Challenger Smart Force ASFR User manual

Challenger_ASFR_Instructions_Rev01
ASFR SMART FORCE REPEATER
The ASFR is a signal repeater to extend the range of Smart Force wireless technology. It is fully
compatible with any Smart Force enabled sensors.
The signal repeater is designed to be installed by a system installer in cases where signal reception is
poor or extended range is required for the home. The repeater does not alter the existing learned
network between gateway and devices, in fact devices do not need to be physically removed from their
mounting location when adding the repeater. This allows the installer to service the user in the shortest
time possible without disrupting to the home interior.
It comes with installer friendly feature such test mode to indicate signal strength using LED display and
audible beeps for areas not in range. Powered by backup battery, this allows the repeater to be easily
placed anywhere while searching for its optimum location. There is the also a Beacon mode which
allows the installer to conveniently walk around the home to observe signal strengths from the gateway
when deciding on the best location.
Product Overview
Front View
View with Battery Cover removed
Repeater network overview
The role of the Repeater in a Smart Force
network can be summarised in the
diagram below.
Level :
Repeaters are distinguished into Level-1
and Level-2 (level 3 for future
development)as set by their Level jumper
setting. Each pair of Level-1 and 2
repeaters define a unique signal path to
the gateway. Signals from each pair will
not cross over to another pair.
- Level-1: Repeater closest to the gateway. In most cases adding a Level-1 Repeater is sufficient to
cover a wide range. A gateway can have more than one Level-1 Repeaters to branch out at different
angles from the gateway.
- Level-2: Repeater to extend signal from Level-1 Repeater. Only one Level-2 repeater can be added for
each Level-1 Repeater.
To create the link between the pairs, repeaters must be learnt with each other. Repeaters with the same
level cannot bind with each other.
Lastly, like all end devices under the gateway’s network, each repeater must be learnt to the gateway.
This ensures the gateway is aware of the repeater’s own condition such as low battery, tamper, etc.
Note: It is advisable to use as few Repeaters as possible in a network in order to reduce signal hops
between device and Gateway. Like any wireless network, more signal hops not only mean longer delay
in transmission but also adds higher risk of signal interference resulting in lost messages as more
devices are added. This degrades the overall network quality.
Join:
The repeater becomes associated with an end device through ‘Joining’. This is a loose form of learning
that tells a repeater which devices it should repeat signals for and which do not. Joining is a manual
process similar to Gateway learning except there is no need to remove end devices from their mounting
position to activate a learn key. Simply trigger the end device for it to transmit its ID which is then picked
up by the repeater. Joining does not disrupt the original learnt devices between end devices with
gateway.
Inversely, a device is disassociated from the Repeater through ‘Un-join’. Removing a device from the
Repeater’s memory helps to reduce unnecessary transmission of RF signal which will improve overall
quality of the network.
LED Table
The table below describes the LED indication at various stages of the unit’s operation.
Pairing stage:
During the Repeater’s pairing activity, Status LED along with the buzzer beeps indicate the status of the
paring.
Status
Status LED
Buzzer Beep
Factory reset state. Repeater not
paired to any Gateway.
After power up, Blinks RED
every 2 secs for 30 secs.
None
Enter pairing mode
Steady RED
Short beeps every 1 sec, followed by
1 long beep
W
aiting to bind with gateway, time out
in 30 secs.
Blink RED, every 1 sec
Short beeps every 1 sec
Pairing successful
LED OFF
1 Long beep
Pairing fail after time out or
terminated
Flashes RED 3 times
Short beep 3 times
Joining fail because exceed device
limit
On RED for 1 sec then OFF
3 short beeps
Device
Un
-
join successful
LED OFF
2 Long beep
Level
-
2
Repeater
disconnected
successful
LED OFF
2 Long beep
Activate Factory Reset
Steady RED
Short beeps, followed by 1 long beep
Testing stage (Mode switch set to TEST)
During Test mode, RF LED and the buzzer beeps indicate the signal strength.
