FAQs
Alertex
How many units can you fit on one system?
Up to 64 units can report back to one Master.
How long do batteries last?
Alertex units require 2 x 3.6v lithium D cells which, with normal use, should last up to 2 years. We advise a changeover of batteries before 2 years. Please note that call points only are fitted with a CR123a battery with a similar battery life. If you are using an IP hub, this will report low battery status.
Can the system be linked to a third party system?
Each unit can be fitted with an input and output to allow for integration with an access control system or fire panel. Speak to our sales team for further details.
Are there voice units available?
Yes, we offer an Alertex annunciator which has pre-recorded messages or users can record their own bespoke message. The annunciator is also fitted with white flashing LED lights.
How loud are the units when activated?
The volume of sounders can be adjusted using the dip switches on the back of the sounder. The volume ranges from 86dBa to 117dBa on sounders and typically 100dBa on annunciators.
Do you offer an installation service?
The Alertex range has been designed to be easily installed and units can be rapidly deployed and moved around a site as required. We work with a number of installers who are familiar with our equipment and are happy to supply details if required.
Do you offer a design service?
We are always happy to look at plans and advise on equipment. This is a free service.
Can the system be re-used?
Alertex has been designed to be deployed as a site changes and develops. You may have to re-programme units as a site grows or retracts but this is a very simple process.
Can the system be used outside?
All Alertex units are available as internal or external variants. External units have an IP66 weather rating and internal units have an IP54 rating.
Can units be added after the initial installation?
Yes this is the beauty of the Alertex system – you can add as many units (up to 64 to each Master) as you wish. Simply programme to the same site code and use the next available unit number if you wish to track the system via the IP masthead.
What is the transmission range?
Alertex units operate using the 434Mhz radio frequency which has excellent transmission properties in buildings and on industrial sites. Units transmit via a mesh protocol and 1km line of sight is easily achieved as each unit acts as a repeater (except for call points only).
Do you supply spare re-set keys for Masters and call points?
We can supply these but there is a charge.
Why would a battery drain quicker than expected?
Check that the CALL REPEAT function is disabled as this should only be enabled on units that are required to create a larger mesh network. Units have this disabled by default. If you are using an IP masthead hub on the system you should check the CALL PERIOD. This is the frequency with which the unit checks in with the IP masthead to give status updates. Units are despatched with a default setting of 99 minutes but this can be adjusted down to 3 minutes but note that more frequent call periods will affect the battery life.
During testing the system activated but did not respond to further activations.
The Alertex system requires at least 6-minute rest period between activations due to it being a battery powered wireless system.
Can the system be monitored out of hours?
To be advised of activated units you can use our IP masthead which will report activations via email to however many recipients are required.
What is required for the IP masthead to work?
You will need a hardwired power and ethernet connection as well as a Windows computer running Windows 7 or above.
What benefits does the IP masthead give?
The IP masthead gives you access to the Alertex PC app which has 3 main functions. Firstly it allows the end user to monitor and control units from one central location. Secondly it allows users to run full or silent tests which can be set to long or short periods depending on the requirement. Thirdly email alerts can be sent automatically following an activation to up to 3 email groups.
I have a very large site – how can I establish the wireless range between units for placement purposes?
You can use a walktest unit (LGWT434)
What standards does the system comply with?
Alertex Fire units are sold as part of a construction site solution or as a bridging system for when a range of fire alarms are being changed over and as such are not EN54 approved. Alertex smoke sensors are BS5839 Part 6 compliant and heat sensors conform to BS5446-2. See datasheets for full details.
How often should I test the system?
Fire alerts should be tested weekly in accordance with Health & Safety guidelines.
Will heat and smoke sensors communicate with Alertex units?
Yes but ensure an Alertex sounder/beacon is within a 100m range of the sensors.
Can schools install a system or should a professional be used?
Alertex has been designed to be easily installed and we have produced an installation video aimed at the education sector. Please go to our You Tube channel.
I don’t want our lockdown alert to sound like fire – how do I change the sound?
