REACH Wireless First Round Improvements
Thank you for your feedback on using REACH Wireless. Based on this, we have made improvements to the installation & commissioning experience.
1. Loop-Interface Commissioning Improvements
REACH was designed to offer a best-in-class commissioning experience: saving time, effort and aiming to make success likely. We’ve observed common inefficiencies and barriers to success since launch, and have implemented changes to improve this for our customers.
New REACH Wireless Loop-Interface products are now shipped with improvements to the device pairing process.
It is now possible to manually override automatically assigned addresses with a manual address, at the pairing confirmation screen. This update saves time by removing the need to leave the simple and convenient sequential pairing that REACH provides to jump to a new free address block. Auto-addressing will then continue from the last paired address. Simply put, we have reduced the number of steps previously taken to manually address a device.
Additionally, there is now an additional validation check to prevent pairing a single device multiple times. The user will now be informed immediately of a double-pairing and will be offered options to keep or discard the old address and old product settings. This avoids a common cause of product link fault warnings and prevents investigation of which product was paired more than once.
We have also published a completely new User Manual PP5099. This document explains all software functions available on the REACH Loop-Interface RW1700-030APO and covers installation and commissioning steps in greater detail – including answers and recommendations from all product support questions since product launch.
2. Survey Kit User Interface Improvements
Newly produced Survey Kits RW1800-060APO are now shipping with minor software changes to the order of menu items and consistency of text to make information clearer and the process even more intuitive.
These changes can be found in the improved REACH Surveying Guide PP5098.
3. Manual Call Point Chassis & Reset Key Improvements
An enhanced, ergonomic design is now shipping with REACH Manual Call Points RW1900-901APO. The new ergonomic shape is easier to grip when opening and resetting the device.
Improvements to the MCP red plastics colour have also been made, to improve colour stability over time. The improved red colour is very similar to the original and does not significantly change the overall appearance of the product.
When REACH Wireless is the right choice:
REACH Wireless delivers flexible solutions for listed buildings, temporary structures and high-rise residential apartments, extending detection without compromising the level of protection from fire and saves you time and solves installation challenges.
- Extensions - REACH allows an existing fire system to be extended by bridging wireless devices to the wired loop, using the REACH Loop Interface. A new fire loop is not required, which reduces cost and effort - especially if the existing panel doesn’t have any more available loops, as long as there is spare capacity on the loop.
- Heritage - Heritage or listed buildings typically have additional restrictions on disrupting the fabric of the building by breaking walls or adding trunking. In this case, it may be easier to install surface-mounted wireless products to meet fire system requirements.
- Temporary - Temporary or Retail structures can have restrictions on allowable modifications, or need to be installed in a short timeframe. REACH can be surveyed ahead of time, off-site, and physically installed very quickly to minimise time onsite or downtime of the building.
How is this achieved?
Being our latest range of hybrid-wireless fire detection, REACH Wireless has been created to make installation and commissioning quicker and easier.
Hybrid solutions offer the installer and end user the flexibility of both wired and wireless systems on the same site, meaning projects can be extended if needed or specified as a temporary system, working alongside an existing wired installation.
Hybrid systems are also valuable where existing wired systems need to be extended in occupied buildings. For example, in a high-rise residential building with an existing wired system covering the landings and communal areas, coverage could be extended to the residential units using wireless devices. These can be pre-programmed offsite and installed in minutes, minimising contact with residents and removing the need for costly and inconvenient ‘making good’, which would accompany a wired install.