How to send contact closure signals to a remote location across a LAN

A common problem encountered by alarm panel installers is how to transmit a digital contact alarm signal across a site to reproduce the signal at some remote point using the sites Local Area Network. Perhaps a remote fire alarm or security sensor with a standard relay output has to be connected to the alarm panel located in a different building. Fortunately, Audon Electronics has a number of products that achieve just this!

The TCW122B-RR is an Ethernet based I/O module that has two digital inputs and two relay outputs. Two units can be paired in order to seamlessly send digital IO data to the other paired device. So, a contact closure at one unit, say from an alarm panel, will activate the corresponding relay at the other unit, to say sound a siren. Data is bi-directional, and digital data can be sent back too.

Sometimes, a number of digital contact outputs in different locations need to be sent to a common point or perhaps a central control station needs to send contact closure signals to several remote devices, each remote from each other. In this situation, devices from the "Controlbyweb" range come into their own.

Any digital input on a "Controlbyweb" module  can be linked with any other "Controlbyweb" modules' relay output. So, for example, the WEBIN5 module has 5 digital inputs each of which can be linked with up to 5 remote single channel WEBRELAY modules. Or perhaps the single digital input on the WEBRELAY can be linked with one of the relay outputs on the 4-channel WEBRELAYQUAD module.

If higher channel counts are your bag, then perhaps the X-332 is the device to consider - these devices each have 16 digital inputs and 16 digital outputs and includes full calendar scheduling with 100 programmable events to turn devices on and off at preset times.

Finally, the LanTick product range is also is equipped with a service protocol compatible with KNX-IP Routing mode. KNX uses a broadcast topology so that it is possible for a single input to activate multiple outputs. Advanced home automation features such as shutter control is included.