SECURITY SYSTEM HAVING SEGREGATED OPERATING SOFTWARE

A control apparatus, having software environment 24, for a premises based system, having at least one premises network, is provided. The control apparatus has an improved memory and processor configuration for separate operation of life safety code 82, providing life safety functionality, and life style code 78, providing life style functionality, so that the operation of the life style code 78 may be changed without changing the operation of the life safety code 82, such as through the use of a virtual machine 73 or code running at a single operating system layer. The memory may store life safety code in a first partition and life style code in a second partition. The life style code may be updated while life safety code continues to run. If the resource usage for life style functions is determined to exceed a predefined threshold, at least one life style function may be shut down. Moreover, at least one life style function and its corresponding wireless communication protocol radio may be shut down in response to a determined failure of the premises power supply. Also, an alert may be generated if the amount of interference between life style wireless communication radios and life safety wireless communication radios exceeds a predefined interference threshold.