When I went onto the Potter website to look up a model number, I was greeted with this:
It appears that they have adopted the Eluxa line of products as their new line of LED notification appliances. This makes me wonder if they will eventually stop using Gentex entirely.
If Gentex wants to keep being relevant, they need to start updating some of their products.
Interesting, I wonder what Hochiki will be doing for LED alarms now…
Interesting, it looks like these have the Potter logo on them but they still use the Wheelock sync protocol.
Also, it seems like they aren’t rebranding the ELMT or ELCH yet for some reason. I’m not sure why, but it does mean that if a device has the Potter logo then it is most likely a speaker/LF sounder (unless someone installed a Potter grille on a Wheelock horn).
I may be wrong, but I think that the Gentex devices that Potter has been using still use Gentex sync- not Potter sync.
They do, they even explicitly mention it in some of their datasheets. With Quadrasync, it should be easy to add new NACs, but replacing might be hard if they fully drop Gentex, even for legacy support
I’m figuring they may take a swing at their own again. I’m not sure if something happened where they can’t make devices anymore, but it would be nice to see another brand of fire alarm that is more than a rebrand installed in a building.
Seems like the uncommon/smaller brands are gonna be copying wheelock’s devices from now on. Even Siemens made an LED strobe series that’s literally just the Exceeder series but under different names.
It’s not copying, it’s rebranding. Big difference
I’d imagine that anything in the interim will likely just be replaced with a Gentex device
I think System Sensor has, or at least had, a company or two rebranding their stuff.
I dont think so except blue point. honeywell doesnt accept much rebrands for N/A’s and pulls. They do allow for addressable detectors tho.
You replied to the wrong post, but I remembered that Ademco did rebrand spectralert advances for a time.
Speaking of Potter signals, I’m intrigued as to why Potter started rebranding Gentex products a few years ago when they already had their own line of signals (second-generation Select-A-Horn/Strobe). I was surprised by this move as the Select-A-Horn/Strobe line was still fairly fresh at the time.
What I find particularly puzzling is that after the switch to Gentex signals, the Select-A-Horn/Strobe remained listed on Potter’s website for a few years as a “Canadian-specific product” (despite having both UL and ULC listings).
It looks like Mircom released their LED strobes in early 2017, and Potter switched to Gentex notification appliances in late 2017. Also, I assume Mircom’s LED strobes use the Amseco sync protocol, since the Mircom SDM-240 looks almost identical to the Potter SMD10-3A, and the SDM-240 is capable of syncing both 240/340 and 400 series devices. Potter may have transferred their patents to Mircom around the time they discontinued their Amseco signals.
I just checked the UL website, and it looks like Potter also has rebrands of the Eluxa multitone devices (including colored strobes) listed, although they are not on the Potter website. I do not see CSFM listings for these devices or any of the rebranded Gentex devices.
The Mircom sync protocol is the same as the old amseco sync protocol. Mircom was an amseco OEM customer and amseco made the 240/340 devices. Mircom designed the 400 series NACS in house and used the abandoned amseco sync protocol since amseco wasn’t making product anymore after saxa from Japan discontinued their designs
Mircom still had to make their own sync module design after coming up with their 400 series. I was suspecting that Mircom’s LED devices were inspired by the older Amseco “Select a strobe” series.
I can’t even find the 24v versions on their site anymore. I can only see their 120v verisons.
For some reason I can only seem to find those rebranded Wheelock devices both via that announcement banner on the main/home page & by searching for them: they also have their rebranded Gentex devices still listed, so I’m not sure what to think about this.
Yeah I don’t know. I’m guessing that they were loosing business due to not having LED devices. They are probably just offering these as an LED option to keep people happy. It doesn’t even seem like they are rebranding them, so much as selling them through their company. It is possible that they are just using these as a placeholder until Gentex releases their led devices. Maybe they will switch back over then. Also, they could have a contract with Gentex that forces them to continue carrying their products even if they also want to work with another brand.
In the end, this is all just a confusing mess that could result in sync issues in buildings where both lines of devices are used and other logistics problems. It’s all caused by Potter pulling the trigger on moving to Wheelock too early and Gentex taking too long to develop new products. I’m not saying this is my opinion; I just am saying that I think it’s the reasoning behind this.
