What are the four types of fire alarm control panels (FACP)?

• A. digital, conventional, addressable, multiplex
• B. coded, conventional, addressable, multiplex
• C. coded, conventional, analog, multiplex
• D. encoded, conventional, addressable, multiplex

Answer: (B)

Fire alarm control panels are classified by how they identify and report from sensors and zones. Conventional systems group detectors into zones, so the panel can tell you which zone triggered, but it cannot identify the exact device inside that zone. Coded systems use a signaling pattern that encodes the zone identity, allowing zone identification with fewer conductors, but they still don’t provide device-by-device identification. Addressable panels assign a unique address to every device, so when something triggers, the panel can pinpoint the exact device and report its status for precise diagnostics. Multiplex systems use a multiplexed communication approach, letting many devices share a single communication channel and be read in sequence, which can save wiring on large installations.

So the four types of fire alarm control panels you’ll encounter are coded, conventional, addressable, and multiplex.