For any organisation operating an alarm receiving centre in Europe, compliance with BS 5979 or EN 50518 is non-negotiable. These two standards define the infrastructure, security, staffing, and operational requirements for ARC operations, yet they differ in scope, jurisdiction, and technical depth.
Understanding the differences matters, not just for certification, but for designing ARC software platforms that support compliance without friction. Here is our technical breakdown.
Scope and Jurisdiction
BS 5979 is the British standard for remote centres receiving alarm signals. It covers fire, intruder, social alarm (telecare), and CCTV monitoring. It is structured around three categories of ARC (I, II, III) based on the grade of signalling and the physical security of the centre.
EN 50518 is the European standard, adopted by CENELEC, covering monitoring and alarm receiving centres. It has three parts: Part 1 (location and construction), Part 2 (technical requirements), Part 3 (operations and procedures). It is the de facto reference for ARC compliance across EU member states.
Key Differences
- Physical security: BS 5979 Category III requires a dedicated monitoring room with no external signage and controlled access. EN 50518 mandates graded physical security depending on the risk level but allows more flexibility in multi-purpose facilities.
- Redundancy: Both standards require backup ARC facilities. EN 50518 is more prescriptive about failover time (60 seconds for alarm event processing). BS 5979 focuses on the capability rather than the exact metric.
- Staffing: BS 5979 requires minimum staffing ratios per number of connected alarm systems. EN 50518 specifies competency requirements rather than fixed ratios, allowing more flexible staffing models.
- Recording and audit: EN 50518 Part 3 requires detailed event logging with tamper-proof audit trails. BS 5979 requires similar records but is less specific about format and retention periods.
- Cloud and remote operations: Neither standard was written for cloud-native ARC operations. EN 50518 is more amenable to interpretation for cloud architectures, while BS 5979 assumes a physical centre with on-premise equipment.
Architectural Implications
For ARC platform design, the differences translate to concrete requirements:
- EN 50518 compliant platforms need sub-60-second failover between primary and backup sites, which drives active-active cloud architectures rather than cold standby.
- BS 5979 compliant audit trails can be implemented with standard database logging. EN 50518 may require append-only or blockchain-backed audit stores.
- Staff management features (shift scheduling, competency tracking) are more important for EN 50518 compliance than BS 5979.
Which Standard Applies to You?
If your ARC serves UK customers, BS 5979 is required by insurers and police authorities. For continental European operations, EN 50518 is the reference. Many pan-European ARCs maintain dual certification. At Altirratech EU, our ARC platforms are designed to support both standards from a single codebase.