In line with recent Ofsted guidelines, schools must be able to demonstrate that their alert for lockdown (meaning stay within the building and find a place of safety) sounds distinctive to a fire alarm (which means evacuate the building). Alertex units not only look different to fire alarms but users have 32 different sounds to choose from. Different sounds are achieved using dip switches within the sounder. Refer to the user guide for full details. Alternatively, the annunciator version allows users to play a pre-recorded message on activation or they can record their own.
How often should I test the system?
There is no stipulation as to how often a lockdown system should be tested. We suggest a full test at least every 3 months.
Can staff on playground duty activate the system in case of an external event.
The NXFOB is available, supplied on a lanyard for ease of use. When this is triggered within 100m of any Alertex unit (except call points only), it will activate the whole system.
OCULi
Can I use my own SIM?
- You can use your own SIM, however, you will still need to pay the £4 cloud server charge (excl. VAT) in order to access the web portal. You will also need to contact us so that we can add your SIM number onto our database.
What SIMs do you provide?
- We use EE M2M SIM cards that are non-network specific and will always use the strongest network within the UK.
How do I activate my SIM?
- You will need to set up a Direct Debit for the SIM payments. When the mandate has been filled in, we will assign your SIM to your Web Portal account and your unit will be ready to use.
How do I set up a Direct Debit?
- Send an email to billing@luminite.co.uk with details of the tariff that you wish to use. Once we have your email address, we will send you a link via Go Cardless (the platform we use to handle our Direct Debit payments) where you can fill in the Direct Debit mandate using your phone or web browser. You will be charged one month in arrears for your data used on the 4th of each month. Any excess data will be tallied and added onto your bill for the month. An invoice will be sent out the following week.
How long do SIM activations take?
- As soon as you’ve filled in the Direct Debit mandate via GoCardless, we will link your SIMs to your OCULi web portal account. Linking SIMs to your OCULi account will take between 5-10 minutes depending on the number of SIMs being added.
- SIMs that are not provided by Luminite will take longer to add to your account.
How long is the SIM contract?
- 12 months, starting from the day the SIM was first activated.
How do I cancel my SIM contract?
- SIM contracts can only be cancelled if the SIM has been lost or stolen. If your SIM has been lost or stolen, please contact us at billing@luminite.co.uk immediately so that we can cancel the SIM and prevent additional charges.
Which way do I insert the SIM?
- Please see the below diagram:
Can my data be pooled if I have several units?
- Our EE SIMs do not pool their data.
Will my SIM work abroad?
- Our EE SIMs are UK-only unless specified by the end-user. Adding EU roaming to the SIM will cost an additional £1 per month (excl. VAT).
Can I use my own SD card?
- You can use your own SD card.
What is the maximum SD card size?
- 16GB
What batteries should I use?
- You can use either 2 x SAFT 3.6v lithium D cells or 2 x rechargeable 3.6v lithium-ion AA batteries.
How long will the batteries last?
- Lithium D cells last between 6-9 months with normal use.
How should I fit the batteries?
- If your unit came with 2019 instructions, fit your batteries in parallel according to the photos in the booklet
- If your unit came with 2020 instructions, fit your batteries in series according to the diagram in the booklet
- Please call us if you are unsure of how to fit your batteries
How long do the rechargeable batteries last with a solar panel?
- As long as the solar panel is facing south and has good light throughout the day, the batteries should last between 2-7 years with proper care
How high should I mount OCULi?
- The ideal height is 2.5 metres and the maximum height is 4 metres
What is the detection range?
- 15 metres out by 90º wide
What is the IR range?
- 10 metres
Can I mask areas of the Fresnel lens?
- Yes, you can mask areas of the Fresnel lens using the masking stickers provided or by using electrical tape.
What other equipment do I need?
- OCULi is a standalone unit and requires no other equipment besides a device running a compatible web browser.
How do I fit the Horn Speaker?
- See the diagram in the OCULi instructions
How do I fit the Solar Kit?
