ISO 7240-21:2005

Fire detection and alarm systems - Part 21: Routing equipment

ISO 7240-21:2005 specifies requirements, methods of test, and performance criteria for fire-alarm routing (transmitting) equipment and for fault (trouble) warning routing equipment for use in fire detection and fire alarm systems installed in buildings.

Systèmes de détection et d'alarme d'incendie — Partie 21: Équipement de transmission

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 03-Jul-2005
• ICS: 13.220.20 - Fire protection
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 21/SC 3 - Fire detection and alarm systems
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 21/SC 3 - Fire detection and alarm systems
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 15-Sep-2025
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Overview

ISO 7240-21:2005 - "Fire detection and alarm systems - Part 21: Routing equipment" specifies requirements, test methods and performance criteria for fire‑alarm routing (transmitting) equipment and fault (trouble) warning routing equipment used in building fire detection and alarm systems. The standard defines mandatory and optional functions, how routing equipment must indicate functional conditions, and how it should transmit fire and fault signals to receiving stations.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and purpose: Applies to routing equipment that receives signals from control-and-indicating equipment and transmits fire‑alarm signals to fire‑alarm receiving stations and fault signals to fault‑warning receiving stations.
• Functional conditions & indications: Routing equipment must unambiguously indicate these functional states:
  • Quiescent, Fire alarm, Supervisory, Fault warning, Disabled, Test
  • Multiple functional conditions may be displayed simultaneously (where applicable).
• Indication media:
  • Separate light‑emitting indicators and/or alphanumeric displays are permitted.
  • Alphanumeric displays must group all fields for a given functional condition in a single window.
  • A visible power‑on indicator is required.
• Timing and behaviour:
  • Processing of incoming fire signals shall not delay indication of the fire alarm condition at the routing equipment by more than 60 s.
  • Indicators must flash on receipt and go steady on acknowledgement from the receiving station.
  • Reset from a fire alarm condition must occur automatically when the control-and-indicating equipment is reset; relevant indications must be re-established or remain within 60 s.
• Design, software and access control:
  • The standard contains general and specific design requirements, including additional requirements for software‑controlled routing equipment and provisions for access levels (Annex A).
  • Optional functions are allowed but, if implemented, all associated requirements apply.
• Testing and documentation:
  • Clauses cover environmental and EMC references, required tests, and test reporting procedures.

Applications and who uses it

• Manufacturers of fire‑alarm routing/transmitting and trouble‑routing equipment - to design and certify compliant products.
• System designers and specifiers - to select routing equipment that ensures reliable transmission of alarms and faults to monitoring stations.
• Installers and integrators - for correct installation and commissioning consistent with indication, reset and access requirements.
• Testing laboratories and certification bodies - for type testing and compliance verification.
• Authorities having jurisdiction and building owners - to reference in procurement, safety audits and acceptance testing.

Related standards

• ISO 7240‑1 (General and definitions)
• ISO 7240‑4 (Power supply equipment)
• Normative references included: IEC environmental test series (e.g., IEC 60068), IEC 60529 (IP code), EN 50130‑4 (EMC for alarm systems)

Keywords: ISO 7240-21:2005, fire detection and alarm systems, routing equipment, fire‑alarm routing, fault warning routing, routing equipment standard, alarm transmission, system indications, testing and performance criteria.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 7240-21
First edition
2005-07-01
Fire detection and alarm systems —
Part 21:
Routing equipment
Systèmes de détection et d'alarme d'incendie —
Partie 21: Équipement de transmission

Reference number
©
ISO 2005
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.

©  ISO 2005
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope. 1
2 Normative references. 1
3 Definitions. 2
4 General requirements. 3
5 General requirements for indications. 4
6 Quiescent condition. 5
7 Fire alarm condition. 5
8 Supervisory signal condition . 6
9 Fault warning condition . 6
10 Disabled condition. 7
11 Test condition. 8
12 Design requirements. 9
13 Additional design requirements for software-controlled routing equipment. 12
14 Marking. 13
15 Tests. 14
16 Test report. 23
Annex A (informative) Explanation of access levels . 24
Annex B (informative) Design requirements for software-controlled routing equipment . 26

