IEC 62851-5:2014

IEC 62851-5 ®
Edition 1.0 2014-04
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Alarm and electronic security systems – Social alarm systems –
Part 5: Interconnections and communications

Systèmes d'alarme et de sécurité électroniques – Systèmes d'alarme sociale –
Partie 5: Liaisons et communications

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IEC 62851-5 ®
Edition 1.0 2014-04
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Alarm and electronic security systems – Social alarm systems –

Part 5: Interconnections and communications

Systèmes d'alarme et de sécurité électroniques – Systèmes d'alarme sociale –

Partie 5: Liaisons et communications

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
CODE PRIX L
ICS 13.320 ISBN 978-2-8322-1503-6

– 2 – IEC 62851-5:2014 © IEC 2014
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations . 6
3.1 Terms and definitions . 6
3.2 Abbreviations . 7
4 General requirements . 7
5 Interconnections . 7
5.1 General requirements . 7
5.2 Requirements for two-way speech communication . 8
6 Communications . 8
6.1 General requirements . 8
6.1.1 General . 8
6.1.2 Environmental requirements . 8
6.1.3 Access levels . 9
6.2 Non-dedicated paths . 9
6.3 Dedicated paths . 9
6.4 Voice communicators . 9
7 Tests . 9
7.1 Determining availability . 9
7.2 Method for determining availability . 9
Bibliography . 11

Table 1 – Transmission types . 8
Table 2 – General communication requirements for a social alarm system . 8

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
ALARM AND ELECTRONIC SECURITY SYSTEMS –
SOCIAL ALARM SYSTEMS –
Part 5: Interconnections and communications

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
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patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 62851-5 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 79: Alarm
and electronic security systems.
This first edition is based on EN 50134-5:2005.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
79/459/FDIS 79/470/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

– 4 – IEC 62851-5:2014 © IEC 2014
A list of all parts in the IEC 62851 series, published under the general title Alarm and
electronic security systems – Social alarm systems, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
INTRODUCTION
This standard is part of the IEC 62851 series of International Standards and Technical
Specifications “Alarm and electronic security systems – Social alarms systems“, written to
include the following parts:
– Part 1: System requirements
– Part 2: Trigger devices
– Part 3: Local unit and controller
– Part 5: Interconnections and communications
– Part 7: Application guidelines (under consideration)
A social alarm system provides 24 hours facilities for alarm triggering, identification, signal
transmission, alarm reception, logging and 2-way speech communication, to provide
reassurance and assistance for people living at home or at places under surveillance and
considered to be at risk.
A social alarm system is comprised of a number of system parts which can be configured in
different ways to provide this functionality.
A user can request assistance by the use of a manually activated trigger device resulting in
an alarm triggering signal. In certain cases, alarm triggering signals can be generated by
automatic trigger devices. A local unit or controller receives the alarm triggering signal,
switching from the normal to the alarm condition and indicating this to the user (some systems
use an optional pre-alarm condition that allows the user to reset the alarm for a short period
of time).
The controller normally transmits the alarm condition to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) via
the alarm transmission system. The ARC can either be local to the controller or remote from
the controller. The ARC has the facility to identify the local unit, alarm type and to then
establish two-way speech communication between the alarm recipient and the user. The
alarm recipient provides reassurance to the user and directs assistance where appropriate.
In some cases, the alarm may be diverted to an alarm recipient using a personal receiver. In
this case, the alarm is identified to the alarm recipient and a two-way speech communication
path established to the user and receipt of the alarm acknowledged to the controller. In all
cases, the system records the time, date, location and type of alarm.
The system is designed to detect and report fault conditions affecting the transmission of
alarms. In some cases, temporary disconnection of a local unit is possible to minimize faults
or prevent alarms triggered inadvertently affecting the correct operation of the system.

– 6 – IEC 62851-5:2014 © IEC 2014
ALARM AND ELECTRONIC SECURITY SYSTEMS –
SOCIAL ALARM SYSTEMS –
Part 5: Interconnections and communications

1 Scope
This part of IEC 62851 specifies the minimum requirements for the interconnections and
communications within a social alarm system.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 62851-1, Alarm and electronic security systems – Social alarm system – Part 1: System
requirements
IEC 62851-3:2014, Alarm and electronic security systems – Social alarm system – Part 3:
Local unit and controller
EN 50136-1-1:1998, Alarms systems – Alarm transmission systems and equipment – Part 1-1:
General requirements for alarm transmission systems
EN 50136-2-1:1998, Alarm systems – Alarm transmission systems and equipment – Part 2-1:
General requirements for alarm transmission equipment
EN 50136-2-2:1998, Alarm systems – Alarm transmission systems and equipment – Part 2-2:
Requirements for equipment used in systems using dedicated alarm paths
EN 50136-2-3:1998, Alarm systems – Alarm transmission systems and equipment – Part 2-3:
Requirements for equipment used in systems with digital communicators using the public
switched telephone network
EN 50136-2-4:1998, Alarm systems – Alarm transmission systems and equipment – Part 2-4:
Requirements for equipment used in systems with voice communicators using the public
switched telephone network
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 62851-1, as well as
the following apply.
3.1.1
fault reporting time
maximum interval from the time a fault occurs in the interconnection until the transmission of
a fault signal is initiated by the controller

