EN-50131: Grades of Intruder Alarm Systems

Stop Press: It has just been announced (22nd June) that the publication of EN50131-1:2006 by Cenelec has been delayed, and it is now unlikely that it will be available before October. What effect this will have on the UK PD6662 scheme is not yet clear. This should be clarified by a series of meetings of the industry and of BSI WG1/2 during July and August.

ACPO accredited UK security installers have to comply with stringent installation standards. From 1st October 2005 onwards, installers of intruder alarms systems will no longer be allowed to follow the British Standard for intruder alarms – BS 4737. Instead they will be obliged to comply with the requirements of a BSI document known as PD 6662:2004. This document in itself is not a standard as such but does include the European Standard prEN 50131-1:2004. It is in effect a guide as to how to comply with that standard, and how to meet requirements for components, such as detectors, not covered in that standard.

Before the EN standards were introduced almost every European country had different rules and regulations to follow and the ways in which everyone did things varied immensely both in quality and standards of work, The main intention of the EN standards is to provide a common ground throughout all of Europe and this will help us all in many ways.

Manufacturers will now be able to make and sell compliant products to all EN countries.

Installers can work in any EN country without having to learn differing standards and working practices.

Customers can be assured of the quality of products from any country.

Currently the EN standards are not finalised and as such are being implemented in several stages. Only prEN50131-1:2004, which is a redraft of the generic standard, EN 50131-6 and EN 50131-7 are being introduced. This means that there are some holes in the detail covered by the standard. To get around this, the British Standards Institute has created another document called PD6662 which takes prEN50131-1, and also calls up the relevant parts of our old BS4737 and more recent DD243 to fill in the gaps left in EN50131. As from the 1st October 2005, all new installations must be to PD6662: 2004.

As far as the Security industry is concerned the aim is to have several groups of standards, some which effect Manufacture and others which effect the separate security categories as detailed below:

EN 50130 - General requirements such as the environmental and EMC requirements.
EN 50131 - Intrusion systems.
EN 50132 - CCTV.
EN 50133 - Access Control.
EN 50134 - Social Alarms.
EN 50135 - Has been abandoned.
EN 50136 - Alarm Transmission Systems (i.e. signalling to the ARC).
EN 50137 - The combined / integrated system standard is TS50398.
EN 54 - Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems.

Within EN50131 an additional section is being prepared
TS50131-8 - Smoke devices (i.e. Smokecloak, Smoke Screen)

What we are mainly concerned with are EN 50131 and EN 50136, and below we will try to summarise what we can of the standards as they are currently. Firstly we will start with en 50131 and the several parts of it that are planned.

EN 50131-1 - Intruder and Hold Up Alarm systems.
EN 50131-2 - Intrusion Detectors.
EN 50131-3 - Control and Indicating Equipment (i.e. control panel and keypads).
EN 50131-4 - Warning Devices (i.e. bells and sounders).
EN 50131-5 - Interconnections (i.e. how detectors talk to panels).
EN 50131-6 - Power Supplies.
EN 50131-7 - Application Guidelines (i.e. installation and maintenance).

THE WAY FORWARD FOR STANDARDS SINCE OCTOBER 2005

The present PD6662 scheme has always been intended as a “temporary” measure until the full suite of European standards is available in a coherent manner. This transition will take some years – however, the process of change has in fact already started. This information is presented as a broadly chronological review of the principal factors that have already changed, and what is expected to happen during the latter part of 2006.

DECEMBER 2005:

Agreement between NSI and SSAIB relating to certain issues, resulting in publication by both organisations of clarification documents. The NSI version (Technical Bulletin 0001) is available from their web site (www.nsi.org.uk). The principal factors are:

a) JUNCTION BOXES – at all grades – are NOT required to have tamper detection.
Note that this will be superseded by the implementation of EN50131-1:2006, as mentioned below.

b) DOOR CONTACTS – at all grades – the mounting surface is deemed to be part of the housing for the purposes of the requirements of the standards.

Note that this will be superseded by the implementation of TS50131-2-6, as mentioned below.

JANUARY 2006:

Publication of Amendment No. 1 to PD6662:2004.

This formally adopted TS50131-5-3 (wire-free interconnections) into the PD6662 scheme – confirming that the wireless “classes” familiar from DD244 (which was already obsolete) no longer have any formal status within the standards – but remain good practice. (For additional information refer to BSIA Form 192 – which can be downloaded from www.bsia.co.uk).

MARCH 2006:

Publication of Amendment No. 2 to PD6662:2004.