RF LED
–
Test Mode
Buzzer beep sound
Description
Flash GREEN 3 times
Short beep 3 times
Signal is Good, Test mode
Flash ORANGE 2 times
Short beep 2 times
Signal is
Normal, Test mode
Flash RED 1 time
Short beep 1 time
Signal is Weak, Test mode
Flash GREEN 3 times
Long beep 3 times
Signal is Good, Beacon mode
Flash ORANGE 2 times
Long beep 2 times
Signal is Normal, Beacon mode
Flash RED 1 time
Long beep 1 time
Sign
al is Weak, Beacon mode
RF
Stat
Batt
Wall
Rear View
Back
up
DC
Mode Switch
Tam p
er
Buzze
r
Factory
use
Level Jumper
Learn Button

Challenger_ASFR_Instructions_Rev01
Status LED
–
Test Mode
Description
Flashes ORANGE, every 1 sec
Test mode
activated
Normal usage (Mode switch set to NORMAL):
Once the Repeater is installed and set for daily use, the LED display becomes as follows:
Status LED
–
Daily usage
Explanation
Steady GREEN
Powered by AC power, Normal mode
Flashes GREEN, every 30 secs.
Powered by backup battery, Normal mode
Flashes RED, every 30 secs.
Backup battery is low
Flashes ORANGE, every 30 secs.
Powered by AC but detected ba
ckup battery is low
RF LED
–
Daily usage
Explanation
Flash GREEN
Signal received, Normal mode
Flash RED
Repeater Tamper switch activated
Learning With Gateway
The Repeater supports Auto-Binding feature where it will automatically enter learning mode when first
powered up after a factory reset.
1. Remove the wall bracket by pushing it downwards and then remove the battery cover.
2. Prepare four AAA 1.5V batteries. Do not insert them into the unit yet.
3. Ensure the Level jumper in the Repeater is set to Level-1.
4. Learn the repeater the same way as you would learn a detector via Smart Force account from a
Web Browser.
5. Insert the batteries with correct polarity at this point. Within a few seconds a long beep sound will
be heard indicating the pairing is complete.
6. Time-out will occur if the learning process was unsuccessful, indicated by 3 short beeps. If this
happens, refer to the Manual learning procedure in the Troubleshooting section.
Note: A Repeater must reset back to factory default before it can pair with another gateway. See the
Factory Reset section in the Troubleshooting section.
Adding a Device (Join process)
1. Put repeater into Joining mode by pressing the learn button until 3 beeps is over and release.
Repeater will enter learning mode for 30 secs.
2. Bring the repeater in close range to the device, around ~10cm.
3. Simply trigger the device (PIR trigger, door sensor open, etc.) to emit a signal which will be picked
up by the Repeater.
Note:
- Unlike learning, there is no need to press learn key on device.
- Refer to the LED Table for details of pairing indicators.
- Ensure all other devices will not be triggered; either keep doors closed and cover all other PIRs
with a cloth.
4. Once the signal is picked up by the Repeater, it will emit one long beep sound. Joining process is
complete. From now on Repeater will start routing signal for this device.
5. Time-out will occur if the Joining process is unsuccessful, indicated by 3 short beeps.
Note: PIR motion sensors will have a retrigger interval or sleep period which lasts longer than the
Repeater’s 30 secs Join period. If time out occurs, try again when the PIR is ready. If necessary,
cover the PIR with a dark cloth when preparing the Repeater.
6. Repeat the steps above for other devices.
Note :
- Each Repeater supports a maximum of 8 devices.
- Keypad,camera and Siren devices are NOT supported by this Repeater.
- Remote keyfobs do not need to Join to any Repeater. All Repeaters will retransmit signals from
Remote Keyfobs in the same network.
- A Repeater will Join only devices from the same gateway paired to the Repeater
- A device can Join to only one Repeater at any one time. If the device needs to Join to another
Repeater, it must first Un-Join from the first Repeater. The Un-Join procedure is similar to Join
procedure except two beeps will be heard when completed.
- If any device is deleted by the gateway, the gateway will inform the Repeater to Un-Join this device
from its memory.
Testing
There are two signal test methods provided by the Repeater;
- Test Mode : this tests the signal between the end device to Repeater
- Beacon Mode : this tests the signal between the Repeater to Gateway. It is also used to test signal
between Repeaters.
Good
Normal
Weak
RF LED
Flash Green 3 times
Flash
Orange 2 times
Flash Red
1 time
Beep sound*
3 long beeps
2 long beeps
1 long beep
Test Mode
This is used when searching for a good spot to mount the Repeater. In this mode the unit will indicate
signal strength for each signal sent by the device.
