M2M One NBiOT SIMs operating on separate networks to maximise carrier diversity and uptime.
“We could have gone with 4 or 5G but we chose CAT M1 due to the fact that it is specifically designed for M2M communication and allows us to transmit richer and larger amounts of data,” says Kieron Telford, Managing Director at AFAM. “Having a specialist network to support a specialist application was important to us,” Kieron adds.
In addition, AFAM chose to leverage M2M One NZ’s service management capability which includes real-time SIM and data monitoring, service alerts and an AFAM customer portal from which the status of each site can be closely monitored 24/7.
Outcomes
As the countdown to the 3G shutdown continues, AFAM’s proactive approach serves as a benchmark for how organisations can prepare for, and execute, hardware and network upgrades.
The new Cat M1 solution is specifically designed for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication and will provide better coverage, lower latency, and improved reliability compared to AFAM’s legacy systems. The flexibility of the technology also allows for easy scalability. As building management systems evolve, additional features can be integrated without a complete overhaul of existing infrastructure.
“Our close working relationship with M2M One NZ has enabled us to deliver the right solution first time, ahead of time,” says Kieron Telford, Managing Director at AFAM.
“Their deep IoT expertise has been critical to the success of this transition and has resulted in the deployment of a standardised, future-proof solution which will both simplify operations for us and reliably perform for our customers many years after 3G is shutdown.”
Reflecting on the project and the advice he would give to other NZ companies looking to transition off 3G, Kieron added: “Start yesterday!” As a result of their strategic upgrade to Cat M1 technology, AFAM has enhanced the overall safety of thousands of buildings across New Zealand and further cemented the company’s position as a market leader in fire safety solutions.