The two names Australian specifiers weigh most often in emergency lighting: Clevertronics, the Melbourne-based pure-play specialist built around L10 lithium batteries and the Zoneworks XT HIVE wireless monitored system, and Stanilite, the heritage brand inside NHP with the mature Nexus monitored platform and a nationwide distribution machine. Both are AS/NZS 2293-native and both can compliantly light the same building — the differences are in lifecycle economics, monitoring architecture and channel.
| Clevertronics | Stanilite | |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Independent Australian specialist (Melbourne) | Brand of NHP Electrical Engineering Products (Melbourne, privately owned) |
| Focus | Emergency lighting only (pure-play) | Emergency lighting line within a broad electrical/automation group |
| Heritage | Founded 2001 | Decades of history; the original “Spitfire” name |
| Battery platform | L10 Nanophosphate lithium (LiFePO4) across the core range, ~10-year design life | Varies by range and generation — verify chemistry per current datasheet |
| Monitored system | Zoneworks XT HIVE — wireless RF mesh, automated testing, exception reporting | Nexus — addressable central monitoring, wired; Nexus RF wireless mesh variant |
| Self-test management | CleverSparky free cloud app for self-test fleets | Standalone self-test ranges; records managed via contractor tooling |
| Distribution | Wholesalers + Clevertronics state offices/project teams | NHP national branch network + wholesalers (AU & NZ) |
| Installed base | Large and growing, strong in monitored estates | Very large legacy and current base across all building types |
| Standards | AS/NZS 2293.1/.2/.3, NCC E4 | AS/NZS 2293.1/.2/.3, NCC E4 |
Neither brand is universally better — they win on different axes. Choose Clevertronics when lifecycle cost is the argument: the L10 lithium platform attacks battery replacement (the biggest recurring cost in emergency lighting), Zoneworks XT HIVE is a purpose-built wireless monitored system for large or distributed estates, and CleverSparky gives self-test fleets a free record-keeping backbone. Choose Stanilite when the Nexus platform, NHP’s national branch support and single-relationship convenience matter — especially on projects where NHP is already supplying switchboards and motor control, on staged retrofits into a Stanilite installed base, or where local spec familiarity and like-for-like replacement drive the decision. On any large monitored project, price both systems and compare the monitoring architecture against the building’s cabling reality.
Clevertronics is a dedicated emergency lighting manufacturer whose whole platform targets the cost of owning and testing fittings over a building’s life. The L10 Nanophosphate lithium battery program replaces the NiCd batteries that traditionally fail every few years; Zoneworks XT HIVE runs the AS 2293.2 test cycle automatically over a wireless mesh and reports by exception; and the CleverSparky app keeps compliant records for standalone self-test fittings. Ranges cover exits (including Ultrablade), spitfire-style downlights, battens, weatherproofs and high-bays, manufactured and supported locally with NZ and UK operations.
Stanilite pairs one of the industry’s oldest names with NHP’s national distribution. The Nexus platform is its centrepiece: addressable fittings reporting identity, test results and faults to a central monitor, automating the six-monthly cycle and producing per-fitting compliance history — available wired for new builds and as Nexus RF over a wireless mesh for retrofits. Around it sit self-test and conventional ranges covering exits, Spitfire-lineage downlights, battens, oysters and weatherproof fittings, all supplied and supported through NHP branches across Australia and New Zealand.
Batteries are the clearest economic split. Clevertronics leads its entire pitch with L10 lithium iron phosphate chemistry and its roughly ten-year design life — on a building with hundreds of fittings, halving battery change-outs over a decade is a five-figure saving in labour alone. Stanilite ranges span generations and chemistries; on any given project the right move is to compare the actual battery specification and warranty on the quoted models rather than assume parity.
Monitored architecture is the second split. Both offer automated testing with per-fitting records — the difference is lineage and form factor. Nexus is the mature addressable platform with a central head-end, in wired form (strongest in new construction, where the infrastructure is designed in) and RF form for retrofits. Zoneworks XT HIVE is wireless-first: the mesh is the system, which suits existing buildings and distributed estates where cabling was never an option. On a new tower, both architectures compete on even terms; on a retrofit portfolio, wireless-first thinking often has the edge.
Self-test fleet management is a quieter differentiator. Most Australian buildings are too small for a monitored system, which makes the record-keeping around standalone self-test fittings the real compliance battleground. Clevertronics ships CleverSparky, a free cloud app purpose-built for that job. Stanilite self-test fittings do the same electrical job, with records typically kept in the contractor’s own tooling or field-service platform.
Channel and relationships decide plenty of projects on their own. NHP’s branch network, wholesaler depth and existing commercial relationships (switchboards, motor control, automation) make Stanilite the path of least resistance wherever NHP is already on the job. Clevertronics counters with specialist project teams and direct engagement on monitored designs. Neither is “better” — but one usually fits a given project’s procurement reality better than the other.
Installed base cuts both ways. Stanilite’s enormous legacy base means service contractors touch it constantly and like-for-like replacement is trivial. Clevertronics’ base skews newer and more monitored. For a contractor building a maintenance book, fluency in both is simply mandatory.
Both brands compliantly cover the full AS/NZS 2293 building set, and both offer automated-testing paths. The decision usually reduces to three questions: whose battery economics do you believe for this building, which monitoring architecture fits its cabling reality, and which channel relationship does the project already live in? Always confirm current ranges, chemistries and system capabilities against the manufacturers’ datasheets before tendering.
Whichever brand is on the ceiling, the compliance obligation is identical: six-monthly discharge tests under AS/NZS 2293.2, per-fitting records, and defect close-out that stands up in an audit or annual statement. traqR gives electrical contractors that layer regardless of vendor:
Australian emergency lighting specialist known for L10 lithium battery technology, the Zoneworks XT HIVE wireless monitored system and the CleverSparky testing app.
Full deep-diveOne of the oldest names in Australian emergency lighting — home of the Nexus monitored systems and the iconic Spitfire — owned and distributed nationally by NHP.
Full deep-diveClevertronics is a pure-play emergency lighting specialist competing on lifecycle economics — L10 lithium batteries, the Zoneworks XT HIVE wireless monitored system and the CleverSparky app. Stanilite is the heritage brand inside NHP, anchored by the mature Nexus monitored platform (wired and RF) and NHP’s national distribution and support network.
Clevertronics has the clearest battery story: L10 Nanophosphate lithium iron phosphate across its core range, engineered for a design life in the order of ten years versus the few-year reality of traditional NiCd. Stanilite ranges vary by generation — compare the actual chemistry and warranty on the specific models quoted.
They approach the same job differently. Zoneworks XT HIVE is wireless-first (RF mesh, no test cabling), which favours retrofits and distributed estates. Nexus is the mature addressable platform with wired and RF variants, strongest designed into new construction and backed by NHP support. On a new build they compete evenly; price both and match the architecture to the building.
Yes — both manufacture to AS/NZS 2293.3, are designed and installed under AS/NZS 2293.1, and are maintained under the AS/NZS 2293.2 six-monthly testing regime that applies to every emergency lighting installation in class 2–9 buildings under the NCC.
For servicing you don’t get to choose — the installed base means you’ll maintain both, so fluency in both platforms is the real answer. For new supply, run the decision guide above: battery economics and wireless monitoring favour Clevertronics; Nexus maturity, NHP channel and installed-base continuity favour Stanilite.
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