The Pearl™ intelligent addressable fire panel is the first in a new family of advanced control panels from Notifier by Honeywell. Maximising the advanced features of the Opal range of detectors, the new panel has been specifically created to be immune from the threat of false alarms.

The advanced Pearl design is backwards compatible and offers best-in-class performance, scalability and functionality. The networkable fire detection control panel is available in one or two loop models and is targeted at small to medium size installations, such as office spaces and retail warehouses.

“Increasingly, installers are demanding solutions that are capable of meeting a diverse set of challenges, while remaining easy and cost-effective to install and commission,” says Notifier strategic product manager Rick Love.

“System owners are mindful of the importance of finding longer-term solutions that can help them to minimise unwanted alarms whilst also providing the flexibility to support the changing needs of the business and offering low total cost of ownership. The intelligent Pearl addressable fire panel meets these requirements.” 
Eliminating False Alarms

In field trials, the Pearl system’s latest advanced programming capabilities succeeded in eliminating unwanted alarms, even in challenging environments where there is a high likelihood of them occurring. This included, for example, a block of high-rise flats.

Where a device in an individual flat picks up a smoke signal, the software ensures that a general alarm will only be activated and the building evacuated if heat or smoke persists for a pre-agreed time period or extends to a second device. If not, the device automatically resets itself, without the need for the resident or warden to do so.          

The new panel is the first to utilise the advanced features of the latest range of Notifier Opal detectors and call points. The panel uses a digital protocol to increase efficiency, reduce power consumption and enable a set of features to improve the system diagnostics, control and usability.

Each Pearl panel also carries a unique SD card which can be removed if the system is damaged and inserted into a replacement panel quickly and safely, removing any possibility of human error while quickly re-installing a damaged system.

Other features provide intuitive on-site management, with user information clearly displayed and those buttons relating to the most often-used operations backlit for enhanced visibility. “Equally importantly, the screen is not cluttered with superfluous information,” says Love. “This means that users have only the information that they need.”       

A ‘help’ button at the front of the panel provides valuable information in responding to a fire alert.  In a planned future enhancement it will be possible to personalise this information, making it site- specific for each installation. 

The Pearl 2-loop panel is capable of supporting up to 636 devices - equivalent to a standard 4 loop panel. This saves time and cost during installation. It also enables greater flexibility and reduces risk in responding to any changes, both during commissioning and later changes of building use.

In conjunction with the individually isolated Opal devices it provides a highly resilient system capable of pinpointing a loop cable fault while maintaining full system operation. Compatible with Notifier’s existing ID3000 network, the Pearl panel also offers powerful networking capability via Notifier’s superfast ID²net, communicating a fire signal across a network of up to 16 panels and 20,000 devices in less than one second. 

“The new Pearl panel encapsulates all the traditional Notifier values of robustness, ease of use and good value over the lifetime of the system,” adds Love. “It is the first in a new generation of technically-advanced fire safety panels and sits at the heart of a system designed to reduce false alarms.”