Our Central Station Partner - Lanvac

 

Our Central Station Monitoring Partner, Lanvac, is the de facto standard in ULC monitoring stations. Through this partnership, Zenwire can focus on your alarm system and Lanvac's focus is on monitoring your system. 

OVERVIEW OF LANVAC:

• Six state of the art Monitoring Stations across Canada that we – and
  you – can be proud of.
• Since its inception in 1983, Lanvac continually re-invests into its business
   enterprise.
• Lanvac owns 5 of the 6 buildings that house its stations.
• All stations in the Lanvac network are constantly being upgraded and improved.
• Lanvac's technology is such that information is constantly shared amongst the six stations AT ALL TIMES!
• Operators working in the 6 stations, see EVERY alarm signal in real time and no
  matter where the operator is sitting, he/she can handle the alarm.
• All stations are housed in secure, controlled environments, protected
  behind double vestibules and an array of security measures.
• All stations are powered by surge suppressed, power management systems
  with industrial strength generators to ensure uninterrupted station operation.
• The network of stations was designed to stay operational in any weather
  conditions, including, ice storms, floods, major power outages, fires and
  hurricanes.
• A professional team of highly trained technicians constantly monitor the
  stations and their systems 24/7/365 to guarantee smooth operation of the
  facilities.

TELEPHONE NETWORK

• All our stations have dual tracking redundant telephone systems.
• All workstations are digitally recorded.
• The phone systems are interlinked at all times between stations.
• Any incoming call can be answered in any of the 6 monitoring stations.
• No matter where an operator is sitting, he/she can identify the alarm dealer
  whose number is being called.
• Calls can be tracked in real time.
• Manager reports show such information as average call length, call volumes at
  various times of day, lengthy calls and overall traffic volumes

NETWORK FACILITIES

• All the stations are inter-connected with both fiber and copper from different
  providers feeding into redundant switches and routers.
• T1 lines in the stations help keep hundreds of Digital line cards humming
  across all 6 stations.
• All the Internet connections are 100mg fiber with redundant loops from 2
  different COs

RECEIVER FACILITIES

• All the stations have an array of alarm receivers installed.
• In total there are currently over 500 digital line cards.
• Lanvac can receive practically every known alarm format.
• In addition to POTS, Lanvac offers an array of IP receivers and GSM receivers
  including but not limited to Alarm-Net, DMP, DSC, PARADOX, TELDAT, LOBEN
  and UPLINK.

CONNECTIVITY

• Cisco switches and routers are used throughout the backbone and network.
• IBM QUAD CORE multiprocessor servers (20 of them) keep data running
  smoothly across the nation and to dealers’ desks, Smart phones,        
  Blackberries, and their customer service personnel.

POWER

• Power systems for every station were designed from the ground up to ensure continuous power availability for all the mission-critical systems.
• Lanvac has N+2 redundancy at every failure point. All our stations are fed by a 3 phase 600 VAC. The power grids feature 600, 208, 120 VAC anywhere in the stations that may be required.
• Additionally the DC power plants allow Lanvac to provide DC power to the different carriers, backbone providers and telephone providers that bring services to the stations.

POWER DISTRIBUTION

• The AC power is fed through state of the art 75kw Liebert Galvanic Isolation
  Transformers that are monitored through SNMP.
• The equipment weighs in excess of 2000 lbs each, not only provide the 
  equipment with clean and stable power. But also allow Lanvac to monitor the quality of the power provided.
• Lanvac can monitor for phase shifts, harmonics problems, over and under voltage, spikes etc.
• The switchgear allows Lanvac not only to automatically switch power, but to also
  manually make a critical bypass of the UPS systems in case of a catastrophic
  failure of any power system.

UPS

• A main UPS that keeps power uninterrupted throughout the station during the
  transfer over to generator and back.
• In Odyssey, the Montreal station, the main UPS is an “inline” APC 3 phase
  208VAC 60kw. Equipped with 32 UPS Batteries it keeps the station running even
  if the generator power has failed.
• In Nemesis the Toronto station the main in-line UPS is an MGE 3 phase 208VAC
  25kw. Equipped with 24 UPS Batteries it keeps the station running even if the
  generator power has failed.
• These same systems are used to power the towers at most major airports in
   North America.
• Following the main UPS is a second Galvanic isolation transformer that feeds an
   industrial strength square D distribution panel. This panel feeds the monitoring
   station through individual 3 and 5 Kw APC UPS that feeds the equipment.
• All the mission critical equipment, have 2 separate and redundant, power feeds.

GENERATORS

• As a minimum, the stations are equipped with 2 generators, a primary and a
  secondary.
• In Odyssey, the Montreal monitoring station, there are two 35kw primary
  generators and a 35kw secondary generator.
• All the power transfer switches in the stations are Kohler industrial units - 200
  ampere, 3 phases.

HVAC FACILITIES

• Every station is equipped with sufficient air conditioning and handling
  equipment to ensure constant operating temperatures that permit maximum
  efficiency of all electronic equipment and comfort for the monitoring staff.
• Odyssey, for example, has 3 redundant roof-mounted HVAC systems to ensure
  constant cooling of all the equipment.
• The Toronto station also has 3 units (1 roof-mount air conditioning unit and 2
  heat pumps).

IN STOCK EMERGENCY PROVISIONS

Because of the nature of the business, Lanvac realizes the need to be ready for most any crisis situation. Accordingly, they have on-hand at any time, sufficient emergency supplies to allow them to provide continuous service in all circumstances. These provisions include:

• Generators
• A selection of APC 5kw Uninterruptible Power Supplies
• Enough Receivers and equipment in stock to deploy a new station.
• Over 2000 litres of diesel fuel.
• Emergency supplies (including protective clothing, food and beverage supplies,
  blankets, cots and more).

EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLE
Lanvac owns and operates a fully equipped, diesel-powered 14-foot cube van filled with everything that might be needed in the event of an emergency at one of the stations. This vehicle is always ready to go on a minutes notice.

Besides the standard equipment for such a vehicle, it features:

• Dual Heavy Duty 175 amp alternators.
• Dual 3 KW power inverters.
• An extra 100-litre diesel storage tank.
• 5kw Diesel Generator

Amongst the supplies it contains are:

• 2 High-speed, high-volume water pumps that can handle any threatened flood
  threat.
• A full supply of hand tools and power tools.
• Spare telephone equipment.
• Spare receiver equipment.
• Extra laptop computers.
• Emergency clothing such as vests, gloves, breathing masks, hard hats and
  safety boots.

VIDEO RESPONSE CENTER

In response to demand in recent years, Lanvac operates a complete, modern remote video monitoring center that is housed within Pegasus, the Ottawa monitoring station. From this location they offer:

• Video Alarm Verification
• Video “Guard” Tours
• Video Surveillance

Of course, the equipment being used features the latest, most reliable technology including:

• High Speed Computers equipped with large flat screen LCD monitors.
• High Speed Cisco Routers
• High Speed video switchers
• Complete interface with Lanvac’s proprietary WinLinks monitoring software.