Myth-busters
around lone-working solutions
Question 1:
An alarm on an app won’t get through in areas of poor signal
Myth
Even in areas of low signal, if your phone has any level of data connection, the PG Smart App will use this to send the SOS, even if a call can’t get through. Operators or emergency contacts will be able to see coordinates in the PG Cloud, and any previous Time At Risk or Pre-Alerts registered. In a total communication dead zone, our PG X uses a line of sight with a satellite to raise an alarm.
Question 2:
There are too many device options – I don’t know which is best
Myth
Some lone worker providers have so many devices, it’s difficult to know which to choose. We have an app, and three other devices, one of which is a bluetooth trigger for the app. Working with our customers, we know this is sufficient to cover all manner of operations and locations.
We can help you decide which is best for you, but in the meantime, take a look at our side by side comparison of the PG Smart and PG Pebble.
Question 3:
Setting up a lone worker solution is complicated and costly
Myth
A self-monitored app for one user can cost less than a cup of coffee at month, and we can have your lone worker system in place within a week. Depending on whether or not you have existing facilities or Alarm Recieving Centres in place, we can offer:
- Self-Monitored, where we link into your own security facility, or you can use our emergency contacts features on the app.
- Monitored, where the SOS events go through to our NSI Gold standard BS8484 Alarm Receiving Centre partners.
We can also integrate with your existing softwares to make things even easier.
Question 4:
We can just use calls and messages
It depends
On what? Your risk assessment. Of course phones can be, and most often are, used in an emergency. But there are important things to consider:
- Your phone is restricted by your network – whereas the PG Smart, as we mentioned, can switch to obtain the signal necessary to raise an alert.
- Communications can fail – as we saw with WhatsApp recently. It’s great for group messaging, but shouldn’t be used as a safety device.
- It’s not as effective in getting help – features such as the Time at Risk, Pre Alert and Fall Detection on the PG Smart App send an SOS alarm without the user having to press the SOS button. This will send a precise GPS location to either monitoring staff or emergency contacts, depending on whether you opt for a monitored or self-monitored solution.