Reliable Wireless Communication for Fire Detection

Systems in Commercial and Residential Areas

Dr. Faouzi Derbel
Siemens Gebudesicherheit GmbH & Co. OHG
Wireless And Peripheral Components
D-80930 Munich, Germany
Tel. +49 89 636 58834, Fax: +49 89 636 58440
E-Mail: faouzi.derbel@siemens.com


Abstract-The integration of Wireless devices in hazard detection
systems and especially in fire detection systems leads to the possi-
bility to extend beyond buildings without external wiring on exist-
ing surfaces and to save enormous networking costs as well as to
reduce business lost due to the installation of detectors. The wire-
less communication in fire detection applications needs to satisfy
various different requirements with regard to alarm or distur-
bance transmission duration as well as interference handling,
interruption handling, collision detection and handling. This
paper presents the technical realization of the hybrid radio smoke
detection system SIGMASPACE as well as a new transmission
procedure that allows the deployment of pure wireless systems
with regard to high ranges and low battery power consumption.
The wireless communication is performed in an exclusive fre-
quency band for Short Range Devices by 868 MHz with regulated
effective radiated powers and transmission duration (Duty cycle).
Depending on the target markets the bandwith of the used trans-
ceivers varies between 25 kHz for SIGMASPACE and 100-300
KHz for the second system intended for the residential market.
Furthermore the paper discusses parameters that can influence
the radio transmission within building in order to reach a reliable
and creditable transmission .
I. Introduction
One interesting field, which influences our lives, is the field of
security and safety. The detection of hazard situations is
nowadays performed with alarm systems, e.g. fire detection
and intruder alarm systems. In this paper we focus the investi-
gations only on fire detection systems. Figure 1 shows the
target markets.




Figure 1. Target markets
Especially in Germany the market of fire detection systems is
continuously growing. In 1999 the market volume of fire de-
tection systems has reached about EURO 1,0 Million distrib-
uted in the segments maintenance, installation and compo-
nents. The demand has grown by approximately 3.2% per
annum in the last four years [1].
When deploying hazard detection systems, networking with
field busses is nowadays standard and also very important. We
can mention in this context SIGMALOOP, EIB, and LON etc.
The network costs depends on the size of the installed system.
These costs vary between 33% and 70% of the equipment
costs. Simultaneously there are many market requirements
related to the installation and the handling of the systems, for
instance minimal installation costs, easy extension of the sys-
tem, easy adaptation up on changes of utilization, minimal
disfiguration of existing surfaces as well as minimal business
lost. Figure 2 shows these requirements. For this purpose it is
advantageous to introduce wireless communication in hazard
detection systems.

Figure 2. Market requirements on hazard detection systems
Wireless communication leads to many advantages and fulfills
the general market requirements (Figure 2) on hazard detection
systems [2]:
Installation: since no wiring is needed between system
components, the system can be much easier, quicker,
cheaper, and less disruptive to install. The system can also
extend beyond the building without external wiring on ex-
isting surfaces.
0-7803-7700-1/03/$17.00 (C) 2003 IEEE 654
Disfiguration: the absence of wiring minimizes damage to,
or the disfiguration of, existing surfaces. This is very im-
portant in homes or when dealing with buildings having
valuable or historic decoration.
Short-term temporary cover of special risks can be easily
arranged.
Easy adaptation of systems upon changes of utilization
can be made.
The need for fire protected cables is reduced.
The deployment of wireless communication requires certain
technical standards of reliability and creditability, e.g. multi
path scattering interference handling, interruption handling,
collision detection and handling [3].
Especially for fire detectors other standards can be also men-
tioned. The Wireless fire detector for the commercial market
must demonstrate the same features as the wired one. For in-
stance minimum operating life of 5 years, a bi-directional
communication with the panel in order to change the behavior
of the detector, a transmission of alarms within 10 s and dis-
turbances in the systems within 100 s. Beside the detector will
be installed in building and therefore we have to deal with
multi path scattering and echoes as well as interference and
interruption handling.
II. Overview of the frequency bands
The wireless communication can be performed with infrared or
with radio devices. The infrared transmission requires a free
sight between transmitter and receiver. Besides the infrared
transmission is only suitable for very short ranges: some me-
ters. Therefore the radio communication will be considered in
this paper.
The radio transmission is performed in special frequency
bands. In order to minimize costs related to the deployment of
the radio system, cost free frequency bands such as the ISM
bands for Industrial, Scientific and Medical applications
should be chosen.
Today the most used frequency bands are the 433 MHz and the
2.4 GHz bands.
The band by 433 MHz possesses a relative big band wide,
about 1.74 MHz and leads to a good propagation behavior
even though by small radiated powers [4]. This band is already
used by radio amateurs and the transmission quality varies
with locations. The peak effective power, PEP, of radio ama-
teur transmitters can reach up to 750 W, which can lead to
interference problems. Because of aerial gain the effective
radiated power ERP can reach some kilowatts. Additionally, in
this band, the transmission duration of these transmitters is
unlimited, e.g. audio devices, could transmit for many hours,
which could lead to disruption of other message transmission
[5].