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 7240-21 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 21, Equipment for fire protection and fire fighting,
Subcommittee SC 3, Fire detection and alarm systems.
ISO 7240 consists of the following parts, under the general title Fire detection and alarm systems:
 Part 1: General and definitions
 Part 2: Control and indicating equipment
 Part 4: Power supply equipment
 Part 5: Point-type heat detectors
 Part 6: Carbon monoxide fire detectors using electro-chemical cells
 Part 7: Point-type smoke detectors using scattered light, transmitted light or ionization
 Part 11: Manual call points
 Part 12: Line type smoke detectors using a transmitting light beam
 Part 13: Compatibility assessment of system components
 Part 14: Guidelines for drafting codes of practice for design, installation and use of fire detection and fire
alarm systems in and around buildings [Technical Report]
 Part 15: Multisensor fire detectors
 Part 21: Routing equipment
 Part 22: Duct sampling equipment
The following part is under preparation:
 Part 9: Test fire for fire detectors [Technical Report]
iv © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This part of ISO 7240 combines the requirements for both fire-alarm routing (transmitting) equipment
(ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, item E) and fault (trouble) warning routing equipment (ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1,
item J) into a single equipment Standard.
Routing equipment receives signals from control and indicating equipment (ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, item B)
and sends fire alarm signals to a fire-alarm receiving station (ISO 7240-1, Figure 1, item F) and fault signals to
a fault warning (trouble signal) receiving station (ISO 7240-1, Figure 1, item K). The receiving stations may be
in the same or different locations.
This part of ISO 7240 describes the mandatory functions which are required to be provided on all routing
equipment covered by this part of ISO 7240, and optional functions with their associated requirements. It is
intended that the options will be used for specific applications, as recommended in application guidelines.
Each optional function is included as a separate entity, with its own set of associated requirements, in order to
permit routing equipment covered by this document with different combinations of functions to conform to this
part of ISO 7240. Routing equipment complying with this part of ISO 7240 will need to fulfil the requirements
of all of the mandatory functions, together with the requirements of those optional functions which are
provided.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 7240-21:2005(E)

Fire detection and alarm systems —
Part 21:
Routing equipment
1 Scope
This part of ISO 7240 specifies requirements, methods of test, and performance criteria for fire-alarm routing
(transmitting) equipment (ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, item E) and for fault (trouble) warning routing equipment
(ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, item J) for use in fire detection and fire alarm systems installed in buildings.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
1)
ISO 7240-1:— , Fire detection and alarm systems — Part 1: General and definitions
ISO 7240-4, Fire detection and alarm systems — Part 4: Power supply equipment
IEC 60068-1:1990-05, Environmental testing — Part 1: General and guidance
IEC 60068-2-1, Environmental testing — Part 2: Tests. Tests A: Cold
IEC 60068-2-6, Environmental testing — Part 2: Tests. Test Fc: vibration (sinusoidal)
IEC 60068-2-47, Environmental testing — Part 2-47: Test methods — Mounting of components, equipment
and other articles for vibration, impact and similar dynamic tests
IEC 60068-2-75, Environmental testing — Part 2-75: Tests. Test Eh: Hammer tests
IEC 60068-2-78, Environmental testing — Part 2-78: Tests — Test Cab: Damp heat, steady state
IEC 60529:2001-02, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code)
IEC 60721-3-3:2002-10, Classification of environmental conditions — Part 3-3: Classifications of groups of
environmental parameters and their severities — Stationary use and weatherprotected locations
EN 50130-4, Alarm systems — Part 4: Electromagnetic compatibility — Product family standard: Immunity
requirements for components of fire, intruder and social alarm systems

