ELV Systems. Coordinated safety, visible only when needed.
9 sub-services · 18 brands
CCTV, fire alarm, hydrant, PAVA voice-alarm, access control, nurse call, boom barriers and security screening — engineered to NBC, IS and NFPA codes and integrated through one command surface.
· Quick answer
What is ELV and why is it grouped together?
ELV (extra-low-voltage) covers fire alarm, CCTV, access control, PA, nurse-call, intercom, structured cabling, gate barriers and screening — grouped because they share pathways, controllers and cause-and-effect logic. Every safety and security service that runs at less than 50 V AC: fire alarm, CCTV, access control, PA, nurse-call, intercom, structured cabling, gate barriers and screening. They are grouped because they share installation pathways, share controllers in many cases, and need to be coordinated as one cause-and-effect system. Treating them as separate contracts is how integration gaps appear.
ELV — extra-low-voltage and life-safety — is the bedrock of any serious building. We design every loop, every camera, every detector around the cause-and-effect logic that has to play out when something goes wrong: lifts that home to the ground floor on alarm, doors that release at the right moments, the PA chain that announces the affected zone before the guard radio does. Compliance to NBC, IS 2189 and NFPA 72 is the floor.
From IP surveillance and access control through to the three fire families — fire hydrant, fire alarm and fire extinguishers — engineered to readiness where applicable to project scope, plus hydrant networks, PAVA, nurse call and security screening at the gate, everything talks. One panel, one log, one accountable hand — subject to drawings, AHJ/consultant review and project scope.
/ Integrated ELV systems
How integrated ELV systems work together.
An integrated ELV system connects fire detection, suppression, surveillance, access control, public address, structured cabling and BMS / IBMS monitoring into one coordinated building infrastructure layer. The map below shows how these subsystems share pathways, signals and cause-and-effect logic across a data-center or server-room environment.
Integrated ELV systems for data centers and critical infrastructure — shown as a simplified system map for design discussion. Not a live dashboard or project photograph.
Click or hover any service in the index to see its capabilities, brand stack and a representative installation context.
Coverage. Storage. Evidence.
CCTV & Surveillance
IP video surveillance — Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Bosch — designed to coverage, recording-bandwidth and retention specifications, with VMS and AI-analytics overlays.
/ Capabilities
Camera selection and placement to face/IDR capture
CCTV, fire alarm, hydrant, PAVA voice-alarm, access control, nurse call, boom barriers and security screening — engineered to NBC, IS and NFPA codes and integrated through one command surface.
CCTV & Surveillance
IP video surveillance — Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Bosch — designed to coverage, recording-bandwidth and retention specifications, with VMS and AI-analytics overlays.
Capabilities
Camera selection and placement to face/IDR capture
Addressable fire detection and alarm — one of the three fire families (fire alarm, fire hydrant, fire extinguishers) — Honeywell, Bosch, Notifier and Siemens panels — integrated with PA, BMS, access control and emergency lighting to readiness per NBC, IS 2189 and NFPA 72, for consultant and AHJ review.
Capabilities
Addressable loop design and panel sizing
Cause-and-effect programming
Integration with PA, BMS, lifts, access control
Aspirating smoke detection (VESDA) for critical zones
Wireless detection for heritage and retrofit
Fire NOC drawings and statutory liaison
Brand stack
Honeywell, Bosch, Notifier, Siemens
Fire Hydrant System
Wet- and dry-riser hydrant systems — one of the three fire families (fire alarm, fire hydrant, fire extinguishers) — jockey-and-main pump rooms, yard hydrants and four-way fire-brigade inlets, engineered to readiness per NBC, IS 13039 and NFPA 14 for consultant and AHJ review.
Capabilities
Hydraulic calculation and pump sizing
Wet-riser, dry-riser and ring-main design
Underground and overhead static-water reservoir
Yard hydrants, hose reels, hose cabinets
Four-way fire-brigade inlets
AMC, mock drills, hose pressure testing
Brand stack
Newage, Grundfos, Kirloskar
X-Ray Baggage Scanners
Dual-energy X-ray baggage and parcel scanners for airports, hotels, government buildings, courts, malls and corporate lobbies.
