Control Network Newsletter

28-Port Managed fiber Switch Receives UL 864 Recognition

December 2015 - Contemporary Controls has added a high port-count managed fiber Ethernet switch to its portfolio of UL 864 recognized component Ethernet switches. The EIRX series of managed Ethernet switches are intended for campus installations attaching to EIS6 and EIS8 edge switches. These three switch series meet the requirements of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 864 Control Units and Accessories for Fire Alarm Systems 9th Edition. All new fire alarm and smoke control systems being installed claiming UL 864 compliance must comply with this latest edition.

The EIRX incorporates a modular fiber design with twenty 100 Mbps SFP ports and four 1000 Mbps SFP ports. SFP stands for small form-factor pluggable allowing the customer to select a mix of single mode and multimode transceivers with LC connectors that plug into the SFP cages. In addition to three EIRX chassis configurations, UL recognized four SFP transceivers for 100 and 1000 Mbps data rates with a choice of single mode or multimode operation. The four gigabit ports on the EIRX are for backbone use to other EIRX switches possibly using the rapid spanning tree protocol (RSTP). The 100 Mbps fiber ports are intended for EIS6 edge switch connections. For copper connections, the EIRX has four fixed auto-negotiating 10/100 Mbps ports that can attach to EIS8 edge switches or UL 864 compliant end stations.

The EIRX is a rugged 1U high rack-mount design with redundant mains power supplies operating over a wide temperature range. It has been tested to industrial EMC levels in order to maintain high data integrity. As a layer 2 managed switch it supports numerous protocols such as SNMP, STP, RSTP and IGMP Snooping. It supports VLAN partitions and various types of Quality of Service (QoS). Configuration is mainly via a web browser but a console port exists for basic configuration.

The UL recognized component mark is rarely seen by the customer, but is often part of a larger system that is UL Listed by the fire alarm supplier. For a system to be UL Listed, it is evaluated and tested by UL to determine if it meets the requirements established by UL's published Standards of Safety. A UL recognized component has already been evaluated and tested in accordance with UL's component safety standards, streamlining the qualification process for the system supplier.

By having the fire alarm system supplier specify a Contemporary Controls' EIS or EIRX switch as a component, the supplier is not required to perform additional testing on the component. Several fire alarm and security firms have already specified the EIS and EIRX series as part of their system, thereby improving their time-to-market.

Components that bear the UL Recognized Component mark are separately covered under UL's Follow-Up Surveillance program to ensure continued compliance and prevent unpleasant surprises when an end-product is inspected.

To view the UL listing for the EIS and the EIRX series, click either US or Canada. To learn more about the EIRX, visit the product page or download the data sheet.