1) To be published.
3 Definitions
For the purposes of this document, the definitions given in ISO 7240-1 and the following apply.
3.1
access level
one of several states of a routing equipment in which selected
 controls can be operated;
 manual operations can be carried out;
 indications are visible, and/or;
 information can be obtained.
NOTE See Annex A.
3.2
field
sub-division of a window
3.3
functional condition
condition of the routing equipment characterized by its indication at the routing equipment
NOTE The functional conditions recognized in this part of the ISO 7240 are the following:
 fire alarm condition, when a fire alarm is indicated;
 supervisory signal condition, when a supervisory signal is indicated;
 fault warning condition, when a fault is indicated;
 disabled condition, when the disablement of functions is indicated;
 test condition, when the testing of functions is indicated;
 quiescent condition, when the routing equipment is powered by a power supply conforming to ISO 7240-4 and no
other functional condition is indicated.
3.4
indicator
device which can change its state to give information
3.5
indication
information given by an indicator
3.6
mandatory
〈adjective〉 qualification applied to those functions required to be provided on all routing equipment and the
functions' requirements and to the requirements of any optional functions that have requirements, if such
optional functions are provided
3.7
non-volatile memory
memory elements which do not require the presence of an energy source for the retention of their contents
2 © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

3.8
point
component connected to a detection circuit enabling the transmission or reception of information in relation to
fire detection
NOTE Includes ISO 7240-1:–, Figure 1, items A and D.
3.9
program
software necessary for routing equipment to comply with at least the requirements of this part of ISO 7240,
including initializing data, reset and interrupt vectors, operating code, and declarations
3.10
reset
operation capable of terminating the fire alarm condition and/or the fault warning condition
3.11
running data
alterable data subject to temporary modification during operation, either automatically or by manual controls
3.12
separate
〈adjective〉 physically separate and exclusively provided for the purpose or purposes stated in this part of
ISO 7240
3.13
silencing
〈noun〉 manual operation for switching off the audible signal of a sounding device that is capable of being
automatically re-sounded by a new event
3.14
transmission path
connection, external to the cabinet of the routing equipment, for the transmission of information and/or power
 between the routing equipment and other components of a fire detection and fire alarm system as defined
in ISO 7240-1, and/or
 between parts of routing equipment contained in different cabinets
3.15
volatile memory
memory elements which require the presence of an energy source for the retention of their contents
3.16
window
part or all of an alphanumeric display used for information relating to one functional condition at a given time
NOTE A sub-division of the display might be realized either by mechanical separation, or under software control.
3.17
zone
geographical sub-division of the protected premises in which one or more points are installed and for which a
common zonal indication is provided
4 General requirements
If functions other than those specified in this part of the ISO 7240 are provided, they shall not jeopardize
compliance with any requirements of this part of the ISO 7240.
If an optional function is included in the routing equipment, then all the corresponding requirements shall be
met.
5 General requirements for indications
5.1 Display of functional conditions
5.1.1 The routing equipment shall be capable of unambiguously indicating the following functional
conditions, as described in Clauses 6 to 11:
 quiescent condition;
 fire alarm condition;
 supervisory signal condition;
 fault warning condition;
 disabled condition;
 test condition.
5.1.2 The routing equipment shall be capable of being simultaneously, in any combination of the following
functional conditions:
 fire alarm condition;
 supervisory signal condition;
 fault warning condition;
 disabled condition;
 test condition.
5.2 Display of indications
All mandatory indications shall be clearly identifiable, except where otherwise specified in this part of
ISO 7240.
5.3 Indications on alphanumeric displays
Where an alphanumeric display is used to display indications relating to different functional conditions, these
may be displayed at the same time. However, for each functional condition there shall be only one window in
which all of the fields relating to that functional condition are grouped.
5.4 Indication of the supply of power
A visible indication shall be given by means of a separate light-emitting indicator while the routing equipment
is supplied with power.
5.5 Additional indications
Where indications are used in addition to mandatory indications, these shall not result in contradiction or
confusion.
4 © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

