Patent ID: 8077026

Claim:
A system for communications in automated protection of a building environment, the system comprising: a protection system for a building, the protection system including a plurality of field panels, each of the plurality of field panels associated with one or more zones of the protection system and each of the plurality of field panels in wired communication with one or more monitoring devices, wherein the protection system comprises a fire, security or fire and security system; and at least one communications module connected with at least one of the plurality of field panels of the protection system, the at least one communications module operable to communicate wirelessly with a portable service tool, wherein the portable service tool is configured to control operation of the at least one of the plurality of field panels such that the field panel controls operation of an individual one of the one or more monitoring devices, and wherein the portable service tool is configured to control operation of the at least one of the plurality of field panels in a manner that causes the field panel to send an instruction to trigger an alarm associated with the one or more monitoring devices.