- See the diagram in the OCULi instructions
How do I add a new unit?
- When a new unit connects to the server it will self-populate in the Units tab
How do I add a new site?
- Using the default site as a template, scroll to the bottom the site settings to where it says ‘save as new site’. Type the name of your new site in the box and click ‘Save Site’.
How do I add a new user?
- Click the ‘Add User’ button above the list of users on the left.
How do I add a user to a site?
- Scroll to the bottom of the site settings to where it says ‘Assign users to the site’. Select the user from the list and click the green ‘Add role to site button’. When the user pops up underneath the ‘Assigned users’ section, you can click the yellow ‘Settings’ button to choose which site notifications they will receive. Click the ‘Save site’ button when you’re done.
What does the Heartbeat function do?
- The Heartbeat feature determines how often the OCULi unit checks in with the server. This can be set hourly, daily or weekly. Hourly heartbeats will check in every 10 minutes. Daily heartbeats will check in every hour. Weekly heartbeats will check in every day. More frequent Heartbeats will affect battery life and data usage.
What is the Timeline feature?
- The Timeline feature causes OCULi to take an image every time it checks in with the server. It will then compile these images into a video that will come up as a blue event in the Events tab. Hourly heartbeats will show a series of images taken every 10 minutes over the last hour. Daily heartbeats will show a series of images taken hourly over the course of the day. Weekly heartbeats will show a series of images taken daily over the course of a week. More frequent Heartbeats will affect battery life and data usage.
How do I stop alarm events from flashing?
- Select the event you want to clear and click on the blue dropdown bar above the event footage where it says ‘Clear ever, enter an optional log message’. From here, you can choose to clear the event which will stop it from flashing.
How quickly will I receive a notification from an event?
- If the unit is sited with good signal, a notification will typically take between 30 and 40 seconds to be sent to the server. Receiving the notification to your web browser or smartphone will depend on your own internet connection.
How do I receive firmware updates?
- In the Units tab, tick the box that says ‘Update with release firmware’.
How do I increase the picture quality?
- The image quality of OCULi videos cannot be changed and is capped at 640 x 480 colour VGA.
Why are the images not entirely colour accurate?
- OCULi’s IR illuminator is activated during all detections and changes the colour of day-time footage slightly to give it a purple hue.
How do I increase the night-time quality?
- Use the tick box that says ‘Tick when Day/Night calibration required’ to increase to decrease the shutter speed and increase exposure. Please be aware that pictures may look blurry depending on how fast the subject being detected was moving.
How do I increase the PIR sensitivity?
- Change the power saving mode to something without a peace gap. The most sensitive mode is number 6.
- Change the sensitivity slider to ‘1’
- Change the And/Or setting to ‘Or’ so that the unit will detect when something crosses only one IR beam instead of two.
How do I enable Voice Challenge?
- In the Units tab, scroll to the ‘After detection actions’ section and tick the ‘Voice Challenge’ box.
How do I download OCULi videos?
- You can download OCULi images as either individual still images or a complied video clip. Click on the event in the Events tab and select either ‘Save as Images’ or ‘Save as Video’. The event will then download as a ZIP folder with either images or video inside.
Can I use the web portal on multiple computers?
- Yes, you can use the web portal on multiple computers using a compatible and up to date web browser. We recommend Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Edge.
Can I use the mobile app and multiple smartphones?
- Yes, you can use the mobile app on multiple smartphones provided they are running compatible software.
- iOS 12 or above
- Android Oreo or above
Can I run the web portal from a tablet or smartphone without the app?
- Yes, you can use the web portal from a tablet or smartphone, however, the scaling of the website and mobile devices may make it difficult to use the portal and for this reason, we recommend using either a computer-based web browser or the smartphone app.
What should I do if I’ve forgotten my password?
- Contact us to receive a temporary password. Once you have logged in, change your password in the Users tab.
Which CMS monitoring services are compatible with OCULi?
- OCULi currently integrates with Webeye and Immix.
How do I integrate with a CMS monitoring station?