6 Quiescent condition
Any kind of system information may be displayed during the quiescent condition. However, no indications shall
be given which could be confused with control-and-indicating equipment indications used in the
 fire alarm condition,
 supervisory signal condition,
 fault warning condition,
 disabled condition,
 test condition.
7 Fire alarm condition
7.1 Reception and processing of fire signals
7.1.1 The routing equipment shall report the fire alarm condition to the fire alarm receiving station
(ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, item F) when fire alarm signals are received from the control-and-indicating
equipment.
7.1.2 The mandatory indications and/or outputs shall not be falsified by multiple fire signals received from
the same or different control-and-indicating equipment, resulting from the simultaneous operation of two
control-and-indicating equipment and/or the operation of further control-and-indicating equipment.
7.2 Indication of the fire alarm condition
7.2.1 The fire alarm condition shall be indicated when the routing equipment receives the fire alarm signal
from the control-and-indicating equipment.
7.2.2 The time taken for processing of signals from control-and-indicating equipment shall not delay the
indication of the fire alarm condition at the routing equipment by more than 60 s.
7.2.3 The signal may be indicated by means of a separate light-emitting indicator and/or a field on the
alphanumeric display.
7.2.4 The indicator shall flash when the condition is received by the routing equipment and go steady when
the routing equipment receives acknowledgement from the receiving station that the signal has been correctly
received.
7.3 Other indications during the fire alarm condition
If supervisory conditions faults, disablements or tests are indicated by means of separate light-emitting
indicators, and such indications are suppressed in the fire alarm condition, it shall be possible to reveal these
by means of a manual operation at access level 1.
7.4 Reset from the fire alarm condition
7.4.1 The routing equipment shall reset from reporting and displaying the fire alarm condition when the fire
alarm condition is reset at the control-and-indicating equipment. Reset from the fire alarm condition shall not
require any manual intervention.
7.4.2 Following a reset, the indication of the correct functional conditions, corresponding to any received
signals, shall either remain, or be re-established within 60 s.
8 Supervisory signal condition
8.1 Reception and processing of supervisory signals
8.1.1 The routing equipment shall report the supervisory condition to the fault warning (trouble signal)
receiving station (ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, item K) when supervisory signals are received from the control-
and-indicating equipment.
8.1.2 The mandatory indications and/or outputs shall not be falsified by multiple supervisory signals
received from the same or different control-and-indicating equipment, resulting from the simultaneous
operation of two control-and-indicating equipment and/or the operation of further control-and-indicating
equipment.
8.2 Indication of the supervisory alarm condition
8.2.1 The supervisory condition shall be indicated when the routing equipment receives the supervisory
alarm signal from the control-and-indicating equipment.
8.2.2 The time taken for processing of signals from control-and-indicating equipment shall not delay the
indication of the supervisory condition at the routing equipment by more than 60 s.
8.2.3 The signal may be indicated by means of a separate light-emitting indicator and/or a field on the
alphanumeric display.
8.2.4 The indicator shall flash when the condition is received by the routing equipment and go steady when
the routing equipment receives acknowledgement from the receiving station that the signal has been correctly
received.
8.3 Supervisory indications during the supervisory condition
If supervisory signals are indicated by means of separate light-emitting indicators, and such indications are
suppressed in the fire alarm condition, it shall be possible to reveal these by means of a manual operation at
access level 1.
8.4 Reset of supervisory signal
8.4.1 The routing equipment shall reset from reporting and displaying the supervisory condition when the
supervisory condition is reset at the control-and-indicating equipment. Reset from the supervisory condition
shall not require any manual intervention.
8.4.2 Following a reset operation, the indication of the correct functional conditions, corresponding to any
received signals, shall either remain, or be re-established within 60 s.
9 Fault warning condition
9.1 Reception and processing of fault warning signals
9.1.1 The routing equipment shall report the fault warning condition to the fault warning (trouble signal)
receiving station (ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, item K) when fault warning signals are received from the control-
and-indicating equipment.
9.1.2 The mandatory indications and/or outputs shall not be falsified by multiple fault warning signals
received from the same or different control-and-indicating equipment, resulting from the simultaneous
operation of two control-and-indicating equipment and/or the operation of further control-and-indicating
equipments.
6 © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