Capabilities
Single- and dual-view tunnel scanners (60×40 to 150×180)
Dual-energy material discrimination
Threat-image projection (TIP) for operator training
Network and central monitoring integration
AERB radiation safety certification support
Brand stack
Smiths Detection, Rapiscan, Nuctech
Under Vehicle Surveillance (UVSS)
Embedded high-resolution UVSS with ANPR and driver-occupant cameras — a critical first line of defence at every vehicle entry point.
Capabilities
Full-chassis high-resolution imaging
ANPR plate-read with database comparison
Driver and occupant camera capture
Difference-detection alerting
Integration with boom barriers and access control
Brand stack
Comm Port
Door-Frame Metal Detectors
Multi-zone DFMDs with adjustable sensitivity, pinpoint LED indicators and networked logging — for hotels, courts, places of worship, malls and government buildings.
Capabilities
Multi-zone (8 to 33 zones) detection
Programmable sensitivity per environment
Networked event logging
ESD-safe and radiation-safe
Integration with X-ray and access control
Brand stack
Smiths Detection
Boom Barriers & Motorised Gates
Boom barriers, sliding and swing gates, road blockers, bollards and turnstiles — integrated with ANPR, RFID and access control.
Capabilities
High-speed boom barriers (1.5s open)
Swing, sliding and cantilever gates
Crash-rated bollards (K4 / K8 / K12)
ANPR, RFID and UHF integration
Loop and photocell safety
Brand stack
FAAC, BFT, Came
Nurse Calling System
IP-based nurse call systems with bedside, bathroom, code-blue and staff-presence stations, integrated with mobile and PA.
Capabilities
Bedside, bathroom, code-blue, code-pink stations
Staff-presence and assist buttons
Corridor dome lights and zone displays
Mobile-app and DECT pager integration
Service-quality reporting
Brand stack
Honeywell
— Building map · ELV intelligence board
Seven systems. One building.
Pick a system. The cross-section lights up its devices and cabling, drawing the head-end relationships in one glance.
PTZ
Dome
NVR
Reference commercial building · cutaway demonstration
Building systems index
IP Surveillance · CCTV. Edge cameras across perimeter, lobby, corridors and lifts. NVR in the server room. Retention sized to 30–90 days. Recording continues on UPS during outages.
Access Control. Card / fingerprint readers on every restricted door. Magnetic locks fail-safe on fire alarm. Controllers daisy-chained to the access server in the server room.
Addressable Fire Alarm. Detector loop addresses every device individually. Cause-and-effect logic shuts dampers, releases mag-locks, homes lifts to ground. Panel in BMS / FCC room.
Public Address · PAVA. EN 54-16 voice-evacuation backbone. Zoned paging by floor / area. Fire-alarm event overrides routine paging instantly. Amplifier rack in server room.
IP-PBX · Voice. DID numbering, voicemail-to-mail, mobile twinning, hunt groups. Survivable branch path keeps voice live when the WAN drops.
Server / MDF Room. Climate-controlled enclosure for NVR, IP-PBX, AC server, switches and routers. UPS-backed; precision cooling; addressable detection inside the room.
Building Management System. Supervisory control over HVAC, lighting and sub-metering. Coordinated trips on fire-alarm cause-and-effect. Head-end in the FCC / BMS room.
/ Frequently asked
ELV — what people ask first.
What is ELV and why is it grouped together?
ELV (extra-low-voltage) covers fire alarm, CCTV, access control, PA, nurse-call, intercom, structured cabling, gate barriers and screening — grouped because they share pathways, controllers and cause-and-effect logic. Every safety and security service that runs at less than 50 V AC: fire alarm, CCTV, access control, PA, nurse-call, intercom, structured cabling, gate barriers and screening. They are grouped because they share installation pathways, share controllers in many cases, and need to be coordinated as one cause-and-effect system. Treating them as separate contracts is how integration gaps appear.