1. Join a device to the Repeater as described above.
2. Set the Mode switch to Test mode.
3. Place the Repeater at a distance away from the end device.
4. Trigger the device, e.g. open a door sensor or press the on/off button on a smart plug. The
Repeater will indicate the received signal strength as follows:
Good
Normal
Weak
RF LED
Flash Green 3 times
Flash Orange 2 times
Flash Red
1 time
Beep sound
3 short beeps
2 short beeps
1 short beep
5. Set the Mode switch back to Normal mode to exit.
Beacon Mode
In this mode the Repeater transmits a ping signal to the gateway at every 5 secs interval. The reply
signal from the gateway is then measured for strength and indicated by RF LED and buzzer beeps. This
feature allows the installer to walk around the premises while observing the signal quality at the spot.
This is useful for;
- identifying weak areas for placing a sensor
- testing signal strength between Repeater and Gateway before mounting it permanently
- testing the signal strength between Repeater pairs when adding a second Repeater.

Challenger_ASFR_Instructions_Rev01
To use Beacon mode with a Gateway;
1. Set the Mode switch to Test mode.
2. Press the Tamper switch on the Repeater. The ping signal will be sent every 5 secs. The
Repeater will indicate the received signal strength as follows:
*same as Test Mode but long beeps instead of short beeps
3. Set the Mode switch back to Normal mode to exit.
A matrix summary of the Test Mode and Beacon Mode can found in Appendix A.
Mounting the Repeater
A clean non-metalic smooth surface is required to securely mount the Repeater. The unit should be
placed on the wall, at least 1.5m high from floor, for improved
reception.
1. Use the wall bracket as a template to mark and drill the
position of 3 mounting holes on the wall.
2. Fix the wall bracket to the wall using the plastic wall plugs and fixing screws provided.
3. Connect the DC adaptor to DC jack of the unit and place the battery cover over the battery
compartment.
Note : the unit should always be powered DC adaptor as well as backup.
4. Slide the unit down into its wall bracket ensuring the tamper
switch is pressed by the wall bracket as shown below.
Tamper Protection
Tamper protection is activated when the tamper switch is pressed
continuously for more than 2 minutes. Removing the unit from its wall bracket will release the tamper
switch and generate a full alarm condition.
Maintenance
1. The unit reports its presence to the gateway every 60 minutes. This way the gateway will be
alerted if the Repeater becomes missing.
2. Low Battery: When its backup battery becomes low, the unit will report back to the gateway and
the Status LED will flash every 30secs. Replace the battery the soonest possible to keep the unit
operating during a power cut.
Level-2 Repeater
Connecting a Level-2 Repeater
This follows the same procedure as learning to a Gateway.
1. Firstly, bind the second Repeater to the Gateway as in the section learning with Gateway.
2. Once completed, setting its Level jumper to Level-2.
3. Set the unit into pairing mode by press and holding its Learn button for 3 secs until a long beep
sound is heard, then release the button. The unit is now ready to pair for 30 secs.
4. Within 30 secs, set Level-1 Repeater into pairing mode also by performing the previous step
above.
5. Soon both units will emit a long beep indicating both are now connected to each other. Refer to
the LED Table for details of pairing indicators.
Disconnecting a Level-2 Repeater
1. Set the Level-1 Repeater into pairing mode by press and holding its Learn button for 3 secs until a
long beep is heard, then release the button.
2. Within 30 secs, bring the Level-2 Repeater in close range to Level-1 Repeater, around ~10cm
and press the Tamper switch on the Level-2 Repeater.
3. 2 long beeps will be heard on Level-1 Repeater indicating both are now disconnected from each
other.
Note:
- Level-2 will still preserve all the Join devices in its memory. It will continue to serve these devices
even after connecting to a new Repeater or directly to Gateway. Only by doing a Factory reset will all
the Join devices be erased from the Repeater’s memory.
- Level 3 jumper is for factory use only.
Troubleshooting
The troubleshooting table lists some possible causes and solutions
Symptom
Cause of Failure
Recommendation
L
earning
with Gateway does not
work.
The Repeate
r has previously been
paired with another gateway
Perform factory reset on the Repeater.
Remote keyfob
cannot
Join to
Repeater.
