This document will lay out the requirements for implementing the ClearlyIP’s VoIP Failover Gateway for Fire Panel use. The focus will be on the following requirements defined as providing a Managed Facility Voice Network (MFVN) in the NFPA 72 standard.
Requirements Table
| Requirement | Notes | Action Required for Compliance |
| Loop Start Interface | Gateway standard feature | None |
| Line Seizure | Gateway standard feature | None |
| Central Office Standby Power Capacity | The Central Office, Clearly IP in this case, is required to have 24-hours of standby power. ClearlyIP’s data centers have redundant power feeds, battery backup and diesel generators. | None |
| Physical Access. | The gateway needs to be installed with safeguards to prevent unauthorized access to the equipment and its connections. | Installer needs to verify that the device is installed with access safeguards such as changing the default password for login. |
| Gateway Standby Power Capacity and Monitoring | The gateway requires 8 hours of standby power supply capacity for MFVN communications.
Abnormal ambient conditions and battery aging can always have a potentially adverse effect on battery capacity. The MFVN field-deployed equipment typically monitors the condition of the standby battery and signals potential battery failure to permit the communications service provider to take appropriate action. | Installer should leverage the same power supply as the fire panel. ClearlyIP provides a power cord option with 2 leads that can be terminated to the battery post or power terminal used by most fire panels.
In lieu of using the fire panel power supply, the installer should leverage a managed battery-backup solution that will alarm the installer when the battery is operating below needed capacity. |
| Pathway Reliability | The pathway must be proactively managed by the MFVN provider. ClearlyIP will have the capability to monitor the registration of POTS replacement devices. | Enable monitoring in the trunking portal: ClearlyIP Trunking |
| Sufficient Call Paths | It is essential that location be configured with sufficient call paths to handle an alarm call even in the case where all the other POTS connections are in use. | Add metered call paths to the location to equal or exceed the maximum number of concurrent calls possible by the box. There is essentially no additional cost to these metered call paths in the practical world. |
DTMF Considerations
Some monitoring systems will only work with in-band DTMF. Please test your installation. If test calls are going out but the monitoring system is not recognizing the information, reset to in-band signaling and retest.
Requirements Summary
The ClearlyIP VoIP Failover Gateway can meet the standard compliance requirements as specified in the NFPA-72 guidelines. Installers need to:
- Safeguard the device from unauthorized access.
- Meet the standby power and power monitoring requirements.
Once available in Q3 2024, we also recommend that the installer registers the trunk for ClearlyIP monitor alerts.
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