The prestigious national art museum, The Wallace Collection, will be one of the first buildings to install the new Gent by Honeywell hybrid radio fire alarm system.

Gent will supply its new Plexus system as part of the museum's ongoing refurbishment programme. Kent based fire specialist, D Tecta Fire will supply, install and commission the system for the historic four storey building, the solution including a hard wired Gent Vigilon analogue system in a number of public areas, linked to loop powered radio transceivers supporting wireless devices in public areas.

The allows for the least disruptive installation of a replacement fire system in the fully operational building. The site's radio signal strength is limited due to the nature of the building which is why the technology of the Plexus system lends itself to this particular project.

Plexus enables each wireless device to act as a transceiver and create the opportunity for a range of transmission paths with other nearby devices. The longest radio link is therefore never more than one device away, which forms a network built up of varying lines of communication. This reduces the risk of loss of device communication due to radio dead spots in the building.

Plexus has a single common panel as the point of control for hard wired and wireless devices which enhances operational control and management of the fire alarm system. Sensing technology developed for the Gent S-Quad sensor range means that once the system is installed, it will minimise unwanted false alarms. Plexus will be installed in The Wallace Collection early in 2012 and the installations will be phased with the hardwired core element being installed first.

A successful radio survey was carried out using the Plexus equipment within the exhibition areas in the museum prior to the planned installation.