9.2 Indication of the fault warning condition
9.2.1 The fault warning condition shall be indicated when the routing equipment receives the fault warning
(trouble signal) from the control-and-indicating equipment.
9.2.2 The time taken for processing of signals from control-and-indicating equipment shall not delay the
indication of the fault warning condition at the routing equipment by more than 60 s.
9.2.3 The signal may be indicated by means of a separate light-emitting indicator and/or a field on the
alphanumeric display.
9.2.4 The indicator shall flash when the condition is received by the routing equipment and go steady when
the routing equipment receives acknowledgement from the receiving station that the signal has been correctly
received.
9.3 Fault warning indications during the fire alarm condition
If faults are indicated by means of separate light-emitting indicators, and such indications are suppressed in
the fire alarm condition, it shall be possible to reveal these by means of a manual operation at access level 1.
9.4 Reset from the fault warning condition
9.4.1 The routing equipment shall reset from reporting and displaying the fault warning condition when the
fault warning condition is reset at the control-and-indicating equipment. Reset from the fault warning condition
shall not require any manual intervention.
9.4.2 Following a reset operation, the indication of the correct functional conditions, corresponding to any
received signals, shall either remain, or be re-established within 60 s.
10 Disabled condition
10.1 Reception and processing of disabled signals
10.1.1 The routing equipment shall report the disabled condition to the disabled signal receiving station
(ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, item K) when disabled signals are received from the control-and-indicating
equipment.
10.1.2 The mandatory indications and/or outputs shall not be falsified by multiple disabled signals received
from the same or different control-and-indicating equipment, resulting from the simultaneous operation of two
control-and-indicating equipment and/or the operation of further control-and-indicating equipment.
10.2 Indication of the disabled condition
10.2.1 The disabled condition shall be indicated when the routing equipment receives the disabled signal
from the control-and-indicating equipment.
10.2.2 The time taken for processing of signals from control-and-indicating equipment shall not delay the
indication of the disabled condition at the routing equipment by more than 60 s.
10.2.3 The signal may be indicated by means of a separate light-emitting indicator and/or a field on the
alphanumeric display.
10.2.4 The indicator shall flash when the condition is received by the routing equipment and go steady when
the routing equipment receives acknowledgement from the receiving station that the signal has been correctly
received.
10.3 Disabled indications during the fire alarm condition
If disabled conditions are indicated by means of separate light-emitting indicators, and such indications are
suppressed in the fire alarm condition, it shall be possible to reveal these by means of a manual operation at
access level 1.
10.4 Reset from the disabled condition
10.4.1 The routing equipment shall reset from reporting and displaying the disabled condition when the
disabled condition is reset at the control-and-indicating equipment. Reset from the disabled condition shall not
require any manual intervention.
10.4.2 Following a reset operation, the indication of the correct functional conditions corresponding to any
received signals shall either remain or be re-established within 60 s.
11 Test condition
11.1 Reception and processing of test signals
11.1.1 The routing equipment shall report the test condition to the fault warning (trouble signal) receiving
station (ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, item K) when test signals are received from the control-and-indicating
equipment.
11.1.2 The time taken for processing of signals from control-and-indicating equipment shall not delay the
indication of the test condition at the routing equipment by more than 60 s.
11.1.3 The mandatory indications and/or outputs shall not be falsified by multiple test signals received from
the same or different control-and-indicating equipment, resulting from the simultaneous operation of two
control-and-indicating equipment and/or the operation of further control-and-indicating equipment.
11.2 Indication of the test condition
11.2.1 The test condition shall be indicated when the routing equipment receives the test signal from the
control-and-indicating equipment.
11.2.2 The signal may be indicated by means of a separate light-emitting indicator and/or a field on the
alphanumeric display.
11.2.3 The indicator shall flash when the condition is received by the routing equipment and go steady when
the routing equipment receives acknowledgement from the receiving station that the signal has been correctly
received.
11.3 Test indications during the fire alarm condition
If test conditions are indicated by means of separate light-emitting indicators, and such indications are
suppressed in the fire alarm condition, it shall be possible to reveal these by means of a manual operation at
access level 1.
11.4 Reset from the test condition
11.4.1 The routing equipment shall reset from reporting and displaying the test condition when the test
condition is reset at the control-and-indicating equipment. Reset from the test condition shall not require any
manual intervention.
11.4.2 Following a test operation, the indication of the correct functional conditions, corresponding to any
received signals, shall either remain, or be re-established within 60 s.
8 © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

