What Happens When a Campus Fire Alarm System Ages Out? One University's Search for Smarter Monitoring

When you manage fire alarm systems across a widespread university campus, you don't have the luxury of relying on systems that "mostly" work. Reliability, visibility, and integration are non-negotiable. But what do you do when your existing system is clearly past its prime?

That's the position one large university found itself in recently. The staff then began exploring options to replace its aging fire alarm monitoring system. The institution currently has a system in place to bring alarms from various buildings back to a central dispatch point. While this system has served the campus for years, the system's limitations have become increasingly clear. That's particularly true now that off-campus properties have grown in number and complexity.

Let's talk about the challenges this university is facing, why their standard solutions aren't working, and how they're working toward a flexible, modern monitoring strategy. This will help you when you face similar problems in your own system. The rules of fire alarm monitoring are (reasonably) simple and finite.

Older Systems Begin Showing Their Age

The university's monitoring infrastructure is currently based around a system that uses Ethernet/IP communication to send fire alarm signals back to a central dispatch center on the main campus. In its prime, this system offered a significant upgrade over analog-only monitoring, helping streamline supervision of on-site buildings.

However, like most legacy systems, time hasn't been kind.

Here are the key challenges now emerging:

• Aging Workstations and Servers: The system hardware is well beyond its recommended life. Replacement parts are harder to source, and software support is becoming limited.
• Non-Uniform Connectivity: While buildings on the main campus use Ethernet/IP connections to report alarms, off-campus sites (such as those in Manchester, NH) are still relying on POTS (plain old telephone service) lines and dialers. That inconsistency leads to fragmented visibility and higher maintenance costs.
• Limited Scalability: Adding new properties or reconfiguring the system requires extensive manual configuration, physical infrastructure changes, and dependency on a shrinking pool of technicians who are actually familiar with the equipment.

This mix of modern and outdated tech isn't just inconvenient, it's risky. A dispatch center can't afford to miss a trouble signal because an old dialer failed, or because a server crashed unexpectedly.

Explore the Typical "Upgrade Paths" and Their Pitfalls

With all of these issues, the university began exploring its options, including:

1. Cellular Dialers at Each Site: This approach replaces POTS lines with cellular devices to send alarms. It's straightforward and avoids traditional landline costs.
2. Third-Party Monitoring Services: Rather than monitoring in-house, shift responsibility to a third-party monitoring center.
3. Radio-Based Alarm Transmission: Use private radio networks to transmit signals back to the dispatch center, avoiding dependency on wired or cellular infrastructure.

Each of these solutions has some merit. However, none of them fully address the university's broader needs.

Cellular Dialers: Quick, But Costly at Scale

Installing cellular dialers at each remote building might seem like an easy way to modernize. But, in reality, this quickly becomes expensive and difficult to manage across dozens of locations.

Each unit typically requires:

• A monthly service plan
• Regular firmware updates
• Local configuration
• Backup battery maintenance

More importantly, cellular dialers still silo the building's alarm data unless integrated with a central platform. That undercuts one of the university's core goals: unified visibility across all properties.

Third-Party Monitoring: Less Control, More Risk

Third-party alarm monitoring offers convenience, but it comes with a loss of control. Dispatch operators who know the campus layout, procedures, and building usage are replaced by external call centers. That could increase response times or introduce errors - particularly in high-stakes fire or supervisory alarm scenarios.

For a university with its own 24/7 dispatch center and trained personnel, outsourcing that function would be a major operational downgrade.

Radio Transmission: A Solid Option, but Infrastructure-Heavy

A private radio network can effectively transmit alarms across large areas without relying on external service providers. But building and maintaining such a network involves:

• Coordinating frequency licenses
• Setting up repeater towers or antenna networks
• Ensuring radio coverage across geographically spread-out sites
• Training personnel to handle radio-based troubleshooting

Radio can work well, but it's not a plug-and-play solution. It may not offer the flexibility needed for future expansion.

So What Would an Ideal Monitoring System Look Like?

Every campus has unique needs, but there are some universal features that would dramatically improve fire alarm monitoring in this kind of scenario.

1 Support for Hybrid Communication Paths

Off-site buildings can't be ignored when it comes to alarm visibility. Even though it's less convenient to monitor them, they must be monitored. An ideal system should support Ethernet, cellular, radio, and even legacy dialers - all within one platform. That allows your university to tailor the connection type to each building's location and infrastructure while still centralizing data at dispatch.

