Two home-grown Australasian intelligent analogue-addressable fire detection platforms: the Ampac FireFinder PLUS (an Australian Halma-group design running the open Apollo protocol) and the Pertronic F220 (New Zealand-made, successor to the F120A). Both are ActivFire-listed to the relevant Australian standards, so this is an unusually close, like-for-like comparison. The differences are real but nuanced.
| Ampac | Pertronic | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Ampac (Australia; a Halma company) | Pertronic Industries (New Zealand) |
| Platform | FireFinder PLUS analogue-addressable | F220 (successor to F120A) |
| Loop device protocol | Apollo XP95 & Discovery (open / third-party) | Pertronic intelligent-addressable (CLIP legacy upgrade) |
| Devices per loop | 126 (Apollo protocol) | 159 detectors + 99 modules/MCPs/devices |
| Loops per panel | 1 to 8 (fully expandable) | 2 to 20 (two-loop increments) |
| Max devices / panel | ~1,008 (SP8X, 8 loops × 126) | 3,180 detectors + 1,980 modules |
| Network | Peer-to-peer: up to 99 nodes / 250 loops (~31,500 devices) | F220-Net2: up to 160 panels |
| Occupant warning | EvacUElite EWIS + EvacU OWS amps to 500 W | Integrated EA60/EA120 amplifiers, up to 360 W |
| Display | Large graphic display + SmartView | 7-inch colour LCD + FireMap |
| Variants | EN 54, UL, FireFinder Marine | UL-listed F220 (US) |
| Core approval | AS 7240.2/.4, AS 4428.3 (ActivFire afp2954) | AS 7240.2 (ActivFire afp-3054) |
Both are high-quality, ActivFire-listed Australasian platforms; neither is universally “better”. Choose Ampac FireFinder PLUS when device openness and supply-chain flexibility matter (Apollo XP95/Discovery), when you need a comprehensive evacuation/EWIS package with high-power occupant warning, or when the project benefits from EN 54 / UL / marine variants and the backing of a large international safety group, e.g. estates built from many networked panels, intercom-heavy EWIS buildings, and export or shipboard work. Choose the Pertronic F220 when you want maximum capacity per panel and per network, a modern colour operator interface, occupant warning integrated into the panel, rich cause-and-effect logic and responsive NZ-based local support, e.g. large AU/NZ commercial, education and health buildings, or any F120A upgrade.
FireFinder PLUS is Ampac’s flagship intelligent analogue-addressable panel, available in fully expandable 1-to-8-loop configurations and approved to AS 7240.2, AS 7240.4 and AS 4428.3:2010 (ActivFire afp2954). A defining feature is its use of the open Apollo protocol (Apollo XP95 and Discovery detectors, a globally available third-party device ecosystem familiar to installers worldwide) rather than a closed proprietary range. Each loop carries up to 126 devices at 500 mA loop current.
It comes in three cabinet families (SP1X up to 4 loops; SP8X up to 8 loops; SP16X up to 16 loops / two nodes) plus rack options, with an extensive add-on range (fire-fan control, agent release, switch/indicator and relay/sounder boards, conventional zone board, HLI expander, printer, SmartTerminal repeaters). FireFinder PLUS networks peer-to-peer up to 99 panels/nodes with a maximum of 250 loops (~31,500 devices system-wide), paired with Ampac’s deep evacuation portfolio (EvacUElite EWIS, EvacU OWS amplifiers from 25 W to 500 W), plus SmartView graphics, Nimbus Connect remote monitoring, and EN 54 / UL / FireFinder Marine variants.
The F220 is the flagship analogue-addressable panel from Pertronic Industries, a New Zealand manufacturer with a strong AU/NZ presence. It’s a modular, expandable, networkable panel approved to AS 7240.2 and ActivFire-listed (afp-3054), and the direct successor to the long-serving F120A (with an easy upgrade path).
It favours scale within a single panel: 2 to 20 intelligent-addressable loops in two-loop increments, supporting up to 3,180 detectors (159/loop) plus up to 1,980 modules/MCPs/devices (99/loop), with loops up to 2,500 m. It runs a 32-bit RISC processor on Linux with a 7-inch colour LCD, and builds occupant warning into the panel via EA60/EA120 amplifiers up to 360 W of supervised 100 V audio with text-to-speech, ActivFire-listed to AS 4428.16:2020 grade 3. The F220-Net2 network connects up to 160 panels over copper or fibre, with FireMap graphics and FireUtils configuration.