12 Design requirements
12.1 General requirements and manufacturer's declarations
The routing equipment shall comply with the design requirements of Clause 12, where relevant to the
technology used.
In order to assist the process of design inspection, the manufacturer shall declare the following in writing:
a) that the design has been carried out in accordance with a quality management system, which
incorporates a set of rules for the design of all elements of the routing equipment (e.g. ISO 9001);
b) that the components of the routing equipment have been selected for the intended purpose, and are
expected to operate within their specification when the environmental conditions outside the cabinet of
the routing equipment comply with class 3k5 of IEC 60721-3-3:2002-10.
12.2 Documentation
12.2.1 The manufacturer shall prepare installation and user documentation, which shall be submitted to the
testing authority together with the routing equipment. This shall comprise at least the following:
a) a general description of the equipment, including a list of
 optional functions with requirements of this part of ISO 7240,
 functions relating to other parts of ISO 7240,
 ancillary functions not required by this part of ISO 7240;
b) technical specifications of the inputs and outputs of the routing equipment, sufficient to permit an
assessment of the mechanical, electrical and software compatibility with other components of the system
(e.g. as described in ISO 7240-1), including where relevant
 power requirements for recommended operation,
 maximum number of control-and-indicating equipment, zones and/or points per routing equipment,
 maximum and minimum electrical ratings for each input and output,
 information on the communication parameters employed on each transmission path,
 recommended cable parameters for each transmission path,
 fuse ratings;
c) installation information, including
 the suitability for use in various environments,
 if the routing equipment is contained in more than one cabinet, how the requirements of 12.3.2 and
12.5.2 can be met,
 if the routing equipment is designed to be used with a power supply contained in a separate cabinet,
how the requirements of 12.3.2 and 12.5.3 can be met,
 mounting instructions,
 instructions for connecting the inputs and outputs;
d) configuring and commissioning instructions;
e) operating instructions;
f) maintenance information.
12.2.2 The manufacturer shall prepare design documentation, which shall be submitted to the testing
authority together with the routing equipment. This documentation shall include drawings, parts lists, block
diagrams, circuit diagrams and a functional description to such an extent that compliance with this part of
ISO 7240 may be checked and that a general assessment of the mechanical and electrical design is made
possible.
12.3 Mechanical design requirements
12.3.1 The cabinet of the routing equipment shall be of robust construction, consistent with the method of
installation recommended in the documentation. At access level 1 it shall meet at least classification IP30 of
IEC 60529:2001-02.
12.3.2 The routing equipment may be housed in more than one cabinet. If the documentation shows that the
cabinets may be installed in locations distributed within the protected premises, then all of the mandatory
manual controls and indicators shall be in one cabinet, or in cabinets declared to be suitable only for mounting
adjacent to each other.
12.3.3 All mandatory manual controls and light-emitting indicators shall be clearly labelled to indicate their
purpose. The information shall be legible at 0,8 m distance in an ambient light intensity from 100 lx to 500 lx.
12.3.4 The terminations for transmission paths and the fuses shall be clearly labelled.
12.4 Electrical and other design requirements
12.4.1 The processing of signals shall give the highest priority to the indication of fire alarms.
12.4.2 Transitions between the main and the standby power sources shall not change any indications and/or
the state of any outputs, except those relating to the power supplies.
12.4.3 If the routing equipment has provision for disconnecting or adjusting the main or the standby power
source, this shall be possible only at access level 3.
12.5 Integrity of transmission paths
12.5.1 A fault in any transmission path between the routing equipment and other components of the fire
detection system, as defined in ISO 7240-1, shall be simultaneously indicated at the routing equipment and
the fault warning (trouble signal) receiving station in not more than 90 s.
12.5.2 Where the routing equipment is connected to the fault warning (trouble signal) receiving station by
more than one transmission path, one transmission path may be used to signal a fault on another
transmission path.
12.5.3 If the manufacturer's documentation shows that a routing equipment contained in more than one
cabinet may be installed in separate locations (e.g. signal concentrator equipment), then means shall be
specified and provided which ensure that a short circuit or an interruption in any transmission path between
the cabinets does not affect more than one function for longer than 90 s following the occurrence of the fault.
12.5.4 Where the routing equipment is designed to be used with a power supply (ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1,
item L) contained in a separate cabinet remote from the routing equipment, then an interface shall be provided
for at least two transmission paths to the power supply, such that a short circuit or an interruption in one does
not prevent the supply of power to the routing equipment.
10 © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