2. Centralized Management With Remote Configuration

Whether you're maintaining 5 or 50 or 500 locations, having to physically visit each one for configuration changes is inefficient (and expensive). The right monitoring solution should support remote device setup, firmware upgrades, and diagnostics.

3. Custom Engineering and Modular Design

Campuses aren't static. Departments change buildings, dorms are added, and remote learning creates new needs. A rigid, one-size-fits-all monitoring system won't work in the long run.

Engineering support and modular hardware make it possible to:

• Mediate signals from different fire panel brands
• Create redundancy and failover logic
• Integrate custom protocols if needed

4. Experienced Local Support Partners

Universities often have electricians and fire alarm techs on staff. When something goes wrong, though, you need fast and informed help. That requires access to local installers or distributors who specialize in your system, not just generic low-voltage contractors.

Project Discussions Help Build a Monitoring Plan

In a recent meeting, representatives from the university discussed their options with Bobby, one of our Digitize engineers. Here at Digitize, we've been supporting advanced fire alarm monitoring solutions for decades.

Bobby proposed a few key ideas that resonated with the university team:

• Direct collaboration with facility personnel: Digitize is happy to work with in-house electricians or fire techs to provide technical support, configuration guidance, or even full system design. There's no requirement to go through third-party dealers unless desired.
• Trusted distributor network for on-site support: For organizations that want local help with installation or servicing, Digitize has long-standing partners like RB Allen, who have deep knowledge of Digitize systems and regional requirements.
• Flexible engineering for specialized needs: If an off-the-shelf solution doesn't quite fit, Digitize can customize system behavior, inputs, or outputs using its in-house engineering team. This includes signal mediation, remote alarm polling, and hybrid communication setups.

One other important note that came up: Digitize was acquired by DPS Telecom three years ago, bringing together two companies with a strong focus on remote monitoring and telemetry. This has expanded engineering capabilities and broadened support for SNMP, MODBUS, and other protocols that universities may use across building systems.

Peer Institutions Are Already Making the Shift

One concern often voiced by university stakeholders is: "What are others doing?"

Digitize has a strong track record with college and university campuses. In fact, Digitize systems are even used at the University of Pennsylvania.

Each of the institutions we've worked with had their own unique needs. Whether they needed to integrate with legacy fire panels, report to in-house security centers, or cover remote campuses, Digitize systems met their project specs.

By providing either direct support or working through trusted local partners to ensure smooth transitions and long-term maintainability, Digitize will help you shift toward a reliable system.

Make Sense of Your Options (Even If You're Still in the Research Phase)

One common theme that emerged from the university discussion: the sheer number of options can be overwhelming.

With dozens of products, signal types, and configurations, trying to sort through all of them on a vendor's website can feel like trying to decode a foreign language.

Digitize addressed this concern directly by recommending a few actionable next steps:

• Speak with a distributor (like RB Allen) who can provide white papers or case studies relevant to universities.
• Reach out to a Digitize engineer to walk through possible architectures, even before you finalize project specs.
• Start small with a hybrid pilot setup on a few remote sites. This allows you to test communication paths and workflows without disrupting your existing infrastructure.

You Don't Need to Rip and Replace - You Need to Plan Smart

Replacing an entire campus fire alarm monitoring system isn't a decision to take lightly. It affects your code compliance, your emergency procedures, and your IT and facilities workflows.

But it doesn't have to be a massive, all-at-once transition.

Digitize has helped many organizations migrate from legacy monitoring platforms to modern, centralized systems. Oftentimes, it involves keeping large portions of their existing infrastructure in place. Whether you're dealing with dialers, Ethernet-connected FACPs, or radio systems, there's a way to tie it all together.

This university's story is still evolving, but one thing is clear: the path forward isn't just about swapping boxes. It's about finding a partner that can adapt to your needs, work with your team, and engineer solutions that actually fit your environment.

Ready to Rethink Your Campus Fire Alarm Monitoring?

If your campus still relies on aging systems or fragmented monitoring paths, now is the time to start a conversation. Whether you have an in-house team ready to install, or prefer working with a local Digitize distributor, we'll help you explore what's possible.

Call (973) 663-1011 or email info@digitize-inc.com to schedule a technical discussion about your site.

You don't have to settle for outdated equipment or cookie-cutter solutions. Let's build the system that actually works for your campus.