The frequency band by 2.4 GHz possesses a big band wide,
about 83 MHz. The propagation is only good in few meters
and can be influenced by micro waves.
Especially for alarm and home automation systems we need a
frequency band which is exclusive for Short Range Devices
alarm applications. To avoid interference and disturbance of
the message transmission the CEPT (European Conference of
Postal and Telecommunications Administrations) has intro-
duced the frequency band by 868 MHz with 25 kHz wide
exclusive alarm channels. In this band the ERP and the maxi-
mum transmission duration is limited in order to minimize
interference and transmission disturbance. Figure 3 shows the
structure of the frequency band by 868 MHz.


Figure 3. Structure of the frequency band by 868 MHz.
The following example shows the interference advantages of a
868 MHz receiver in comparison to a 433 MHz one, when a
radio amateur transmits with 1 kW ERP in 50 m distance.
Figure 4 shows the constellation for this example.
655




Figure 4. Interference influence of radio amateur transmission
on 433 and 868 MHz receivers

Generally the
eff
P that influence the receiver of the hazard
detection systems can be calculated as follows.

i rel eff
A P P =
2
2
/ 31
4
m mW
r
P
P
erp
rel
= =

where
i
A represents the gain of the antenna.
Under the assumption the antenna is isotropic the
i
A for a 868
MHz receiver can be calculated as follows
2
2
0095 . 0
4
m A
i
= =

,
Therefore
dBm mW P
eff
38 . 5 29 . 0 = = .

This value is not able to affect the linearity of the out of band
of the 868 MHz receiver. Otherwise by a 433 MHz receiver
the
dBm mW P
eff
3 . 0 07 , 1 + = = .
This value can affect the linearity of receiver in the in-band
domain. This causes intermodulation as well as cross modula-
tion which are not desirable [7].
Table I shows the difference between the main features of the
frequency band by 433 and 868 MHz.

TABLE I: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ISM-BAND 433 MHZ AND THE SRD-
BAND 868 MHZ

Features ISM-Band 433
MHz
SRD-Band
868 MHz
ERP >1 kW, 10 mW,
100 mW
Depends on the
frequency sector:
5 mW, 10 mW,
25 mW,
500 mW
Exclusive chan-
nels for alarm
systems
No Yes
Transmission
data
No restriction Only data
Duty cycle No restriction Depends on the
frequency
100 %, 10%, 1%,
0.1%
Channels No definition 80

III. Influence of building characteristics on the wireless
communication
The integration of wireless detectors in fire detection systems
requires investigations on parameters or effects that influence
the radio transmission, e. g. wave propagation and the attenua-
tion of building components.
A. Wave propagation
The propagation of radio signals between the transmitter and
the receiver inside buildings is dominated by the effects of
multiple path scattering. The field strength by the receiver is
the sum of the superimposed waves. Therefore, the materials
which determine the reflection and absorption properties and
the construction of a building (walls, ceilings etc.) are decisive
for the achievable range.
Figure 5 shows the wave propagation inside a building. It
shows how the field strength becomes weaker with increasing
distance from the transmitter. The direct connection (line of
sight) between transmitter and receiver always has the highest
field strength. If the radio signal is reflected or has to penetrate
obstructions, the field strength decreases [6].