- Speak to the service provider to obtain the required integration values
- Enter the integration values on the Integration section of the Sites tab
- Call us if you have any issues with the integration process
My unit doesn’t detect frequently enough
- Check your power-saving mode in the Unit settings. Any setting that requires a peace gap will prevent the unit from capturing events unless it hasn’t detected anything for a designated amount of time. Choose an option that blocks events for a certain amount of time after detection to make the unit more sensitive. The most sensitive power-saving mode is number 6. Please be aware that a more sensitive power-saving mode will affect battery life and data usage.
My unit has had an initialisation event but won’t detect anything afterwards
- Check the arming schedule of the unit. If the unit is not set to be armed at the time you are testing it, you will not see any detection events until it is armed. Change the arming schedule to 24/7 and then press the pink reset button on the motherboard to force the unit to make a connection to the server. Once it makes a connection, it will update its’ arming schedule to 24/7 and you will be able to receive detection events.
- Arming the unit 24/7 may impact battery and data usage on busy sites, so be sure the set an appropriate arming schedule once the testing period is completed.
My unit hasn’t had an initialisation event but the SIM has made a connection in the Admin tab
- Make sure that you are in an area with good 3G signal
- Reset the unit using the pink reset button on the motherboard
- Make sure that you are set as an assigned user on the site where your OCULi unit is stationed
My unit hasn’t had an initialisation event and the SIM hasn’t made a connection in the Admin tab
- Check to see whether the SIM is visible in the Admin tab
- Call us to make sure that your SIM has been correctly assigned to your OCULi account
The Save Site button isn’t working
- Refresh the web page by pressing F5 on your keyboard
- Try logging out of your portal and then logging back in
- Close your browser and reopen it
I’m not getting notifications from my site
- Make sure that you are an assigned user for the site in question and that you have ticked the appropriate notifications to receive in the Settings panel.
I’m not getting notifications on my mobile app
- Make sure that you are an assigned user for the site in questions and that you have ticked the appropriate notifications to receive in the Settings panel.
- Make sure that you have allowed the OCULi app to send you notifications in your smartphone settings.
I can’t create a new user
- Refresh the web page by pressing F5 on your keyboard
- Try re-logging into your account
- Close and reopen your browser
- Call us on 020 8368 7887 to resolve the issue quickly if refreshing the web browser does not work.
The new user login options are already populated with my user details
- Refresh the web page by pressing F5 on your keyboard
- Try re-logging into your account
- Close and reopen your browser
- Call us on 020 8368 7887 to resolve the issue quickly if refreshing the web browser does not work
EasySwitch
Q: How long does the battery last in the ESD?
A: This will depend on the number of transmissions from the ESD – but a good quality alkaline battery may last up to 18 months. The normal current drain is 20 micro amps approximately.
Q: I have had an ESD installed for some time and it has stopped working.
A: Check the batteries.
Q: Which ESD should I use to protect my back garden if I have small pets?
A: The ESD3 would be suitable. When mounted at 2.5 metres it will not see below approximately 1 metre. The detection range is 12 metres.
Q: How can I use the ESD2 to protect my garden fence which is 40 metres long?
A: Mount the ESD2 about 0.5 metres from the fence and at a height of 2.5 metres so that it looks along the fence line.
Q: How do I reduce the chance of false alarms from my ESD detector?
A: Try to mount the ESD so that there are no bushes or tree branches which can move in the wind and may be “seen” by the detector. The 40 metre ESD2 is more sensitive to such movements.
Q: What is the correct position for mounting the ESD?
A: Mount the detector so that people walk across the direction in which the detector is pointing. If someone moves towards or away from the detector the detection range is reduced.
Q: My ESD1 is giving false alarms from the tree branches in my neighbour’s garden.
A: The lens occluder label which came with the ESD1 can be used to cover part of the lens so that the detector cannot see the branches.
Q: How can I use the EST1 to control a remote light?
