Interfacing Unit

An interfacing unit converts signals in order to establish mutual communication and understanding between the environment and the system. An Interfacing Unit is a shared boundary that allows two or more computer system components to exchange information. Possible to exchange software, computer hardware, peripheral devices, humans, and combinations of these. Computer hardware devices, such as a touchscreen, send and receive data through the interface. Others such as a mouse or microphone provide an interface for sending data to a specific system.

For use with addressable fire alarm systems, interface units generally come in three varieties:

The input unit
The output unit (either monitored or unmonitored for faults)
Input/output device