Over the past three years, the University has undertaken a significant investment programme to upgrade its fire protection infrastructure. This included systematically replacing legacy MxPro 4 and Kentec systems with next-generation MxPro 5 panels, ensuring consistency across six campuses in West London and Oxford.  

Most recently, Ruskin College, now part of the University of West London, underwent a seamless upgrade across its historic Oxford estate, which includes five main buildings such as the Rookery, first constructed in 1913. Despite the complexity of integrating newer extensions like the Callaghan Library, the project was completed without disruption, thanks to the adaptability and flexibility of the MxPro 5 platform. 

With more than 27 Advanced panels installed across education, office, and residential buildings, the University has now connected three of its main campuses to AdvancedLive, with plans to extend the platform further. Using map-based views, facilities teams and security staff gain a real-time overview of their fire system estate, enabling faster incident response and more efficient day-to-day management. 

For a large and dispersed organisation like UWL, the ability to locate alarms or faults quickly across complex buildings has been transformational. AdvancedLive’s intuitive dashboard and remote access capability allow fire isolations, enablements and weekly testing to be managed digitally, eliminating unnecessary site visits and reducing both costs and carbon footprint. 

The system configuration reflects the unique requirements of each campus: 

• St Mary’s Road Campus operates 13 panels, with Apollo REACH wireless devices deployed within library pods and coincidence detection programmed across third-party systems. 

• Ruskin College Campus features six panels, each building configured with bespoke cause-and-effect strategies, all reporting to central security points. 

• Paragon House integrates four panels with phased evacuation and delays across its 12-storey tower block.

Additional campuses, including Cavendish & Century and Drama Studio London, benefit from tailored programming for linked buildings and theatre operations respectively. In every case, AdvancedLive provides a unified management interface for system status, alarms, faults, and disablements. 

Jason Bennett, Division Manager at Alarm Communication Limited, who led the installation, said: “From both an admin and engineering perspective, AdvancedLive has been extremely positive. The live system view and detailed log make daily management much simpler, while remote access means the facilities team can react quickly and efficiently to any issue. The installation was straightforward, and Advanced’s support throughout the process was excellent.” 

Salvy Vittozzi, Sales Manager for UK South East at Advanced, added: “The University of West London is a great example of how AdvancedLive can transform fire system oversight across a complex estate. By combining the proven reliability of the MxPro 5 panels with the real-time visibility of AdvancedLive, the University now benefits from a solution that’s not only robust today but also scalable for the future. It’s fantastic to see how this investment is already saving time, reducing unnecessary travel, and strengthening fire safety management.” 

Looking ahead, UWL plans to expand AdvancedLive connectivity to the remainder of its estate, ensuring consistent oversight and centralised control across all sites. For universities and multi-site organisations, the combination of MxPro 5 and AdvancedLive provides a powerful foundation for safe, efficient and sustainable fire system management.