Central Station Infrastructure when Using SBN Cloud

SBN Cloud operates from two data centers located in the US, one in Dallas, and one in Virginia. UL requires an equivalently secure and redundant infrastructure be created within the central station housing operators.

The buildings housing the operator room must be safe and secure. UL 827 sets out the building construction, fire protection, and standby lighting requirements. These are generally equivalent to building code requirements for good quality office space. Additional requirements for physical security ensure access to the operator room is secure, for example by requiring a locked door with ability to positively identify persons wishing to gain entrance. These requirements remain when using SBN Cloud.

In addition, the UL 827 sets the standard for power, automation and communication infrastructure. The picture above illustrates the equipment that will meet this when using SBN Cloud and SBN Cloud hosted receivers. In summary, sufficient client PCs connected to SBN Cloud using a redundant secured network connection and powered with backup power capable of operating for 24 hours will meet the standard.

Redundant VPN gateway routers

The Central Station will require two internet connections to satisfy the connectivity requirements within UL827. The redundant gateway could for example be a 4G cellular modem, alternative DSL connection, or other form of internet connectivity.

Connectivity to SBN Cloud is secured through a virtual private network, using standard IPSec lan-to-lan tunnels with Preshared Key authentication.

Examples of redundant gateway VPN routers that support this functionality includes:

Peplink Balance 30 LTE (http://www.peplink.com/products/balance/model-comparison/)
Cradlepoint ARC MBR1400 series (http://cradlepoint.com/products/branch-office-retail-pos/arc-mbr1400-series-with-integrated-3g-4g)

Central stations will also require a data plan with a wireless provider that supports the backup connectivity requirements. This must be sufficient to support the alarm traffic required by the central station. For a small central station, this is on can be as low as 4 Mb per operator per hour, with 5 alarms per hour and average client refresh settings.

Existing network devices should be connected outside of the private network that is used for alarm transmission and processing. Central stations will require a spare router that can be exchanged should the equipment fail.

Operator PCs

SBN Client software is required for managing the alarm traffic. The SBN Client software can operate on any business class PC or laptop with a Microsoft Windows based operating system.

A minimum of three operator workstations are required, supporting two operators and an additional spare. More may be needed in line with the number of concurrent operators required.

Power

UL 827 requires sufficient backup power to operate independently for a period of 24 hours.

Operating with three laptop PCs and a Cradlepoint ARC requires power of 160 watts. The following configuration will provide sufficient power backup for 24 hours: