Common Abbreviations used within the Security Industry

ACFO: Association of Chief Fire Officers.

ACPO: Association of Chief Police Officers.

ARC: Alarm Receiving Centre. A Secure location where signals are monitored 24hours a day. Area: Segmented section of a security system.

AWG – American Wire Gauge is the means for measuring wire diameter. Larger numbers represent smaller diameter wire, and vice versa. A cable is usually described by its AWG size followed by the number of wires (conductors) it contains. For example, a cable listed as 22-4 is a four-conductor cable made up of four wires, each 22 gauge.

BG: Break-Glass alarm sensor

BGD: Breaking-Glass Detector.

BNC: One of the most popular of the coaxial connectors, BNC connectors are commonly used in professional video applications because they lock in.

C&E: Cause and Effect.

CCTV: Closed Circuit Television.
Corrective Maintenance: A call out, or engineer attendance to correct a fault.

CS – Central Station

CPU: Central Processing Unit (Computer) - Control Panel Unit (Alarm).

Digi-Com: Digital Communicator.

Dual Tech (DTEC): Dual Technology - where a single device operates on two different types of technology. Must common use is where a PIR and a Microwave detector is combined into one movement detector.

Duress Code: A number chosen by the user that, if used to disarm the alarm will act as normal but will also send a silent panic alarm to the central station.

DP: Distribution Point/Panel (Telecommunications).

DP: Double Pole (Relay).

E/E: The Entry/Exit doors of an Alarm System.

EOL: End Of Line.

ET: Exit Terminator - A button or other device which when activated triggers the final setting of the Alarm system. Expander: A Device which expands the capabilities of an alarm system.

F/D: Fire Door.

F/E: Final Exit.

FSL: Fully Supervised Loop.

GPRS: General Packet Radio Service.

GPS: Global Positioning System.

GSM: Global System for Mobile communications.

I.O’s: Input/Outputs.

IP: Internet protocol.

LED: Light Emitting Diode.

MRS: Magnetic Reed Switch, found in Door Contacts and PA Buttons.

NVM: Non Volatile Memory.

PA: Panic Alarm - A Device which when pressed causes a full alarm condition regardless of whether or not the alarm system is set/unset. This may be enabled to cause a silent alarm if the system is monitored, then having the same effect as Duress code.

PEB: Photo Electric Beam.

PD: Published Document.

PIR: Passive Infra-Red Receiver (movement/motion detector). Preventative Maintenance: An engineer’s attendance to inspect a system.

PROM: Programmable Read Only Memory.

PTS: Push To Set - A button which when activated triggers the final setting of the Alarm system.

PSU: Power Supply Unit.

QUAD: Two Movement Detectors (Located within the same housing). Remote Reset: The facility to apply an engineer reset to system without physical attendance.

REN: Ringer Equivalence Number - a telephone line can normally supply up to 4 REN, where a standard telephone/answering machine etc would equal 1 REN.

RKP: Remote Keypad.

SAB: Self Activating Bell.

SAS: Self Activating Sounder/Siren.

SCB: Self Contained Bell box.

SIA: Security Industry Association - describes a signaling protocol.

SPKR: Speaker.

SSAIB: Security Systems and Alarm Inspection Board.

ZEM: Zone Expansion Module

Zone: Identity of a group of detection device(s) connected to an intruder alarm system.