Figure 5. Wave propagation inside the building
B. Attenuation
The field strength decreases in a free field with the factor
2
/ 1 r , i. e. a doubling of the distance in the free field is equiva-
lent to increasing attenuation by 6 dB [6]. In buildings, in the
first approximation the factor is
5
/ 1 r , i. e. doubling the dis-
tance means an increase in attenuation of approximately to 17
dB [6].
In order to predict the attenuation value at a certain location of
the receiver, it is advantageous to determine the attenuation of
possible obstacle along the length of the radio path. within
buildings. Table II shows the attenuation of some possible
obstacles.

TABLE II: RELATION OF ATTENUATION AND MATERIALS [6]

Room divider Very low < 1 dB
Dry tiles Concrete low 6 dB
Chalky sandstone Moderate 8 dB
656
Chalky sandstone planar Elements Moderate 8 dB
Wooden board wall Moderate 8 dB
Wet tiles moderate a few dB 10 dB
Coated plasterboard (double wall) High 15 dB
Reinforced Concrete high 30 dB
Thick, wet tiled wall very high > 40 dB
IV. Technical Realization for the commercial market
The technical solution of the aforementioned requirements
depends upon the application. We distinguish between two
kinds of market segments: commercial and residential. The
commercial market segment includes, e.g. industrial buildings,
public authority buildings, production plant, fairs and hospi-
tals. The residential market segment includes private homes,
small business units and small historical buildings. In the
commercial market with its more stringent requirements, the
aim is to realize a transmission quality, which is similar to that
found in a wired system. The main factors in the residential
market are cost together with the ability to offer comprehen-
sive protection (intrusion, fire, health care, ...). The supplemen-
tary installation of wired devices and systems in residential
applications is also unpopular because of the disfiguration of
existing surfaces. The aforementioned requirements are also
available in this segment but with less severe conditions re-
garding system integrity and reaction of the control panel to
alarms or disturbances. These applications have a stronger
requirement for the installation of an autonomous system, such
as a system based purely upon radio.

The commercial market in the field of security and safety is
regulated in Germany by the DIN EN54 standards. For this
kind of market the SIGMASPACE product range has been
developed as a wireless fire detection system. It includes a
gateway and wireless optical smoke detectors. The system
fulfills the required European standards of DIN EN54 and
enjoys VdS approval (Verband der deutschen Sachversicherer)
for automatic fire detection systems. Figure 6 shows the wire-
less transceiver for the SIGMAPSPACE system.


Figure 6. Wireless transceiver for SIGMASPACE
The wireless system is based on a bi-directional radio trans-
mission, therefore no messages get lost. The system integrity is
tested every 30 s to quickly recognize detector disturbances
and, if necessary, after each transmission. The ERP is 5 mW
and a gateway can operate with 30 devices. Each alarm will be
transmitted within 10 s and a disturbance in the detector will
be signaled within 100 s. The detector power supply is realized
with two batteries in order to reach a lifetime of about
6-7 years.
Since the effective radiated power, ERP, is generally small, the
range of the radio system is not sufficient to reach all devices
in commercial buildings. It is therefore advantageous to inte-
grate the radio system with a wired system using gateways.
V. Realized HW and SW measures for a reliable wireless
communication
In order to develop an universal and a reliable radio device
with the SIGMASPACE Transmitter HW and SW measures
have been realized.
C. HW measures for a reliable wireless communication
The developed HW measures are mainly related to the effec-
tive radiated power, to the bandwidth of the utilized receiver,
and to the sensitivity or the attenuation budget, respectively as
well as to the antenna.

The effective radiated power of the system is 5 mW. A High
reliability and resistance to interference has been realized with
a 25 kHz narrow-band receiver. With this receiver the exclu-
sive alarm channels can be used for the transmission of alarms
or disturbances, respectively.