Open Apollo protocol vs a proprietary loop is the clearest split. FireFinder PLUS runs the open Apollo XP95/Discovery (and Soteria) protocol, one of the most widely deployed addressable device ecosystems in the world, giving device choice, competitive pricing, second-sourcing and installer familiarity. The F220 uses Pertronic’s own intelligent-addressable loop (with a documented CLIP-upgrade path), tightly engineered and supported end-to-end by one vendor but sourced from Pertronic rather than an open market.
They scale differently. Pertronic packs more onto each loop (159 detectors + 99 modules) and far more into a single panel (up to 3,180 detectors across 20 loops) than FireFinder PLUS (126 devices/loop, ~1,008 per SP8X). Ampac’s answer is the network: up to 99 nodes and 250 loops, ~31,500 devices system-wide. In short, Pertronic scales “up” (big panels, more nodes, 160 ceiling); Ampac scales “out” (many open-protocol panels across a wide network).
Both are strong on occupant warning, differently. Pertronic integrates it into the fire panel (EA60/EA120 amplifiers up to 360 W, supervised 100 V lines, emergency microphone and text-to-speech, AS 4428.16-listed), which simplifies design and compliance for typical buildings. Ampac fields a broader, modular evacuation portfolio: the dedicated EvacUElite EWIS with warden intercom handsets, plus standalone OWS amplifiers up to 500 W, an advantage for larger or intercom-heavy EWIS projects.
On the operator interface, the F220’s 7-inch colour LCD with colour-coded screens and large alarm text is a notably modern at-the-panel display, backed by FireMap. FireFinder PLUS uses a large monochrome graphic display with SmartView event management and Nimbus Connect remote monitoring, a mature graphics-and-remote story, though Pertronic generally has the edge on the at-the-panel colour display.
On reach and ownership, Ampac (a Halma company) offers EN 54 and UL variants plus a FireFinder Marine range, a natural fit for export, multi-standard and shipboard projects, with the backing of a large international safety group. Pertronic is NZ-owned and AS/NZS-first (with a UL F220 for the US); buyers often value its local ownership, responsiveness and the straightforward upgrade path for the large installed base of F120A systems.
Both are high-quality, ActivFire-listed Australasian platforms capable of protecting demanding buildings. The better fit depends on device-openness vs single-vendor integration, whether you scale “out” (many networked panels) or “up” (big panels), how central a dedicated EWIS is, and the support relationship. Always confirm against current datasheets and a licensed fire designer’s engineered drawings.
Whichever panel is installed, a technically capable system is only as good as the inspection, testing and maintenance records behind it. In traqR, fire contractors can manage both platforms with structured asset registers, QR-coded devices, service history, defect tracking and client-facing reporting:
Australian-born addressable fire detection and emergency warning systems, now part of Halma plc.
Full deep-diveNew Zealand fire alarm panel manufacturer with a strong Australian footprint and a reputation for serviceability.
Full deep-diveFireFinder PLUS runs the open Apollo XP95/Discovery protocol (wide device choice, second-sourcing) and scales “out” across a large peer-to-peer network; the Pertronic F220 uses its own intelligent-addressable loop, scales “up” with very high single-panel capacity (up to 3,180 detectors) and the higher 160-panel network ceiling, and integrates occupant warning into the panel. Ampac fields a broader dedicated EWIS range; Pertronic offers a modern colour display and NZ-based local support.
The Ampac FireFinder PLUS. It runs the open Apollo XP95 and Discovery protocol, a globally available third-party device ecosystem, which gives device choice, competitive pricing and second-sourcing. The Pertronic F220 uses Pertronic’s own intelligent-addressable loop devices.
The Pertronic F220, with up to 3,180 detectors plus 1,980 modules across 20 loops in one panel, versus roughly 1,008 devices on a fully loaded 8-loop Ampac SP8X. Ampac’s scale comes instead from its network: up to 99 nodes and 250 loops, around 31,500 devices system-wide.
The Pertronic F220 has the higher node ceiling (up to 160 panels on F220-Net2, independently certified), while the Ampac FireFinder PLUS networks peer-to-peer up to 99 panels/nodes (max 250 loops). Ampac scales “out” across many panels; Pertronic scales “up” with bigger panels and more nodes.
Yes. Ampac is an Australian manufacturer (Perth-based, part of the UK-listed Halma group); Pertronic Industries is New Zealand-owned. Both are independently tested and ActivFire-listed: FireFinder PLUS to AS 7240.2/.4 and AS 4428.3 (afp2954), and the F220 to AS 7240.2 (afp-3054), with Net2 to AS 7240.13 and EWIS to AS 4428.16.
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