Step 1 — The gateway: every site needs one
The gateway is the piece of hardware that connects the panel to the Honeywell cloud. There is no CLSS without it, so this is the first decision on every site — and the answer depends on which panel you have.
- Vigilon Compact — the Compact has the CLSS provision built in, so the HON-CGW-MBB fixed gateway on its own is all the hardware you need. It connects over Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
- Vigilon 24 or 72 — these panels need a power supply and an RS232 (I/O) card added before a gateway can talk to them. Rather than picking those parts separately, the VIG-UPGR-CLSS bundle packages the gateway, GSM module, I/O card, PSU and batteries for existing Vigilon installations.
- Morley DXc — the same logic applies: the DXC-UPGR-CLSS bundle carries everything a DXc needs in one part number.
The full ranges are on our CLSS gateway and CLSS bundle pages. If you are unsure which side of the line your panel falls, send us the panel model and request a quote, or call 0844 997 0001.
Common mistake — treating the Vigilon 24 as if it were the Compact. They sound alike, but the Compact has the CLSS connection built in and needs only the gateway; the Vigilon 24 (and 72) need the PSU and I/O card as well. Ordering a bare gateway for a Vigilon 24 leaves you with hardware that cannot be commissioned — specify the bundle instead.
Step 2 — Internet: how the gateway gets online
The HON-CGW-MBB gateway connects over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. If the site can offer either, this step costs you nothing and needs no further parts.
Where there is no usable site network — a common position on landlord systems and remote plant — the CCM2-GLOBAL GSM module gives the gateway its own mobile connection. Note that the VIG-UPGR-CLSS and DXC-UPGR-CLSS bundles already include the GSM module, so this is only a separate line item when you are buying the gateway on its own. Remote access to a fire system also now engages the remote-access and cybersecurity provisions introduced in BS 5839-1:2025 (clause 43.4), which is a further reason to settle the connection method deliberately rather than by default.
Connection-method questions are quick to resolve over the phone — 0844 997 0001.
Step 3 — The annual subscription: one per panel, or one per network
CLSS is a subscribed service, so every connected system carries an annual gateway subscription. The choice is simple:
- Single panel — one standalone panel, one single-panel subscription.
- Network system — panels networked together need one network subscription per network (per domain), not one per panel. On networks of three or more panels we recommend connecting via a terminal node.
Two further subscriptions exist for particular cases: Pro FM, which gives the end user manual call point testing and panel controls from their own devices, and a VESDA subscription, priced per VESDA detector. Subscriptions are quoted rather than listed — request a quote with your panel count and network layout, or call 0844 997 0001.
Design tip — one network means one subscription. A four-panel Vigilon network does not need four subscriptions; it needs one network-system subscription and, at that panel count, a terminal node for the connection. Counting subscriptions per panel is the most common over-specification we correct at quote stage.
Step 4 — Administration: handled for you
CLSS needs an administrator: someone to hold the account, create the sites, and manage which engineers can see what. For our trade customers, Midland Fire Direct manages this. Your engineers get access to every site you maintain, with the full CLSS feature set — live events, diagnostics, reports — and none of the account administration lands on your desk. This is a service we provide rather than a product you order, so there is nothing to add to the basket at this step; it is set up as part of your first CLSS quote.
Step 5 — Self-test licences: only if you have self-test devices
This step applies only to sites fitted with self-test detection — the Gent self-test detectors in the S4T-* range. Each self-test device needs one licence. Licences run for a fixed term — 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years or 14 years — and every term includes unlimited testing. If the site has no self-test devices, skip this step entirely: nothing here is needed for ordinary CLSS connectivity.
For a licence schedule matched to a device count, request a quote or call 0844 997 0001.
How we set it up for you
In practice, most customers hand us the panel model, the network layout and whether the site has self-test devices, and we return a complete CLSS specification: the right gateway or bundle, the connection method, the correct subscription count, and licences where they apply. We administer the CLSS account, connect the sites, and your engineers sign in to find every system they maintain already there. Send the site details to request a quote, or call 0844 997 0001 and talk it through with an engineer.