Remote keyfob does not require
Join procedure
None. All the Repeaters in the network
will transmit signals from remote keyfob
Keypad and Siren cannot Join to
Repeater.
Keypad and Siren are not
supported.
Keep keypad or siren within range of the
Gateway
Repeater keeps beeping whenever a
signal is received.
Repeater set to Test Mode Switch Mode jumper to Normal Mode.
Repeater is added but still cannot
achieve desired range.
1. Range is too far.
2. Signal is blocked by thick wall.
1.
Set the Repeater to Level
-
2 and add a
Level-1 Repeater in between to extend
range.
2. Place Repeater near openings in the
wall such as a door or win
dow.
Cannot pair a second Repeater to
first Repeater
Both Repeaters are set to the
same Level
Set one of the
m
to a different
Level
using
the Level jumper.
Reset To Factory Default
To reset the unit back to factory default state:
1. Press and hold the Learn button for 3 secs until a long beep sound is heard, then release the
button.

Challenger_ASFR_Instructions_Rev01
2. Within 30 secs, press and hold the Learn button again but this time for more than 6 secs until
another long beep sound is heard. This indicates the reset is complete. The LED will blink every 2
secs indicating no paired ID code is stored its memory.
Specification
Operating temperature range
0°C to +
5
0°C
Operating humidity
10
-
85% RH
Power supply
I/P: 100
-
240Vac 50/60Hz 0.5A
O/P: DC9V 2000mA
Backup battery
1.5
V
AA
A
batter
ies
x
4
Battery life
Between 24~
48 hrs
Frequency range
868MHz (EU)
IP Rating
For
Indoor use
** Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Due to our policy of continuous improvement we reserve the right to change
specification without prior notice.
Errors and omissions excepted. These instructions have been carefully checked
prior to publication. However, no responsibility can be accepted by Challenger for
any misinterpretation of these instructions.
Challenger Security Products
10 Sandersons Way, Blackpool, FY4 4NB
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.challenger.co.uk
A50111XXXXXX

Challenger_ASFR_Instructions_Rev01
Appendix A : Repeater test matrix table
Target: End Device Target: Gateway Target: Level-2 Repeater Target: Level-1 Repeater
Level-1
Repeater
To Enter
1. Set Mode switch to
'Test'
2. Trigger/Activate the
device
To Enter
1. Set Mode switch to 'Test
’.
2. Press Tamper switch on
Repeater to start Beacon
Mode.
To Enter
1. Set Mode Switch on
Level-1 Repeater to 'Test'.
2. Press Tamper switch on
Level-2 Repeater to start
Beacon Mode.
N/A
Observe
Results
1. LED Signal strength
indicator on Repeater
2. Short Beeps emitted
by Repeater for signal
strength
Observe
Results
At every 5 secs:
1. LED Signal strength
indicator on Repeater
2. Long Beeps emitted by
Repeater for signal strength
3. Gateway registers a
Tamper event
Observe
Results
At every 5 secs:
1. LED Signal strength
indicator on both Repeaters.
2. Short Beeps emitted by
Level-1 Repeater for signal
strength
3. Gateway registers a
Tamper event.
To Exit
Set Mode switch back to
'Normal'.
To Exit
Set Mode switch back to
'Normal'.
To Exit
Set
Level
-
1
Repeater Mode
switch back to 'Normal'.
Level-2
Repeater
To Enter
1. Set Mode switch to
'Test'
2. Trigger/Activate the
device
To Enter
No specific test mode.
Press Tamper switch to
send Tamper event to
Gateway.
N/A
To Enter
1.
Set Mode Switch on Level
-
1
Repeater to 'Test'.
2. Press Tamper switch on
Level-2 Repeater to start
Beacon Mode.
Observe
Results
1. LED Signal strength
indicator on Repeater
2. Short Beeps emitted
by Repeater for signal
strength
Observe
Results
Gateway registers a
Tamper event.
Observe
Results
At every 5 secs:
1. LED Signal strength indicator
on both Repeaters.
2. Short Beeps emitted by
Level-1 Repeater for signal
strength.
3. Gateway registers a Tamper
event
To Exit
Set Mode switch back to
'Normal'. To Exit None To Exit Set Level-1 Repeater Mode switch back to 'Normal'.