12.6 Accessibility of indications and controls (see also annex A)
12.6.1 Four access levels shall be provided on the routing equipment, from access level 1 (most accessible)
to access level 4 (least accessible). Allocation to an access level shall prevent access to an access level with
a higher number, but allow access to an access level of a lower number. Manual controls and other functions
shall be grouped on the appropriate access level, as specified in this part of ISO 7240.
12.6.2 All mandatory indications shall be visible at access level 1 without prior manual intervention (e.g. the
need to open a door).
12.6.3 Manual controls at access level 1 shall be accessible without special procedures.
12.6.4 Indications and manual controls that are mandatory at access level 1 shall also be accessible at
access level 2.
12.6.5 The entry to access level 2 shall be restricted by a special procedure.
12.6.6 The entry to access level 3 shall be restricted by a special procedure, differing from that for access
level 2.
12.6.7 The entry to access level 4 shall be restricted by special means that are not part of the routing
equipment.
12.7 Indications by means of light-emitting indicators
12.7.1 Mandatory indications from light-emitting indicators shall be visible in an ambient light intensity up to
500 lx, at any angle up to 22,5° from a line through the indicator perpendicular to its mounting surface
 at 3 m distance for the general indications of functional condition,
 at 3 m distance for the indication of the supply of power,
 at 0,8 m distance for other indications.
12.7.2 For flashing indications, both the “on” period and the “off” period shall be greater than or equal to
0,25 s, and the frequencies of flash shall not be less than
 1 Hz for fire alarm indications
 0,2 Hz for fault indications.
12.8 Indications on alphanumeric displays
12.8.1 If an alphanumeric display consists of elements or segments, the failure of one of these shall not
affect the interpretation of the displayed information.
12.8.2 Alphanumeric displays used for mandatory indications shall have at least one clearly distinguishable
window, consisting of at least two clearly identifiable fields.
12.8.3 If not included in the displayed information, the purpose of each field shall be clearly labelled.
12.8.4 Mandatory indications on an alphanumeric display shall be legible for the lesser of 1 h or the duration
of the standby power source, following the display of a new indication of fire or fault, at 0,8 m distance, in
ambient light intensities from 5 lx to 500 lx, at any angle from the normal to the plane of the display up to
 22,5° when viewed from each side;
 15° when viewed from above and below.
Following the lesser of 1 h or the duration of the standby power source, the indications shall be legible at
100 lx to 500 lx, at the above distance and angles. It shall be possible to re-establish the legibility at 5 lx to
100 lx by means of a manual operation at access level 1.
12.9 Colours of indications
12.9.1 The colours of the general and specific indications from light-emitting indicators shall be as follows:
a) red for indications of fire alarms;
b) yellow for indications of
 supervisory signals,
 fault warnings,
 disablements,
 control-and-indicating equipment in the test state;
c) green for the indication that the routing equipment is supplied with power.
12.9.2 The use of different colours is not necessary for indications on alphanumeric displays. However, if
different colours are used for different indications, the colours used shall be as specified in 12.9.1.
12.10 Testing of indicators
All mandatory visible indicators shall be testable by a manual operation at access level 1.
13 Additional design requirements for software-controlled routing equipment
13.1 General requirements and manufacturer's declarations
The routing equipment may contain elements that are controlled by software in order to fulfil requirements of
this part of ISO 7240. In this case, the routing equipment shall comply with the requirements of Clause 12,
where relevant to the technology used.
13.2 Software documentation
13.2.1 The manufacturer shall prepare documentation that gives an overview of the software design, which
shall be submitted to the testing authority together with the routing equipment. This documentation shall be in
sufficient detail for the design to be inspected for compliance with this part of ISO 7240.
13.2.2 The manufacturer shall prepare and maintain detailed design documentation. This need not be
submitted to the testing authority, but shall be available for inspection in a manner that respects the
manufacturer's rights of confidentiality.
13.3 Software design
In order to ensure the reliability of the routing equipment, measures shall be included in the program to
prevent the occurrence of a deadlock in the system.
13.4 Program monitoring (see also Annex B)
13.4.1 The execution of the program shall be monitored. The monitoring device shall signal a system fault if
routines associated with the main functions of the program are not executed within a time limit of 100 s.
12 © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