Are these systems mandatory under Indian building codes?
Most ELV systems are mandatory under NBC 2016 and IS codes for commercial, hospitality, healthcare and educational buildings above defined thresholds. Under NBC 2016 and the relevant IS codes, addressable fire alarm, voice-evacuation PA, hydrant networks and emergency lighting are mandatory in commercial, hospitality, healthcare and educational buildings above defined occupancy and height thresholds. CCTV is mandatory in regulated sectors such as banks, ATMs, malls and some institutional clients. We engineer to the code that applies and prepare the drawings the local fire and police NOC require.
How do you integrate fire, CCTV, access and PA into a single response?
Fire, CCTV, access and PA integrate through a written cause-and-effect matrix that is documented per building, programmed once and tested on commissioning. A written cause-and-effect matrix. On a fire-alarm event from a specific detector, the matrix triggers a sequence: lifts home to ground, magnetic door-holders release, PA announces the affected floor, BMS shuts AHU dampers, CCTV pre-records the area, and access control switches to evacuation mode. The matrix is documented per building, programmed once, and tested on commissioning.
What kind of CCTV retention is appropriate?
CCTV retention is 30 days for commercial, 60 days for hospitality, 90 days for healthcare and government, and 180 days where regulated. 30 days for most commercial buildings, 60 days for hospitality, 90 days for healthcare and government, 180 days where regulated. Storage is sized by retention × bitrate × camera count, not by the headline 'channels' number on a panel. We provide a written storage calculation in every CCTV quote.
What's an AMC for ELV systems and why does it matter?
An ELV AMC is a documented programme of preventive checks plus written response targets — without it, ELV systems silently degrade until they fail when needed. A documented programme of preventive checks (panels tested quarterly, batteries swapped on schedule, hydrant pumps load-tested annually, CCTV firmware updated on a calendar) plus response targets in writing. ELV systems silently degrade — batteries weaken, sensors drift, firmware needs patching. AMC is what keeps them genuinely working on the day they are needed.
How do you size CCTV camera count for a building?
CCTV camera count comes from a coverage plan against the architect's drawings — typically 18–28 cameras per 1,500 sq m commercial floor — not a procurement instinct. A coverage plan, not a procurement instinct. We mark every entry, exit, lift lobby, corridor junction, perimeter line and high-value zone on the architect's drawings, then assign camera type — fixed, varifocal, PTZ, panoramic — based on the field of view that zone actually needs. A 1,500 sq m commercial floor typically lands at 18–28 cameras; bigger numbers usually mean someone has confused coverage with reassurance.
What's the difference between IP and analogue CCTV in 2026 — does analogue still have a place?
IP CCTV is the default for any new install in 2026; HD-over-coax has only a narrow place where existing coax must be reused on small (under 16-camera) retrofits. IP is the default for any new install: higher resolution, smarter analytics, network-native, simpler cabling on Cat6A with PoE. HD-over-coax (HDCVI, TVI) still has a narrow place where existing coax must be reused and the budget cannot stretch to recabling. Below 16 cameras and on retrofit footprints, analogue may still pay back; above that scale, IP wins on every axis.
Do you handle the fire NOC and police licensing paperwork ourselves?
Yes — fire NOC and police licensing paperwork is part of our integrated scope, with drawings prepared to the format the local authority requires. As part of the integrated scope. Drawings prepared to the format the local fire authority requires, hydrostatic test certificates, hydrant flow tests, addressable panel commissioning logs, and the cause-and-effect matrix. For police licensing on regulated CCTV deployments (banks, ATMs, certain hospitality), we prepare the technical schedules the authority expects. The client signs; we deliver the supporting paperwork.
Personal designations sit alongside the practice’s ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 10002:2018 certifications. We do not claim any vendor authorisation we do not hold; brand-authorisation letters are listed separately on /credentials.
· Continue reading
Most projects span two or three disciplines.
A villa is automation plus AV plus security. A hospital is ELV plus IT plus BMS. Read across the practice.