3.1.2
interconnections
transmission system that provides the communication between trigger devices and local unit
and controller
3.1.3
pre-alarm warning indication
indication at the local unit that the local unit is in the pre-alarm condition
3.1.4
reassurance indication
indication provided locally in alarm condition in order to verify to the user that the local unit
has received the alarm triggering signal
3.1.5
reference impedance
Z
R
a complex impedance made up of 270 Ω in series with a parallel combination of 750 Ω and
150 nF
3.2 Abbreviations
For the purposes of this document, the following abbreviations apply.
CCIR International Radio Consultative Committee
CCITT International Telegraph & Telephone Consultative Committee
CEPT Conference of European Posts & Telecommunications
DTMF Dual tone multi-frequency
EMC Electromagnetic compatibility
ETSI European Telecommunications Standardisation Institute
FSK Frequency shift keying
PSTN Public switched telephone network
4 General requirements
Equipment and systems shall meet appropriate local, national and international requirements
and regulations for attachment to, establishment and termination of connection and
transmission via public telephone and data networks (including the PSTN) and/or the
regulations for transmission via the use of radio, power distribution systems or cable
distribution systems.
5 Interconnections
5.1 General requirements
The list below gives the general requirements for interconnections and communication applied
to a social alarm system:
a) Interconnections in a social alarm system can use one or both of the transmission types in
Table 1.
– 8 – IEC 62851-5:2014 © IEC 2014
Table 1 – Transmission types
Transmission type Examples
Wired Leased lines/fixed wired connections/optical fibre link
Wire free Radio network/cellular system, infra red

b) The interconnection in a social alarm system shall have an availability that fulfils the
requirement set out in EN 50136-1-1:1998, Table 4, class A3.
NOTE 1 Method of determining availability is described in 7.2.
c) For wire free trigger devices using a radio interconnection, without managed spectrum
access only radio frequencies dedicated to social alarm systems shall be used for the
transmission of alarm and fault conditions.
NOTE 2 For wire free interconnections the availability of the interconnection is monitored not the availability
or the correct functioning of the trigger device.
5.2 Requirements for two-way speech communication
See IEC 62851-3:2014, 4.2.4.
6 Communications
6.1 General requirements
6.1.1 General
The alarm transmission system path in a social alarm system shall fulfil the requirements in
Table 2.
Table 2 – General communication requirements for a social alarm system
Requirement EN 50136-1-1:1998
Table/Subclause Class
Transmission time Table 1 D3
Maximum time Table 2 M3
Reporting time – Combined local unit & controller Table 3 T1
Reporting time – Separate local unit & controller Table 3 T2
Availability Table 4 A1
Signalling security – Substitution security Subclause 6.5.1 S0
Signalling security – Information security Subclause 6.5.2 I0

NOTE The transmission time in a social alarm transmission system is the time measured from when the local unit
and controller enters the alarm condition until the alarm condition is reported at the alarm receiving centre
transceiver to the annunciation equipment.
6.1.2 Environmental requirements
The EMC and environmental requirements as described in IEC 62851-3 shall apply for the
alarm transceiver in a social alarm system.
NOTE An alarm system transceiver at the user’s premises in a social alarm system is an integral part of the local
unit and controller.
6.1.3 Access levels
The access levels described in EN 50136-2-1 shall apply to a social alarm system. However,
for access level 3 in a social alarm system, communication of local or remote access to
parameters affecting the system configuration to the ARC is not a system requirement.
6.2 Non-dedicated paths
The alarm transmission equipment in a social alarm system connected to the PSTN shall
comply with the requirements in EN 50136-2-3. For social alarm systems 5.3.1 and 5.3.5 of
EN 50136-2-3:1998 shall not apply. Equipment shall be tested in accordance with the
requirements of EN 50134-3.
NOTE Alarm and fault signals can be transmitted digitally to an ARC in a social alarm system e.g. using DTMF or
FSK signalling technologies.
6.3 Dedicated paths
If the system uses a dedicated path then the requirements in EN 50136-2-2 shall apply.
Equipment shall be tested in accordance with the requirements of IEC 62851-3.
6.4 Voice communicators
If the system transmits the alarm or fault signal using a voice communicator then the
requirements in EN 50136-2-4 for type 3 voice communicators shall apply. Where repeat
attempts to transmit are made no more than one call to each available number shall be made
before an attempt is made to call the ARC subject to the total transmission time not exceeding
the maximum permissible time in Table 2. Equipment shall be tested in accordance with the
requirements of IEC 62851-3.
7 Tests
7.1 Determining availability
In a social alarm system it is not possible to test or measure availability of the
interconnection. This subclause describes how to calculate the availability of the
interconnection in a social alarm system using records of faults and performance verification
over a specified period time.
7.2 Method for determining availability
The list below gives the method for determining availability:
a) records of faults shall include those affecting redundant paths or equipment, where these
are required to comply with specified class of availability and where no service was lost;
b) the records of all faults and all performance verification tests carried out on the
interconnections in a social alarm system shall be used to determine the availability of the
interconnection;
c) for each occasion when the system is unavailable the duration of the fault shall be
determined and a fault time calculated as follows:
FT = (DF + TR) × NA (min)
where
FT  is the fault time in minutes;
DF  is the duration in minutes from when the fault was identified to when the fault cleared;
TR  is the maximum fault reporting time in minutes for the appropriate class;
NA  is the number of connected local units where service is affected.

– 10 – IEC 62851-5:2014 © IEC 2014
For each month the availability of the system shall be calcula
...