Fratech Multipath-IP can turn a traditional alarm reporting system into a fully integrated monitoring solution. Additionally, it is ideal for domestic and commercial sites, and is not limited by the size of your alarm system.

A typical alarm reporting system consists of a dialler alarm panel which reports over GSM and/or a standard PSTN line to a monitoring station. ContactID is the typical communications protocol.

With the addition of a Fratech Multipath-IP STU attached to the dialler alarm panel and Fratech IPServer software at the monitoring station, multiple, redundant polled paths become available: Ethernet, GPRS Network 1, GPRS Network 2 and dial up ISP. (See the Architecture Diagram)

This provides the means to communicate alarms and events via multiple communications paths, whilst also regularly polling the IPServer at the central station to verify the integrity of the selected path (and therefore the integrity of the Multipath-IP STU / alarm panel).

At a client site the Fratech Multipath-IP STU can communicate with any ContactID dialer alarm panel, or Concept 4000 alarm panels using ContactID or IRFast. Bi-directional polling and alarm information can be sent to a central monitoring location via any of the possible IP paths (Ethernet, GPRS Network 1, GPRS Network 2, ISP dial up). In the unlikely event that all of these polled paths are unavailable, there are also traditional backup paths such as PSTN dialler or GSM, over which alarm and event data can be sent.

The Ethernet path utilises an end customer’s existing IP infrastructure (e.g. LAN, WAN, ADSL, Cable Modem, etc.) to deliver alarms, events and polls to the Central Monitoring Station at very low cost.

 

The GPRS and ISP dial up paths have been specifically designed for Inner Range on our own Virtual Private Network (VPN). This VPN runs on the Optus Private Internet (OPI), which is entirely separate from public internet traffic. Inner Range also encrypts all IP data using 128 bit AES encryption. Corrupted data will be discarded and the original data resent by the Multipath-IP STU. Any tampering of data at any stage in the network can be easily identified and the central station will be alerted.

At the central station, polls, alarm and event data is received via a broadband IP link (typically business grade DSL or Frame Relay). The polls, alarm and event data is then processed by the Fratech IPServer and presented to the Automation System (alarm monitoring software) in traditional alarm formats such as Ademco-685 (ContactID), and IRFast, etc.