A: The EST1 is connected to a wall switch. The wall switch is only used to connect two of the wires, one blue the other white, on the EST1. DO NOT CONNECT THE EST1’s blue wires or white wire TO LIVE, SWITCHED LIVE OR NEUTRAL or any other voltages or it will be damaged beyond repair. The ESR1 is connected to the remote light.
Q: How is the EST1 powered?
A: 2 x AAA batteries for the latest model.
Q: How much current does the EST1 take?
A: The EST1 takes 2 to 12 micro amps approx. quiescent current.
Q: When the switch is closed is the EST1 transmitting all the time?
A: No, the EST1 transmits for 1 second approx. when the switch is closed or opened.
Q: What type of battery is used in the ESF1/ESF4?
A: It is a 23AE 12 volt battery.
Q: How do I open the key fob to change the battery?
A: Remove the screw on the back. The front of the key fob is in two halves. Push the two halves apart and upwards.
Q: How do I improve the transmission range?
A: Hold the key fob with the buttons towards you and high up.
Q: The ESR1 will not learn the code sent by the ESD, EST1 or ESF4 when I am using the 9 volt battery in step 2 of the installation instructions.
A: Flush the memory of the ESR1 as follows – press and hold the learn button. The learn LED will light and about 10 seconds later it will go out. Try to learn the code again. The 9 volt battery must be able to provide enough current to operate the circuit. If the battery is partially drained get a new one and try to learn the code again.
Q: I had a power cut and my ESR1 stopped working.
A: Flush the memory of the ESR1 as follows – press and hold the learn button. The learn LED will light and about 10 seconds later it will go out. Try to learn the code from the ESD, EST or ESF again.
Q: I have completed the range test with the 9v battery When the ESR1 is connected to the mains supply the relay on/off LED lights when there is a transmission but the lights do not come on.
A: Make sure the 9v battery and the red and black wires are removed from the green terminal block in the ESR1 before the mains supply is connected.
Q: Is there an external aerial available for the ESR4?
A: The AE434 can be used with the ESR4 but not the ESR1.
Q: What is the difference between the ESR1 and ESR4?
A: The ESR1 has one volt free relay for switching but the ESR4 has four MAINS VOLTAGE switching relays which will give 230 v ac as an output.
Q: Is there a 12v version of the ESR1?
A: Yes, the ESR2.
Genesis
Q: I want to use 4 Genesis wireless PIRs. Which receiver products do I need to connect to a dome camera with 4 pre-sets?
A: The LGMRU4x4 has a masthead receiver and relay card in a single product. The relay card has 4 alarm relay contacts and 4 tamper relay contacts.
Q: How and when do I use subnet codes?
A: You only use subnet codes if there are one or more repeaters on the site. If there are only detectors and a LGMT434 masthead with LGRU16 relay control unit or LGMRU4x4, then leave the subnet on the PIR as 1 and on the LGMT434 sub A=1 sub B=1.
Q: How many detectors can be used with one LGMT434?
A: 64.
Q: What are the pin definitions of the 40 way ribbon cable on the LGRM8?
A: The IDC connector has a small triangle on one side which denotes pin 40. The wires on the ribbon cable are grouped so that there are 5 wires for each PIR and 8 PIRs in total for one 40 way ribbon cable. Pin 1=alarm common, pin 2=alarm normally closed contact, pin 3=alarm normally open contact, pin 4 & 5 tamper pair, normally closed. When the power is OFF pins 1 & 2 will read zero ohms but pins 39 & 40 will be open circuit.
Q: Why does the display on the LGRU16 show continuous alarm for PIR “x”?
A: The display will keep showing the unit number of the last PIR which was in alarm.
Q: What is an E1 error?
A: The right hand LGRM8 is missing.
Q: What is an E2 error?
A: There is no communication between the LGRU16 and the LGMT434.
Q: What is an E3 error?
A: The LGRU16 has been programmed to a different group to the units learnt. For example switch 4 is on switch 3 is off so the group is 17 to 32 but the learnt PIR unit numbers are 1 to 16. It can be cleared by pressing the front panel green button after setting the correct group.