13.4.2 The functioning of the monitoring device and the signalling of a fault warning shall not be prevented by
a failure in the execution of the program of the monitored system.
13.5 The storage of programs and data (see also Annex B)
13.5.1 All executable code and data necessary to comply with this part of ISO 7240 shall be held in memory
that is capable of continuous, unmaintained, reliable operation for a period of at least ten years.
13.5.2 The program shall be held in non-volatile memory, which can only be written to at access level 4.
Each memory device shall be identifiable such that its contents can be uniquely cross-referenced to the
software documentation.
13.5.3 For site-specific data, the following requirements shall apply.
a) Alteration of site-specific data shall be possible only at access level 3.
b) Alteration of site-specific data shall not affect the structure of the program.
c) If stored in volatile memory, the site-specific data shall be protected against power loss by a back-up
energy source which can only be separated from the memory at access level 4, and which is capable of
maintaining the memory contents for at least two weeks.
d) If stored in read-write memory, there shall be a mechanism which prevents the memory being written to
during normal operation at access level 1, such that its contents are protected during a failure in program
execution.
e) Site-specific data shall be given a version reference, which shall be updated when each set of alterations
is carried out.
f) It shall be possible to identify the version reference of the site-specific data at access level 3.
13.6 The monitoring of memory contents
The contents of the memories containing the program and the site-specific data shall be automatically
checked at intervals not exceeding 1 h. The checking device shall signal a system fault if a corruption of the
memory contents is detected.
14 Marking
The routing equipment shall be marked with the following information, which shall be legible at access level 1:
a) number of this part of ISO 7240 (ISO 7240-21);
b) name or trademark of the manufacturer or supplier;
c) type number or other designation of the routing equipment;
It shall be possible to identify a code or number that identifies the production period of the routing equipment
at access level 2.
15 Tests
15.1 General
15.1.1 Standard atmospheric conditions for testing
Unless otherwise stated in a test procedure, conduct the testing after the test specimen has been allowed to
stabilize in the standard atmospheric conditions for testing as described in IEC 60068-1 as follows:
 temperature: 15 °C to 35 °C;
 relative humidity: 25 % to 75 %;
 air pressure: 86 kPa to 106 kPa.
The temperature and humidity shall be substantially constant for each environmental test where the standard
atmospheric conditions are applied.
15.1.2 Specimen configuration
The specimen configuration shall include at least one of each type of routing equipment and transmission path.
The details of the routing equipment shall be given in the test report (Clause 16).
15.1.3 Mounting and orientation
Unless otherwise stated in a test procedure, mount the specimen in its normal orientation by the normal
means of mounting indicated by the manufacturer. The equipment shall be in the condition of access level 1,
except where otherwise required for functional testing.
15.1.4 Electrical connection
If the test procedure requires the specimen to be in the operating condition, it shall be connected to a power
supply complying with the requirements in ISO 7240-4.
Unless otherwise required, the power supply shall be in the nominal operating condition.
All circuits and transmission paths shall be connected to cables and equipment or to dummy loads. At least
one of each type of circuit shall be maximally loaded, all within manufacturer's specification. Equipment other
than the routing equipment may be kept in the standard atmospheric condition during the tests.
15.1.5 Provision for tests
At least one routing equipment shall be provided for testing compliance with this part of ISO 7240.
The specimen or specimens submitted shall be representative of the manufacturer's normal production and
shall include the claimed options.
15.2 Functional test
15.2.1 Object of the test
To demonstrate the operation of the equipment before, during and/or after the environmental conditioning.
14 © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

15.2.2 Test schedule
Draw up a test schedule that ensures that during the functional test each type of input function and each type
of output function is exercised.
15.2.2.1 Fire alarm condition
Initiate and reset the fire alarm condition.
Check that the correct indication and the correct output to item F of ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, is given.
15.2.2.2 Supervisory condition
Initiate and reset the supervisory condition.
Check that the correct indication and the correct output to item J of ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, is given.
15.2.2.3 Fault warning condition
Initiate and reset the fault warning condition.
Check that the correct indication and the correct output to item J of ISO 7240-1:—, Figure 1, is given.
...