C
Cable (Shielded)
Cable completely enclosed in a metal sheath. Shielded wire is not recommended for the DMP bus.
Cable (Twisted Pair)
When conductors are paired (two wires are twisted around each other). Twisted pair wire is not recommended for the DMP bus.
California State Fire Marshal (CSFM)
An agency that tests and approves fire alarm equipment for use in the state of California.
Cancel
When an authorized system user manually cancels an alarm after an armed zone trips. This is mainly used when the zone trip was accidental, such as when an armed door is opened and a police or fire response is not needed. Cancel Reports are sent after the alarm has been sent, whereas Abort Reports are sent before the alarm is sent.
Cancel Call Waiting
The option to place * 7 0 P (Star, Seven, Zero, Pause) in the telephone number first position to cancel Call Waiting. DMP panels use this feature to help reduce false alarms.
Cancel/Verify
A DMP patented feature that provides the user an opportunity to silence an alarm bell without disarming the system, verify a valid alarm has occurred, or cancel to indicate no alarm has occurred and to disarm the system. Cancel/Verify is a feature of DMP panels and meets ANSI SIA CP-01 False Alarm Reduction requirements.
Candela
The unit of luminous intensity in a given direction. One candela is commonly called one candle power.
Capacitance
The property of two or more objects that enables them to store electrical energy in an electrical field between them. The basic measurement is the Farad. Capacitance varies inversely with the distance between the objects, therefore the change of capacitance with relative motion is greater the nearer one object is to the other.
Card Access
A type of access control that uses cards or credentials to control area exit and entry.
Card Reader
A device that interprets the information from an access card or credential. Once interpreted, the reader then sends the information to the control panel to verify the information and grant access if necessary.
Carpet Mat
A special pressure sensitive device made of opposing strips of thin metal separated by foam concealed under carpeting. A person stepping on the carpet mat, while its zone is armed, trips the alarm.
Cell (Cellular)
A communication programming option that enables cellular transmissions.
Central Station (Monitoring Center)
A remote monitoring location that receives alarms from alarm systems and informs the authorities. Increasingly, central stations monitor more than traditional fire and burglar alarms; they also monitor access control and other non-emergency but meaningful events, as well as medical devices. The preferred industry term is monitoring center.
Central Station (Monitoring Center) Burglar Alarm System
An alarm system that transmits alarm, opening and closing, and other signals to a remote monitoring station. The alarm signals are retransmitted to the police department.
Central Station (Monitoring Center) Fire Alarm System
A system or group of systems where the operations of circuits and devices are transmitted automatically to, recorded in, maintained by, and supervised from a listed monitoring center with competent and experienced servers and operators who, upon receipt of a signal, take such action as required by the code. Such service is controlled and operated by a person, firm, or corporation whose business is the furnishing, maintaining, or monitoring of supervised fire alarm systems.
Central Station (Monitoring Center) Receiver
A remote monitoring unit that receives alarms from alarm systems and informs the authorities.
Central Station (Monitoring Center) Service
The use of a system or a group of systems where the operations of circuits and devices at a protected property are signaled to, recorded in, and supervised from a listed monitoring center with competent and experienced operators who, upon receipt of a signal, take such action as required by the code. Related activities at the protected property, such as equipment installation, inspection, testing, maintenance, and runner service are the monitoring center’s responsibility or a listed fire alarm service local company. Monitoring center service is controlled and operated by a person, firm, or corporation whose business is the furnishing of such contracted services or whose properties are the protected premises.
Certificated Alarm System
An alarm system where the certificate-issuing alarm company declares that standards-complying alarm service is provided. It is equivalent to a manufacturer whose name appears in a UL product directory choosing to place a UL Mark on a specific production product. A certificated alarm system is subject to random audit by UL alarm system auditors to countercheck compliance, just as a product with a UL Mark is subject to random audit.
Certification
A systematic program using randomly selected follow-up inspections of the certificated systems installed under the program, which allows the listing organization to verify that a fire alarm system complies with all code requirements. A system installed under such a program is identified by the issuance of a certificated alarm system.
Certified Alarm Technician
A graduate of the Certified Alarm Technician (Level 1) program sponsored by the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association and Security Industry Association. Graduates complete an overview of the electronic security industry.
Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM)
A unit volume measurement of the flow of a gaseous substance, such as air.
Chime
A single-stroke or vibrating type audible notification appliance, which has a xylophone-type striking, bar and/or tone.
Circuit
The path that electrical energy flows. An alarm circuit begins with a voltage source negative terminal, continues through wire and protective devices contacts, and terminates at the same voltage source positive terminal.
Circuit Interface
A circuit component that interfaces initiating devices, control circuits, or both; notification appliances, circuits, or both; system control outputs and other signaling line circuits to a signaling line circuit.
Class A Circuit (Zone) NFPA Style D
A type of four-wire alarm circuit used to detect an alarm or line fault. The circuit allows alarm condition reporting even when a trouble condition has occurred. Two conductors run from the alarm panel and two return. A single break does not prevent the alarm signal reception but does initiate a trouble signal. Fire protection systems require alarm operation even when a single break or a single ground fault exists on the circuit.
Class B Circuit (Zone) NFPA Style A
A two-wire alarm circuit where two wires travel from an alarm panel and connect with one or more sensors and may or may not return to the panel. A single break prevents the reception of an alarm signal from any point beyond the break and also initiates a trouble signal.
Client
A process (program or routine) or entity (person, LAN) that employs the services of servers.
Client/Server
The interaction of software processes that function in a cooperative manner. Clients make requests of servers.
Closed Circuit System
A switch or other detector used in closed circuit alarm systems that is closed prior to an alarm and opens on alarm.
