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Micra Stratos Training — Aspirating Smoke Detection System Course

Learn how to install, configure, and maintain Micra Stratos aspirating smoke detection (ASD) systems with our practical, online training course. Stratos is a widely specified air sampling smoke detection brand found across commercial, industrial, and critical infrastructure environments throughout the UK and Ireland — from server rooms and telecommunications facilities through to warehouses, museums, and cold storage.

This course gives fire alarm technicians and engineers the practical knowledge to work confidently with Micra Stratos systems on site — covering the product range, pipe network installation, sensitivity configuration, commissioning, maintenance, and fault-finding. For a broader introduction to aspirating smoke detection principles, see our Air Sampling Fire Alarm Course.

Micra Stratos Product Range Overview

Micra manufactures several models within the Stratos range, designed to suit different application sizes and sensitivity requirements. This lesson introduces the key units, including the Stratos HSSD 2 for standard commercial and industrial applications and the Stratos Micra 100 & 25 for smaller areas and individual equipment protection.

You will learn the technical differences between each model — detection sensitivity levels, maximum pipe lengths, number of sampling points supported, and airflow capacity — so you can identify which unit is installed on site and understand its capabilities and limitations during servicing or fault-finding.

Pipe Network Design and Installation for Micra Stratos

The sampling pipe network is the backbone of any aspirating smoke detection system, and correct installation is essential to achieving the designed detection performance. This lesson covers how the pipe network is designed and installed for Micra Stratos systems, including pipe routing principles, maximum pipe run lengths, sampling hole placement and spacing, capillary tube connections, and end cap configuration.

You will understand how pipe layout directly affects detection performance — why incorrect hole sizing, blocked pipes, or excessive pipe lengths can lead to delayed detection or missed alarms. The lesson also covers practical installation considerations such as pipe support and fixing methods, penetrations through walls and floors, labelling requirements, and how to work with the system design drawings provided by the project designer or fire engineer.

Micra Stratos Configuration and Sensitivity Settings

Correct configuration is critical to ensuring a Micra Stratos system provides reliable early warning without generating nuisance alarms. This lesson walks through the process of accessing the unit's configuration interface, setting alarm thresholds for each detection level — typically Alert, Action, and Fire — and adjusting sensitivity to suit the specific environment being protected.

You will learn how environmental factors such as background dust levels, airflow rates, and temperature fluctuations influence the optimal sensitivity settings, and how to use the system's built-in monitoring and trending data to fine-tune thresholds after installation. The lesson also covers day/night sensitivity switching, where alarm thresholds are automatically adjusted based on occupancy patterns or HVAC schedules.

Commissioning a Micra Stratos System

Commissioning an aspirating smoke detection system requires a different approach to commissioning conventional detectors. This lesson covers the full commissioning workflow for Micra Stratos units, including airflow verification across all sampling points, smoke testing at representative sampling holes to confirm detection response times, and verifying that alarm signals are correctly received and displayed at the fire alarm control panel.

You will learn how to use calibrated smoke test equipment at individual sampling holes, how to interpret the system's airflow and detection readings during commissioning, and what documentation and test records are required to demonstrate that the system has been installed and is performing in accordance with the design specification.

Maintenance, Filter Cleaning, and Servicing

Aspirating smoke detection systems require regular maintenance to ensure continued reliability. Dust and debris accumulate in the sampling pipe network and detection chamber over time, which can reduce airflow, degrade detection sensitivity, or trigger flow faults. This lesson covers the routine maintenance tasks for Micra Stratos systems, including filter inspection and replacement, detection chamber cleaning, airflow recalibration, and visual inspection of the pipe network for damage or disconnection.

You will also learn the recommended service intervals, how to interpret the system's maintenance indicators and flow monitoring data to anticipate when servicing is due, and how to carry out maintenance without taking the system offline unnecessarily — an important consideration in 24/7 operational environments such as data centres and critical infrastructure sites.

Fault-Finding on Micra Stratos Systems

When a Micra Stratos unit reports a fault, understanding what the fault means and where to start investigating is essential to minimising downtime. This lesson covers the most common fault conditions encountered on Stratos systems, including low airflow faults caused by blocked pipes or dirty filters, high airflow faults indicating a break or disconnection in the pipe network, detector chamber faults, and communication faults between the Stratos unit and the fire alarm control panel.

You will work through a structured diagnostic approach for each fault type, learning how to use the system's own monitoring data — airflow readings, detector sensitivity levels, and event logs — to identify the root cause before heading into the ceiling void or riser. The lesson also covers intermittent faults caused by environmental changes, HVAC cycling, and seasonal temperature variation, and how to distinguish a genuine system fault from a temporary environmental condition.

Integration with Fire Alarm Control Panels

Micra Stratos units are typically connected to a main fire alarm control panel to provide building-wide alarm reporting, cause and effect programming, and integration with evacuation and suppression systems. This lesson covers the common integration methods — relay outputs, addressable loop interfaces, and networked connections — and how alarm and fault signals from the Stratos unit are mapped to the fire alarm panel's zone or device structure.

You will learn how to verify that alarm signals at each threshold level are correctly reported on the panel, how Alert, Action, and Fire stages can be programmed to trigger different cause and effect actions, and how to troubleshoot communication issues between the Stratos unit and the main fire alarm system.

Other Specialist Fire Alarm Programming Training

In addition we offer focused training on specific panel types:

Bonus course included with all multi-panel versions:

This course module is also included in our comprehensive Fire Alarm Course MAX — covering 9 fire alarm panels across 37 hours for only £499.