New edition of the guidelines for VdS-approved EMA installers

In the VdS 2311 guidelines, the distinction between so-called " permissible deviations " and " impermissible deviations " plays an important role. Permissible deviations are deviations from these guidelines that are acceptable for adapting the security of a property to the specific risk situation. Impermissible deviations, however, are unacceptable, even if the operator, insurer, and installer are willing to tolerate them. In these cases, a VdS certificate may not be issued.

The new edition also incorporates a bit of color to help installation companies clearly distinguish between permissible and impermissible deviations: All requirements from which deviations are permitted are printed in black, as before. Requirements from which deviations are not permitted will be highlighted in blue. Of course, permissible deviations must still be documented, and all parties involved must agree to them.

Practical experience and laboratory tests have shown that even VdS-approved batteries used for emergency power supply at EMA suffer unavoidable capacity losses due to aging processes. The product standards for these batteries require that they retain at least 80% of their nominal capacity at the end of the maximum service life specified by the manufacturer.

This circumstance has been taken into account in the new VdS 2311 standard: When designing the emergency power supply, the minimum capacity must be oversized by 25%. This is intended to ensure that the bridging time for power outages required by VdS 2311 is fully guaranteed even after four years.

The topic of acoustic signaling devices on the exterior of the monitored object (frequently referred to as "alarm sirens" by laypeople, Figure 2 ) has long been controversial and has therefore undergone changes in VdS 2311 over the years. VdS is now addressing this complexity: In VdS 2311:2025-06, outdoor installation is generally permitted; no permissible deviation is required.

Previously, for security reasons, remote access to an IAS was only permitted if an employee of the system's installer was present on-site, even though this was certainly not very convenient for both the operator and the installer. The DIN EN 50710 standard for the provision of " secure remote services for fire safety and security systems ," published in 2022, laid the foundation for secure remote access that is also acceptable to VdS.

The basic requirement for remote access to a VdS-approved intrusion alarm system according to VdS 2311 is that the installer can demonstrate compliance with DIN EN 50710. In addition to standard-compliant remote service, the operator is required to have granted individual authorization for each access (permissible deviation). VdS is clear that remote services will be essential in the future. These offer installers advantages such as support during various phases of installation, inspection, and maintenance, increased repair success rates, and optimized resource utilization. Security technology operators benefit from fewer disruptions, reduced downtime, and faster response to incidents.

Until now, internal signaling devices were not approved for external alarms indoors. Please note: "Internal" and "external" do not refer to the installation location, but rather to whether a signaling device is triggered when the system is armed internally or externally. Due to their generally more pleasing appearance, internal signaling devices have been popular for years, even though their technical specifications did not meet the requirements for external alarms and were therefore not permitted. These restrictions have now been lifted, and internal signaling devices for external alarms are generally permitted without exception.

Trap-based surveillance of rooms refers to the ability to detect and catch an unnoticed offender using motion detectors within the room. This significantly increases security, so trap-based surveillance will be mandatory in the future when planning and installing an EMA system of Class B-SG2 and higher.

Since it is not possible to discuss all the changes in detail here, here are a few more examples in brief:

• Technical detector groups may not be used to detect intrusion alarms. This has always been prohibited under VdS 2311, but in practice, attempts have frequently been made to use the technical alarm to legitimize the non-VdS-compliant use of VdS detectors. The new VdS 2311 explicitly prohibits this.

• The monitoring of distribution boards for opening is now extended to Class B as a requirement of Class C EMA. This previous limitation dates back to a time when separate wires were required for each function, which resulted in additional costs.

• DIN EN 13306 established a standard for "maintenance terms," ​​but its redefinition of some technical terms does not facilitate understanding for the reader. Therefore, they are listed in the new VdS 2311 only for the sake of completeness. The VdS guidelines continue to use the previously common terms such as inspection, maintenance, or walkthrough.

• Passages of VdS 2311 with merely explanatory or advisory character have been transferred to the Technical Commentaries on Intrusion Detection Technology (VdS 3134-2), which can be obtained free of charge from the VdS website at vds.de/techkomm .

• Another measure to streamline the guidelines was the removal of product-specific requirements from manufacturers. Manufacturers' installation instructions are binding by definition, so they do not need to be mentioned additionally in a VdS guideline.

Important: The new edition of VdS 2311 is valid since June 1, 2025. As always, there is a transition period, which this time runs until December 31, 2025. Until this date, installers may continue to base their work on the previous version of the guidelines.

The new edition of VdS 2311, "VdS Guidelines for Intrusion Alarm Systems, Planning and Installation," is available in the VdS webshop. Throughout the year, VdS will also offer online workshops on intrusion alarm technology for burglar alarm system installers, which will also cover the most important innovations in VdS 2311.