We explored a range of well-known—and not-so-well-known—features in Solomon designed to make life easier for service agents. If you missed it, you can catch up here Service Agent Functionality in Solomon.

​This week, we’re lifting the lid on our monitoring system—how it works, what makes it secure, robust, and reliable, and a few statistics and things that might surprise you.

The diagram above shows where the monitoring system fits within the overall solution. It’s the component that CTUs communicate with, and it, in turn, communicates with FENZ, fire alarm service agents, and building owners. It does much more behind the scenes, but at its core, that’s its purpose.

The monitoring system is built from multiple services and applications running across several providers and data centres throughout New Zealand—primarily in Christchurch and Auckland.

We’ve intentionally designed it so we’re never dependent on any single hosting location or provider. All CTUs are aware of all services nationwide and can communicate with any of them. If one provider or location experiences an issue, CTUs automatically and seamlessly switch to an alternative service—no manual intervention, and no interruption.

There are two common misconceptions about how we communicate with FENZ:

1. “We only notify FENZ about fire events.” Not true. We send all state changes for any FENZ-connected property or PFA we monitor—isolations, tests, defects, and more.
2. “There are people in a watch room manually sending fire calls.” Also incorrect. Every state change is delivered to FENZ electronically, and acknowledgements come back in milliseconds, much like an EFTPOS or credit card transaction. Full automation makes the process faster, more reliable, and more secure than manual handling.

FENZ operates multiple services across different NZ locations, and we have dedicated secure connections to all of them.

Beyond FENZ notifications, the monitoring system also powers our advanced rules engine, which determines who needs to be notified, when, and via which channel as per their preference.

It’s a busy part of the system. In an average month, we deliver over 800,000 messages to service agents and building owners—and in peak months, that number exceeds 1 million.

We monitor buildings nationwide, and the monitoring system is designed so we can provide coverage anywhere in New Zealand with cellular service.

What surprises some people is that urban and rural monitoring are handled identically. Whether it’s a building in the Auckland CBD or a ski lodge on a mountaintop, the process and technology are exactly the same.

Because the monitoring system is mission-critical, we use several independent services to continuously track its performance and alert our team to any potential issues.

We also follow IT industry best practice for support and maintenance, and undergo annual independent audits to ensure our policies and processes are both appropriate and consistently followed.

While the system is designed for maximum reliability, no complex IT system is immune to issues. Thanks to our distributed architecture, most failures are handled automatically and transparently—often without users even noticing.

After every incident, regardless of impact, we follow the same three-question process:

1. What happened?
2. What was the root cause of what happened?
3. What can we implement to stop it happening again?

This disciplined approach ensures we continue to improve and strengthen the system over time.

​A few weeks ago, we mentioned our project to redesign and modernise the CTU hardware. Next week, we’ll share more about that project and some of the exciting capabilities the next-generation CTU will bring.

In last week’s update, we showed you how to access enhanced / IoT Detector-Level Information in our systems. If you missed it, you can catch up here.

This week, we’re taking a step back to look at the bigger picture—the key parts of our monitoring systems and how everything fits together.

At the heart of our service are two components:

• The CTU – the hardware installed on-site that connects to the fire alarm panel.
• The Monitoring System – which receives information from the CTU and communicates with FENZ.

Our CTU is unique in the industry because it can be installed inside the fire alarm panel (our competitors can’t do this). In-panel installation means:

• Faster and easier setup
• Lower installation costs
• Greater reliability

It also enables access to enhanced / IoT Detector-Level Information for supported panels.

Every CTU is fitted with dual SIM cards (usually Spark and One NZ), ensuring communication is maintained even if one network goes down. These CTUs connect to our distributed monitoring system, which is hosted across secure datacentres in both Christchurch and Auckland for added resilience.

When something happens, the right people are alerted instantly via SMS, email, or both. Our smart rules engine makes sure messages are:

• Relevant to each role (e.g. testers only see “test” alerts).
• Delivered at the right times.
• Focused on the buildings they care about.

And with a single click on the Solomon link, you can see recent alarm events, keyholder details, and system information.

Our Solomon web portal gives you live access to your fire alarm systems anytime, anywhere. You can see system history, alarm events, and detector-level IoT data (where available).

Solomon works seamlessly on any device—whether it’s your phone, tablet, laptop, or PC. We’ll explore Solomon in detail in an upcoming article.

Available for both Android and iOS, the AFAM AlarmTech App gives service agents, property managers, and owners a simple way to view fire alarm events on the go.

A key feature: the app doesn’t just show AFAM events—it also includes competitor system messaging, so you have a single view of all the sites you maintain.

We provide this app free of charge to the industry, including our competitors, because it makes life easier for service agents and supports better outcomes for everyone.

For owners and managers with multiple properties, our Property Portfolio Portal makes it easy to:

• See the overall health of your systems at a glance.
• Access contact details and test histories for each site.
• View systems on a map.
• Display real-time IoT detector data directly on property floorplans (where available).

It’s a smarter way to manage larger portfolios with confidence.

Prefer information delivered straight to your inbox? Our automated reports do just that.

Scheduled reports arrive as PDFs or Excel files and include:

• Current system status
• Recent history
• Key performance insights

They’re free, easy to set up, and keep you fully informed without needing to log in.

Next week we’ll take a closer look at the AFAM AlarmTech App, including:

• Key features you may not know about
• How to set it up quickly
• Tips for using its diagnostic tools
• …and more

Stay tuned!

2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G are different generations of cellular network technologies, each offering varying levels of speed, capacity, and capabilities. Here's a brief overview of each:

• 2G (2nd Generation): 2G technology introduced digital voice communication and text messaging (SMS) to mobile phones. It provided basic data services such as email and limited internet access at slow speeds. 2G networks are mainly used for voice calls and text messaging.
  
• 3G (3rd Generation): 3G networks improved data transfer rates significantly compared to 2G. They allowed for faster internet browsing, video calling, and multimedia services. 3G networks were the first to provide broadband-like speeds on mobile devices.
  
• 4G (4th Generation): 4G networks brought substantial improvements in data speeds and overall network performance. They enabled high-definition video streaming, online gaming, and other data-intensive applications. 4G was a significant step towards the mobile internet we use today.
  
• 5G (5th Generation): 5G is the latest generation of cellular technology, designed to offer even higher data speeds, lower latency, and the ability to connect a vast number of devices simultaneously. It promises to support advanced technologies like autonomous vehicles, augmented and virtual reality, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

In New Zealand all of the cellular networks have announced plans to shut down their 3G networks to free up resources for the newer technologies. There's a summary below for each network with their plans for 3G. One NZ is the only network in New Zealand currently offering 2G services.

Spark
Spark have announced that they'll be closing down the 3G network towards the end of 2025.
See details here Spark 3G shutdown.

One NZ
One NZ have announced that they'll start to shutdown their 3G network from September 2024.
See details here One NZ 3G shutdown.

2Degrees
2Degrees have also announced they will be shutting down their 3G network towards the end of 2025.
​See 2Degrees 3G shutdown.