Closing Check
A programming option that enables the panel to verify that all areas in a partition are armed after the scheduled time. If the Closing Check finds any areas disarmed past the scheduled time, the keypad selected to display System Trouble Status emits a steady beep and displays CLOSING TIME! If the user also selects Area Schedules, the appropriate area name displays followed by – LATE.
Silence the keypad steady beep by pressing any top row Select key. If the system is not armed or the schedule is not extended within ten minutes, a No Closing Report is sent to the monitoring center receiver. If the area was disarmed outside of any schedule, the Closing Check sequence occurs one hour after the area was disarmed
Closing Code
A programming option that requires the entry of a user code when arming the system.
Closing Wait
A programming option that allows the panel to display a message on the keypad and delay arming the system until the Closing Report has been acknowledged by the monitoring center receiver.
Coaxial Cable
A cable containing two conductors, one inside the other.
Code 3
See Temporal Code 3 and Bell Action.
Code Change Reports
A programming option that allows code additions, changes, and deletions to be sent to a receiver.
Cold Solder Joint
A solder joint where insufficient heat has been applied, resulting in a bad connection. The joint exhibits a grayish, dull appearance while good (hot) joints are shiny.
Cold Water Pipe Ground
The connection of a designated point of an electronic device to a cold water pipe to ensure a good earth ground.
Collision
The condition that results when two network devices transmit at nearly the same time. The transmissions collide, making the data unusable.
Combination Detector
A device that either responds to more than one of the fire signatures or employs more than one operating principle to sense any one of these signatures. Typical examples include a combination of a heat detector with a smoke detector or a combination rate-of-rise and fixed temperature heat detector.
Combination Fire Alarm and Guard’s Tour Box
A manually operated box for separately transmitting a fire alarm signal and a distinctive guard patrol tour supervisory signal.
Combination System
A protected premises fire alarm system for fire alarm, supervisory, or watchman service whose components can be used in whole or part in common with a non-fire-emergency signaling system, such as a paging system, a musical program system, HVAC control system, or a process monitoring system, without degradation of or hazard to the fire alarm system.
COMMAND Key (CMD)
A keypad function key used to step ahead through options in the panel Programmer or User Menu. Pressing CMD allows the user to go forward and through each menu section step. As the user goes through the options, the keypad displays any current selections already stored in panel memory. The command key is also used to enter information into panel memory, such as phone numbers or zone names, by pressing the key after entering the information and it displays correctly on the keypad.
Command Processor™
The trademarked name for DMP control/communicator alarm panels.
Common Area
A unique DMP programming option that allows specification of one or more areas within a partition or area to arm automatically when all other areas are armed. Alternately, common areas disarm when any area in the same partition or area is disarmed. Common areas are ideal for lobbies, storage rooms, or other areas shared by users.
Communication Port (COM port)
A serial port on a computer designed for communicating. DMP uses this port to connect to a receiver, or direct connect to a panel or to a network.
A connection on a computer where a serial device can be plugged.
A serial communication port that supports RS-232 standard communication.
Communication Type
A programming option that specifies the communication method the panel uses to report events to DMP receivers or non-DMP receivers.
Note: All formats are not available for all panels. Consult the specific panel programming guide for availability.
The following communication types are available:
DD – Digital Dialer communication to DMP receivers.
NET – Asynchronous communication transmitted over a network to a DMP SCS-1/SCS-1R receiver or Remote Link™.
232 – RS-232 standard communication.
CID – Ademco Contact ID communication format to non-DMP receivers.
Communications Channel
A circuit or path connecting a subsidiary station(s) to a supervising station(s) where signals are carried.
Communicator Delay
See Transmit Delay.
Compatible
Equipment that interfaces mechanically or electrically together as manufactured without modification.
Compatibility Listed
A specific listing process that applies only to two-wire devices (such as smoke detectors) that are designed to operate with certain control equipment.
Conduit
A pipe or tube of varying materials, primarily metal or plastic, used to carry wiring.
Contact ID (CID)
A panel-reporting format developed by Ademco that allows panels to send reports to a receiver in DTMF format. A Contact ID report is made up of 18 DTMF digits.
Contact Switch
A device used to protect doors, windows, and other openings containing a sealed metallic switch held in a closed position by a companion magnet. The contact is usually attached to the fixed frame of a door or a window while the magnet is attached to the moving part of the door or window. If the magnet is moved away from the contact while its zone is armed, an alarm condition occurs.
Control Panel or Control
See Command Processor™ or Alarm Panel.
Crawlspace
The area under a building used for duct work and plumbing where alarm installers can also run wiring.
Crimp Connector
A barrel-shaped connector that holds two wires together when pressed around the wires.
Cross-Zone Time
The amount of time programmed into the panel when the armed cross-zoned zones trip before an alarm report is sent to the monitoring center. Cross-zone time can be set from 4 to 250 seconds.
Cross Zoning
A zone characteristic that requires the zone to trip twice or a second cross-zoned zone to trip, within a programmed amount of time before an alarm report is sent to the monitoring center.
For example, one PIR might trip due to an environmental occurrence but an alarm report would not be sent until the other PIR is also tripped or the first PIR restores and then trips again. If neither zone trips before the programmed cross-zone time expires, only a Zone Fault report is sent to the monitoring center.
Cross zoning reduces false alarms by requiring two zone trips to send an alarm report. DMP panels use this feature to help reduce false alarms. See the DMP Application Note Understanding Cross Zoning (LT-2000).
Current
The movement of electron through a conductor. This is measured in Amperes (Amp).
Cutoff Output
A panel programming option that allows the user to specify individual on-board outputs to turn off after a programmed time period. See Cutoff Time.
Cutoff Time
A programming option that specifies how long an output remains activated. The programmable range is in one-minute increments.