For small businesses working in fire safety and alarm system installation, choosing the right Fire Alarm Design Software is crucial. You need a tool that is powerful enough to generate accurate layouts, calculate cable lengths, and produce installation documentation, but you also need to keep costs under control. Many design tools are expensive and geared toward large systems or big engineering firms, which can be a barrier for small businesses.
In this blog, we explore some of the most affordable fire alarm system design software options available, weigh their strengths and limitations, and explain why XTEN AV stands out as a cost‑effective choice for small fire alarm contractors and integrators.
What small businesses need in a fire alarm design tool
Before picking a tool, it’s important to understand what small businesses commonly require:
Low or predictable cost – A tool that fits into a modest budget or subscription model.
Basic but reliable features – Device placement, wiring diagram creation, cable estimations, and riser generation.
Easy to learn – Intuitive interface, minimal training time for a small team.
Documentation – Report generation for device schedules, panel loads, wiring lists.
Flexibility – Ability to handle small to medium sized projects, and scale up if needed.
Collaboration – Preferably cloud‑based or shareable so multiple team members can contribute.
Low cost and free tools to consider
Here are some affordable or free software options that small businesses might use for fire alarm design, with pros and trade‑offs:
Bosch Safety Systems Designer (SSD)
This is a free planning tool from Bosch for fire alarm design. It supports Bosch panels and devices.
Pros: No cost, includes device libraries, helps with plausibility checks, and supports EN 54 compliance in some regions.
Cons: Vendor‑specific, so if your projects use a variety of manufacturers it may not cover all device types. It may lack more advanced automation for wiring or riser diagrams for non‑Bosch devices.
LibreCAD
An open source 2D CAD tool that is free to use.
Pros: Good for basic layout drawing, placing symbols, and creating simple fire alarm drawings.
Cons: It does not provide fire alarm specific automation such as loop load calculation, circuit integrity checking, or device scheduling. You will need to manually count devices and estimate cable runs, which can be time consuming and error prone.
FreeCAD
A free parametric 3D CAD and BIM tool.
Pros: Useful for more complex design layouts, modeling of rooms, and aligning with architectural models.
Cons: Not specialized for fire alarm design. It does not provide circuit verification, loop design, or automatic report generation for fire alarm systems.
SolveSpace
A free parametric CAD software (2D and 3D).
Pros: Lightweight, runs on modest hardware, and supports basic geometry and layout.
Cons: Lacks fire alarm system design software features like automatically generating riser diagrams, calculating cable lengths or verifying loops.
Why free tools might be risky for commercial projects
Using free or very low cost tools can be tempting, but there are important limitations when dealing with commercial fire alarm design:
Manual work: You may need to perform loop calculations, circuit integrity checks, and material takeoffs manually in spreadsheets.
Risk of error: Without automatic verification, human error can creep into cable estimations, device counts, or panel load calculations.
No standard reports: Free tools rarely produce professional installation reports, riser diagrams, or wire schedules that meet industry expectations.
Limited device libraries: Free CAD tools usually do not include extensive fire alarm device libraries, making it harder to model real systems.
Lack of support: Open source tools may not offer dedicated technical support, which can be a problem when deadlines are tight.
XTEN AV – a cost effective and reliable choice
For small businesses that need more than just basic drawing capabilities, XTEN AV offers a powerful, affordable Fire Alarm Design Software solution. While not free, its pricing model and feature set make it one of the most accessible professional tools for small and growing companies.
Key reasons why XTEN AV is affordable and valuable for small businesses:
Cloud based platform – There is no need for large upfront investment in powerful workstations. Since XTEN AV is cloud based, users can access projects from lightweight laptops or even tablets.
Pay as you grow – Many small businesses prefer subscription‑based or pay per project models, and XTEN AV supports flexible licensing that can scale as your business grows.
Automation – XTEN AV automates device placement, cable length calculation, riser diagram generation, and loop verification. This reduces manual labor and lowers the risk of mistakes, saving time and money.
Device library – A built‑in library of fire alarm devices from many manufacturers helps ensure accuracy in design and cost estimation.
Reporting – The software generates detailed documentation like device schedules, wiring lists, panel load reports, and riser diagrams. These are critical for commercial projects and can be used directly for installation or client proposals.
Collaboration – Because it is cloud based, small teams can work together easily. Designers, contractors, and consultants can share and review the same project in real time without file version issues.
Real‑time verification – XTEN AV provides circuit integrity checks, loop load calculations, and other validations as the design progresses, helping catch issues early and avoid rework.
Comparison: Free tools vs XTEN AV for small business use
| Criteria | Free Tools (LibreCAD, FreeCAD, SSD) | XTEN AV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Very low or zero | Subscription / pay as you grow |
| Automation | Minimal or none | High: automatic loop, cable, riser, and load calcs |
| Device Library | Very limited or vendor specific | Broad device library across many manufacturers |
| Reporting | Basic or manual | Professional grade: schedules, diagrams, load reports |
| Verification | Manual checking | Real‑time circuit integrity and error checking |
| Collaboration | Limited | Cloud collaboration with version control |
| Learning Curve | Depends on CAD knowledge | Designed to be intuitive for fire alarm design |
| Scalability | Manual design only | Scales from small to large projects easily |
When XTEN AV is the smarter choice
Small businesses should strongly consider XTEN AV when:
They need to submit professional fire alarm designs for commercial installations.
They want to reduce risk from manual calculation errors.
They plan to scale up their design business.
They need to collaborate with clients, consultants, or installation teams.
They require detailed installation documentation and reports.
Tips for small businesses to manage costs with XTEN AV
Here are a few strategies to make XTEN AV even more affordable:
Use on demand – If your workload is project‑based, subscribe only when you have active design work.
Train your team – Invest in basic training so that your designers exploit automation features fully and avoid manual rework.
Reuse projects – Create templates for common building types so you can reuse device layouts and wiring loops.
Negotiate with vendors – If you purchase devices and design work regularly, vendors may help with license discounts.
Start small – Use XTEN AV for your smallest commercial jobs and gradually scale up as you win more projects.
Conclusion
For small businesses, balancing cost and capability is vital when choosing fire alarm system design software. Free tools like LibreCAD or FreeCAD can be useful for very basic drawings or concept planning, but they lack the automation, validation, and documentation features that make designs reliable for commercial work. Vendor‑specific tools like Bosch SSD are free but limited to their product range.
XTEN AV offers one of the best affordable professional solutions. With powerful automation, real‑time verification, device libraries, cloud‑based collaboration, and professional reports, it delivers real value for small fire alarm design businesses. The investment in XTEN AV not only streamlines design but helps you win and execute commercial projects more confidently, accurately, and efficiently.
If your small business is serious about scaling its fire alarm design capabilities, investing in an affordable but specialized tool like XTEN AV is likely the smartest decision you can make.
Read more: https://myliveroom.com/blogs/27472/What-software-allows-direct-exporting-of-fire-alarm-drawings-to
