The short version
- Every FireShield system runs the same software. The setup for your house is stored as settings on the controller, which it reads when it starts and again whenever a setting changes.
- Those settings cover your zone count, how long each zone runs, how each valve is wired, and how close a fire has to get before the system starts.
- Change a setting and it takes effect right away, without a technician, a site visit, or a software update to the controller that protects your house.
- A valve wired backwards is fixed by changing one setting. Nobody has to go back up the ladder.
- If you're comparing systems, ask what it takes to make a zone run a little longer.
Sometimes an installer wires a valve backwards, so it closes when it should open.
It can go unnoticed until a test run.
How it gets fixed depends on how the system was built.
Two ways to build the same controller
There are two ways to set up how a controller behaves.
One way is to write every detail into the software. Then any change, even a small one, means writing, testing and installing new software on the controller.
The other way is to keep those details as settings stored on the controller, and have the software read them. The software stays the same, and only the settings change.
FireShield is built the second way. It's the first claim in FireShield's patent, which is a reasonable signal of how central it is: the controller reads a configuration file at runtime and works out from that file how many valves there are, how they're grouped into zones, and what order to run them in — all of it "independent of any modification of the executable firmware."
Every FireShield controller runs the same software. What's different for your house is the settings.
What the settings cover
For each valve, FireShield stores six settings:
How long that zone runs, in minutes. Each zone can be different.
How long to power the valve. Each valve needs a certain amount of time to open fully, and this setting matches it.
What kind of valve it is. Some valves stay in place once they move, and others stay open only while they have power. The setting tells FireShield which one it is.
Whether the wiring is backwards. If a valve was wired backwards, this setting fixes it without anyone going back up on the roof.
Whether the valve is used at all.
Whether it's normally open or normally closed. FireShield works with both types.
That's six settings for each valve, on up to 36 valves on a single FireShield controller, and none of them requires changing the software.
The settings you can change yourself
Everything above is set by your installer. A few settings you can also change yourself, if you ever want to.
You change these from the FireShield app whenever you want, and they take effect right away. The patent language is specific about this — a user changes an activation setting "from the application, from the cloud backend, or at the controller," and FireShield applies the new value right away, with no software change and no involvement from an installer, a technician, or the manufacturer.
These are the settings you can change:
How close a fire has to get before your system starts. This is called the activation distance. A FireShield technician sets it for your house at installation, typically starting from 6 miles, and you can change it in the app if you want.
How long it waits before it starts. This is the delay, a countdown that begins once a fire is inside your activation distance. The technician sets it too, typically starting from 9 minutes, which gives you time to cancel if you can see it's a false alarm.
Which zones run. By default every zone runs. You can switch zones off if you want, either ahead of time or in the middle of a run, and FireShield skips them. There's a separate article on why you might want to.
Scenarios. Groups of zones you can pick with one tap, such as roof only, exposed side or perimeter only.
Your settings are stored in two places, on the FireShield controller and in the FireShield cloud, and the two are kept in sync. Change something in the app and it goes to the controller. If the internet goes down, which is likely during a wildfire, the controller uses its own copy. Your system doesn't need to check with a server to know what to do, as the next article explains.
Why this matters
Any change to the software on a life-safety device is a big deal. It has to be written, tested and sent out, and every release can break something that used to work. FireShield's patent puts the concern plainly: doing it this way "removes the delay and the risk of introduced defects that a firmware change to a life-safety device entails."
If every change means new software, every change carries some risk. If it only means changing a setting, there's no software risk.
What to ask before you sign
Questions you can ask:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| If a valve is wired backwards, what's the fix? | With FireShield it's one setting. Ask other companies whether it takes a return visit or a software change. |
| Can I change my activation distance myself? | FireShield: a technician sets it for your house at installation, and you can also change it in the app. |
| Can zone run times differ from each other? | Your roof and your brush line have different needs. FireShield sets a run time for each zone. |
| Does changing a setting require a software update? | With FireShield, no. This question tells you which of the two ways the system was built. |
| Does it still know its settings with the internet down? | FireShield keeps a copy of your settings on the controller itself and uses it when the internet is down. |
These answers tell you more than a brochure.
How a company handles a backwards valve shows whether its system was designed to be adjusted easily over the years.
FireShield was.
Next in this series
- What Happens When the Cell Towers Go Down — How FireShield keeps working when the internet, the power, and the phone network are all gone.
- Skip the Zones You Don't Need — Watering only part of your property, and why you might want to.
- Why Wildfire Controllers Fail on the Hottest Day — The cooling fan and the computer, and why FireShield has neither.
- What Actually Has to Work When Nobody's Home — The whole system, start to finish, in plain English.
About FireShield — FireShield builds automated exterior wildfire defense systems for homes across Southern California. The controller described here is covered by FireShield's patent. See the wildfire defense system or talk to us.