The attenuation budget is the difference between the radiated
transmitter power and the minimum received power required
for good reception. The higher the value, the greater is the
range of the radio link. The doubling of the transmitted power
leads to an increase of 3 dB in the attenuation budget while
doubling the current drawn from the battery. SIGMASPACE
has an attenuation budget of approx. 115 dB.
For various reasons the propagation conditions in a building
are permanently changing, so that a path which has a barely
adequate power level should not be commissioned. When
watching the radio reception over a whole day we find strong
deviations because of changing reflection circumstances inside
the rooms.
A comparatively large attenuation reserve is essential in order
to ensure a reliable link for a period of several years. In the
case of SIGMASPACE, an attenuation reserve of more than 25
dB was chosen. This produces an effective attenuation of
approx. 90 dB.

By SIGMASPACE problems by short-term reception losses
have been avoided using aerial diversity techniques. The radio
module of SIGMASPACE is equipped with two aerials that are
perpendicular to each other. Due to the different vector
orientation the module can take the antenna that has the best
reception of the signal.
D. SW measures for a reliable wireless communication
Already by the installation, the system carries out an automatic
search for a free alternative radio channel.
In order to reach a long operating or life time with the utilized
batteries a bi-directional time slot transmission procedure has
been developed. The whole polling cycle for a radio cell is 30s
657
, each detector has 1 second time slot for the communication,
e. g. verification of integrity, and data transfer. The transmis-
sion of alarms is possible within every time slot for any detec-
tor.

1 2 n
1s 1s
t [s] 1 2 3 4 5 6 28 30 29
Bi-directional time slot procedure Battery management
Whole polling cycle: 30s (not dependent upon the number of detectors
in the radio cell)
1 second time slot for one detector (Verification integrity, data transfer)
1 2 n
1s 1s
t [s] 1 2 3 4 5 6 28 30 29
1 2 n
1s 1s
t [s] 1 2 3 4 5 6 28 30 29
Bi-directional time slot procedure Battery management
Whole polling cycle: 30s (not dependent upon the number of detectors
in the radio cell)
1 second time slot for one detector (Verification integrity, data transfer)

Figure 7. Time slot transmission procedure
The SIGMASPACE transceiver is also equipped with a chan-
nel switching procedure. In case of disturbances in the radio
path or problems with the transmission of messages the radio
transmitter carries out an automatic channel switching. The
principle of channel switching is shown in Figure 8. After the
switching to three different alternative frequencies, the exclu-
sive alarm channels will be chosen. and channel switching. In
worst cases the transmission will be performed in an exclusive
alarm channel.

Figure 8. Channel switching changing the wavelength through changing the
frequency.
In worst case and by strong communication disturbances the
SIGMASPACE radio transmitter is able to perform the com-
munication via another transceiver or detector. This is possible
due to the bi-directional features of the transmitter.
Neighbor receives help
call and confirms
Detector communicates
via the neighbor
Normal situation
1
Disturbance with direct
connection
2
Broadcast call
One is missing!
3
Detector sends
Help with status
4
5
Neighbor passes
telegram on to
gateway; gateway
confirms 6
Neighbor receives help
call and confirms
Detector communicates
via the neighbor
Normal situation
1
Disturbance with direct
connection
2
Broadcast call
One is missing!
3
Detector sends
Help with status
4
5
Neighbor passes
telegram on to
gateway; gateway
confirms 6

