The NEXOSPACE Suite from Bosch Gets the Best out of Fire Systems

GIT SECURITY: We have seen a dynamic growth in the Internet of Things over the past few years that now provides previously unavailable insights into equipment, systems, and distant environmental conditions. Could you tell us how NEXOSPACE helps in this digital world?

Theresa Kramer: In fact, NEXOSPACE is a complete suite of digital connected and integrated intelligent services that cover building management, energy use optimization, intruder protection, and business operation. It allows facilities managers to navigate buildings into the digital age and gain unrivalled insight into all building data. For example, within the suite is a module specifically built to extract data from fire systems that enables users to remotely manage their installed systems with greater insight than previously possible. This increases the efficiency of remote administration and reduces costs for the maintainer too.

What are the benefits of having more data available, and how can it best be used?

Theresa Kramer: The data from running systems is available 24/7 and will immediately show any anomalies that need attention. Faults or out-of-range values can be analyzed remotely and a decision taken on what follow-up action is necessary. This translates into more efficient planning and assignment of valuable technical and human resources. The data can also be extrapolated to support predictive maintenance schemes by showing pollution levels, historic temperature extremes, usage hours and other parameters.

What is the suite’s interaction with fire systems and how is it used?

Theresa Kramer: Specifically, the Fire System Explorer (FSE) provides remote internet connectivity to any Bosch fire alarm system. As well as reducing human misery, downtime and other economic losses, it brings a host of business benefits to streamline operations and reduce maintenance and installation costs. Integrators and their customers gain comprehensive insights into all interconnected fire systems. Maintaining round-the-clock visibility into the entire fire system and its service history fosters transparency and trust between the technicians and their customers. Individual systems can be freely assigned into user-defined groups, enabling easy management by region, by customer, or by support team for example. The FSE can be accessed through a portal on notebooks or tablets as well as via an interactive app.

What information does a technician have available via the FSE?

Stefanie Steudel: It provides them with updates on the system status as well as on the alarm history and service records. The 24/7 availability makes it easy to monitor a system’s health status, its connectivity, license validity, and the fire panel firmware updates, along with providing the ability to track checked points and generate specific reports. This close monitoring of the fire alarm system can assist with early problem detection and prevent more costly problems later on. From the cockpit, users can adjust configurations, manage system updates, and troubleshoot issues from a distance. They can also even remotely monitor the pollution state of individual detectors.

So does the system automatically advise maintainers of faults and alarms?

Stefanie Steudel: Yes, it ensures a de­­creased reaction time to critical situations with instant alerts and customized fault and alarm transmission via email and apps to responsible individuals’ mobile devices, such as the tablets or smartphones that are being carried by maintainers in the field.

What about connectivity? Isn’t that complex to set up to remote sites?

Theresa Kramer: The system is actually very easy to set up in less than half an hour with no more than a router and license. Administrators benefit from advanced user management with the ability to create and manage different projects simultaneously and to define the roles, access and responsibilities for each person. The connection is also encrypted and secured by the Secure Network Gateway and is managed by Bosch-hosted servers. All the services are managed through the FSE via any browser interface of your choice.

Where do you see this being worthwhile? Is it suitable for every Bosch fire system?

Theresa Kramer: Enabling your fire alarm systems for the IoT is helpful in any application. For certain use cases, the benefits of connectivity are even greater. For example, buildings with a potentially high fire risk either because of the type of work conducted there or the type of materials being handled, or systems that require more frequent system checks to maintain higher safety standards. Fire systems in environments with harsh conditions such as dust or humidity that need a higher maintenance effort to ensure optimal system performance can benefit greatly from FSE connection. - From the maintainers point of view, when multiple premises of the same customer have to be managed that are geographically spread out, streamlined maintenance plans and better resource allocation are the great cost-saving benefits. Cutting out wasted travel time from urban centers to really remote locations brings immediate tangible savings, and we are all happy to avoid wasted journeys. 

Many thanks for enlightening us on the NEXOSPACE Fire System Explorer!