This formally adopts the following product standards into the PD6662 scheme:

TS50131-2-2 PIR detectors
TS50131-2-3 Microwave detectors
TS50131-2-4 Combined PIR / Microwave detectors
TS50131-2-5 Combined PIR / Ultrasonic detectors
TS50131-2-6 Magnetic contacts
TS50131-3 Control & Indicating equipment

Note that there is an industry agreement for a transition period for the implementation of these standards, which ends on September 30th 2006 – except in the case of TS50131-2-6, which ends on 31st March 2007.
Bearing in mind that these are all product standards, it would be expected there will be no impact on installers. This is NOT the case – there are a few areas that will do:

a) Products affected will have to be declared as “compliant with TS 50131-x” instead of “suitable for use with systems installed to PD6662.”

b) Grade 3 movement detectors will be required to have integral fault monitoring and a “fault” output to the control panel – in addition to the existing “masking” requirements. This means that some currently accepted detectors will cease to be suitable.
Note: that it is permitted for the “masking” message to be sent to the control panel by combining the “intruder” and “fault” signals, OR by having independent “fault” and “masking” outputs.

c) Door contacts at grade 3 will require to have tamper detection on the housing (not including the mounting surface as part of the housing) AND detection of (or immunity to) attempts at magnetic interference.
Whilst suitable devices are already available, the need for installers to source these and establish new work practices and train installation staff accordingly has led to the additional 6 months in the implementation period for this standard.

Manufacturers will have to reconcile the inconsistencies between these product standards and the version of EN50131-1 in use – see next item! In all cases the requirement of EN50131-1 takes priority over the product standards.

Work has already been carried out at BSIA to publish a series of documents to achieve this for prEN50131-1:2004, which can be downloaded from www.bsia.co.uk as Form Numbers 179, 180, 184 and 185.

JUNE 2006:

Expected publication date of EN50131-1:2006.

This is the formal update of EN50131-1:1997, which has never been used in the UK. It is expected to be published in the UK immediately as BS.EN50131-1:2006 in order to replace prEN50131-1:2004 as the basis of the PD6662 scheme.

This will be confirmed by another amendment to PD6662, expected to take effect on October 1st 2006. Whether this will be as Amendment No. 3 or as PD6662:2006 is not yet confirmed.
Relatively few changes will affect the installer – most are already part of PD6662 or Form 171 anyway. There will though be some adjustments to control panel software. Perhaps the most noticeable effect on installers will be the change of tamper detection requirements for junction boxes to apply to grade 3 only – which will bring to an end the temporary exception referred to above.

This will, of course, result in a review of the BSIA documents relating to the product standards, mentioned above.

SUMMER 2006:

Publication of BS8473:2006

A completely new number for us, this is a revision of – and hence replacement for – DD245: Management of False Alarms. This has been revised to increase the emphasis on prevention of false alarms, including those of the “hold-up” variety.

SEPTEMBER 2006:

Availability of BSIA Form 171 issue 3.

This is a very important document – available from www.bsia.co.uk - formally adopted by the industry (in fact published also by NSI as Bulletin 03/05).

Work has started on the revision of this for consistency with EN50131-1:2006 and the implications of the adoption of the new TSs.

OCTOBER 1st 2006:

Deadline for the implementation of TS50131-2-2, 3, 4 and 5; TS50131-3 and (it is expected) EN50131-1.

APRIL 1st 2007:

Deadline for the implementation of TS50131-2-6


As well as a continuing review of all the European standards and specifications, the following items also in the pipeline may be of interest ….

TS50131-4, Warning Devices:
This has been completed and is expected to become available later this year.
Its use will NOT be mandatory until its adoption has been agreed by the industry and published in PD6662.

Use of IP in Alarm Transmission Systems:
a) A draft European standard has been drafted and expected to be circulated as prEN50136-5-1 later this year, dealing with this topic. This will be within the remit of:
b) An industry-wide working group is being set up to discuss how the use of IP may be implemented in a consistent and acceptable manner – thus resolving a number of current controversies.

DD243:

This document is due for revision starting in December 2006. This time it will be published as a British Standard (the BS> number has already been allocated).

DD263:

A completely new standard for commissioning and maintenance of I&HAS, to take into account the extreme brevity with which TS50131-7 treats this topic.

This is to include relevant requirements for “Downloading” systems and “Remote servicing.”
The basis for this new standard is the existing BSIA Form 177 – available from www.bsia.co.uk.

Contributed to by "Castellan".