Figure 9. Telegram routing via another detector
VI. Technical realization for the residential market
The residential market requires autonomous alarm systems that
are low priced and offer an all around protection of buildings
and persons. The aforementioned requirements are in this
segment also available but not with strict conditions with re-
gard to system integrity and reaction of the control panel by
alarms or troubles.
A lifetime of about 2 years is acceptable. The reaction time of
the control panel in case of disturbances by message transmis-
sion can be also increased to 4 h instead of 100 s by SIGMAS-
PACE.
Furthermore it is not necessary to use the 25 KHz alarm or
normal channels. By residential applications 150 KHz - 300
KHz channels in the SRD-Band are sufficient.
E. Transmission procedure
The transmission procedure should be developed under the
assumption that the above described synchronic data transmis-
sion with gateways is not suitable for this application. The
device must be simultaneously a repeater in order to forward
the transmission. There are some solutions with fixed repeater
[5]. These solutions are based on the broadcast transmission
and can represent disadvantages with regard to battery life
time. The repeaters are in this case not battery powered. We
suggest an intelligent routing procedure that enables a reliable
wireless communication, large ranges and simultaneously a
battery life time of about 2-4 years. The routing table will be
configured during the commissioning process and is also able
to be changed during operating in order to reach the master.
The integration of unidirectional transmitter is also possible.
Figure 10 describes the broadcast principle with many repeat-
ers and the easy routing principle that allows to reach the mas-
ter over other transceivers in the radio cell.


Figure 10 :Broadcast principle (left) and easy routing (right)
F. HW-Concept
For low price devices it is necessary to integrate semi conduc-
tor devices. In conventional double detection receivers, IF
filtering cannot yet be integrated on silicon. At present, active
filters can only be used up to approx. 100 kHz. Recently,
therefore, a receiver principle, which can be satisfactorily
658
integrated, has appeared on the market, or will do so in the
near future: Direct conversion (DC).
In receivers with direct conversion DC, the IF is at 0 Hz. With
conventional discriminators, the resultant signal cannot be
demodulated because both positive and negative frequency
deflection of an FM signal is reproduced as a positive fre-
quency in the IF (figure 11).
However, demodulation is still possible because the phase
between the mixer signal coming from the LO and the received
signal changes when the received signal changes from
f f
m
+ to f f
m
. DC receivers therefore have two mixers
and two IF filters in the so-called I and Q branches. The I
and Q mixers are driven with a signal offset by 90 degrees
(sine and cosine) in the process.
The attraction of direct conversion is that there is no image
problems, and the IF selection filter becomes a pair of low pass
filters at the base band rather than a bandpass filter in case of
superhet receivers. This allows the filter to have greater selec-
tivity with better gain and phase response.

r
e
c
e
i
v
e
d

p
o
w
e
r
outband inband
outband
radio frequency
b
a
s
e
b
a
n
d

s
i
g
n
a
l
frequency
stopband
of
lowpass filter
m
i
x
e
r
s
i
g
n
a
l
mixer
center
frequency
f
c
e
n
t
e
r

-

f
m
f
c
e
n
t
e
r

+

f
m
+ f
m
= - f
m

Figure 11. Mixing in direct conversion receivers
Fast-moving objects in the vicinity of the receiver could pre-
sent a problem since mixing takes place in the receiver at pre-
cisely the received frequency. Needless to say, this mixing
frequency cannot be completely attenuated and is radiated
backwards through the aerial. If this signal meets a nearby
object which is moving (ventilator) it is reflected. The resultant
Doppler frequency superimposes itself on the receiving signal
and causes interference.
VII. Summary
For the commercial market of fire detection systems a radio
detection system SIGMASPACE has been developed follow-
ing the market requirements and the DIN EN54 as well as the
VdS standards and is already being distributed. It operates in
SRD band by 868 MHz, which is only available for alarm
systems and data transmission. The SIGMASPACE transceiver
is characterized with a reliable communication due to the suit-
able realized HW and SW measures.
For residential applications a new transmission procedure as
well as a different HW-concept have been realized and de-
scribed.
VIII. Literature
[1] Intelligent Controls in Buildings; Fire Detection And Safety Systems, i&i
limited proplan 2000
[2] British Standard: Fire detection and alarm systems for buildings; Part 1:
1988
[3] Conrads, R.: Funk-EMA der Klasse A und B; Security 2000, Essen,
Germany
[4] Heuberger A., Gehrmann V.: Strsichere bertragung in den ISM-
Bndern; Elektronik, 19 1999
[5] Penczynski, P.: Home Automation in Europe; Intelligent Living Confer-
ence Nov. 97, Hannover, Germany
[6] SIGMASPACE Radio Smoke Detector, Product publication
[7] LPRA Radio Design Course, Radio Solutions 2002, London 2002
659