Integrating a Honeywell Gent fire alarm system with Niagara 4 can help bring fire system monitoring into a single platform, providing visibility of events, device status and key system information. 

This guide covers connection options, point creation, monitoring capabilities, licensing requirements and important protocol considerations when using the Gent driver with Niagara 4. 

Panel Compatibility And Connections 

The Niagara 4 Gent driver is compatible with Gent and Sentry brands of fire alarm panels. 

Supported panel types include: 

• Vigilon Compact 

• Vigilon (Full Size) 

The driver relies on an RS232 connection to the fire panel. 

Connection options include: 

• RS232 connection to a J8000, J9000 (with expansion port) or Tyrrell IoT Controller 

• Ethernet connectivity via a serial device server 

Using a serial device server allows the driver to run on Niagara platforms such as a JACE, ISMA MAC 36 or Web Supervisor. 

Creating Points 

Points are created based on the devices installed on the fire system. 

Gent systems use a logical structure consisting of: 

Panel → Loop → Device 

For example: 

Panel 1 → Loop 1 → Device 50 

A point should be created for each detector or device that you want to monitor within Niagara. 

Point Status Information 

The driver provides real-time status updates for connected devices. 

Available status information includes: 

• OK / Healthy 

• Fire 

• Fault 

• Isolation (driver initiated only) 

Events are reported in real time, allowing point status within Niagara to update almost instantly. 

Command Capabilities 

The Gent driver provides read/write capability to selected functions. 

Panel Commands 

• Silence Panel 

• Evacuate Panel 

• Reset Panel 

Detector Commands 

• Isolate Detector 

• Disable Detector 

To isolate a detector, right-click the point, select Actions and choose the isolation command. 

Licensing 

Each point created in the driver consumes: 

• 1 Gent Driver Point Licence 

• 1 Tridium Global Capacity Point Licence 

When planning an integration, licensing requirements should be based on the total number of detectors being monitored. 

Protocol Limitations 

The driver is based on the Gent Open Protocol documentation and has some limitations. 

The driver: 

• Receives fire alarm activations and fire clear events 

• Receives specific fault activations 

• Returns devices to a healthy status once faults have cleared 

It is also important to note: 

• Isolation events are only received if the driver initiates the isolation 

• If a detector is isolated from the panel keypad, the point status will not automatically update 

Key Takeaway 

The Gent driver enables integration between compatible Gent and Sentry fire alarm panels and Niagara 4, allowing points to be created using the panel, loop and device structure, while providing real-time monitoring and selected command functions. Planning licensing requirements and understanding protocol limitations are important parts of a successful integration.