Ranking the FastestWays to TestEmergency Lighting

All emergency lights in Australia and New Zealand need to pass a 90 minute battery discharge test every 6 months, as required by AS/NZS 2293.2:2019. While traditional methods rely on manual testing via a test switch, the standard allows for automatic testing, with results collected via indicator lights or online. The irony? Many buildings avoid this newer technology because it seems expensive. However, maintaining legacy systems is often more expensive and time consuming in the long run. Let's see exactly how these methods stack up, from the most time-consuming (and expensive) to the most efficient.

3. Traditional Emergency Lights - Using a test switch

Waiting for lights to discharge and then manually checking which ones have turned off after 90 minutes is by far the slowest method of testing emergency lighting - and the most expensive and least accurate too. Technicians are paid to wait to collect the discharge test results. Walking around corners or up stairs to see all the lights after exactly 90 minutes is impossible; some lights may be falsely recorded as failing as technicians check the lights' status after over 90 minutes.

2. Automatic discharge testing facilities that are not connected to the internet (like Self-Test)

Self-Test by Elumen isn’t your grandpa’s automatic discharge testing. It tallies all your results on your phone and generates a test report, making it the fastest way of collecting results in this category.

Self-Test requires technicians to be on site to collect their test report, so it’s not the fastest on this list. Each Self-Test light has a chip that stores its latest discharge test information and sends it to your smartphone. As you come within range of the lights (about 40m), the latest test result will be added to the Elumen app. Once you have collected the results from every light you can finalise the report and export it as a pdf or csv; clean data delivered the modern way.

1. Networking

Networking is the fastest and easiest way to collect pass/fail results from emergency lights. You can schedule tests and view results online — even from your couch.

Remote testing with Networking emergency lights

Elumen’s Networking range keeps things simple for you. Each light has a microcontroller that keeps track of how long the battery lasts during testing. Once the test finishes, the result and any fault info is sent wirelessly to the internet. Even lights in deep basements or car parks can report results, thanks to the automatically formed mesh network. Each message hops from light to light until it reaches a Gateway connected to the internet — no matter how far or hidden the light is.

Back in 2018, we introduced a unique innovation to indoor emergency lighting: A mesh network that uses two radio frequencies — sub-GHz for long range and wall-penetrating strength, and 2.4 GHz for speed and low interference. Together, they create a rock-solid, reliable connection across your entire building.

Our recommendation

Testing speed comparison chart — Typical on-site testing time for 100 fittings

Self-Test technology is now so affordable that Elumen's Self-Test fittings cost about the same as standard emergency fittings, making manual testing obsolete. If you're still using manual test switches, we recommend upgrading to Self-Test at minimum.

Explore Self-Test

However for larger sites, networking systems are the ultimate solution. Networking delivers powerful multi-site management, remote testing configuration and remote result collection, helping maintenance teams plan ahead and arrive on site with the right replacements ready to go. The benefits of networking extend well beyond time savings.

Explore Networking

Elumen

Explore our Elumen emergency lighting products today and discover how we can help you reduce costs and enhance safety in your facility.