by Brianna Crandall — February 11, 2019 — Pinpoint, provider of the INSTANTalarm 5000 System staff duress solution designed to provide protection for those at risk of violence in the workplace, has launched a new application (app) for PCs and mobile devices to its alert system portfolio.
Allan Aikman, senior design engineer at Pinpoint Ltd, explained:
The new applications are designed to ensure response staff receive information as quickly as possible. The new technology builds on the proven features of the traditional alarm system, adds speed, and increases accuracy and reliability.
Mobile Alert
The new Pinpoint Mobile Alert is an application that enables mobile, Android-based devices to receive information such as alarms, patient calls and system status updates. Data transmission utilizes any available connection, such as Wi-Fi, LTE and 4G technology, providing better coverage and reliability than traditional paging systems, says the company.
The range of the alert system is said to be virtually unlimited, and message delivery almost always guaranteed. Bad or no reception does not stop but only delays delivery until the connection can be re-established, explains Pinpoint.
As soon as an alarm is activated on the INSTANTalarm 5000 System and sent to the mobile device, a full-screen notification appears, indicating the level of call, the system it originated from, the zone, and the location of the call button or personal transmitter. The notification will wake the device if it is in stand-by mode, and make it vibrate and emit an audible alert.
The display differentiates between active and resolved alarms on separate tabs. Each user can clearly see which alarms are ongoing and for how long. They can also review alarms that have already been dealt with.
Each user is set up with a personalized profile that specifies which alarm types and call zones the mobile application should respond to. The profile settings can be accessed from any device with the correct user name and PIN, meaning users can access their settings and event history from any device that has the application installed.
The application is easy to set up, and the display can be customized to the needs of the organization. Call levels can be added and changed at any time by a user with admin privileges through a web portal. Designated system supervisors can receive maintenance alerts if the INSTANTalarm 5000 System detects any issues such as units going offline, or problems with the power supply, and the alerts are automatically forwarded to the Pinpoint Priority Service team.
PC Alert
Pinpoint PC Alert, the new desktop application, displays INSTANTalarm 5000 System status information on any nominated PC. Each terminal can be configured to display all or a selection of alarm types from any number of addresses on the INSTANTalarm 5000 System. This means that certain areas of a ward or building can be allocated to specific members of staff who routinely use the computer.
Unless an alarm is raised, the app remains dormant in the system tray of the computer and has no impact on its performance. If an event triggers an alarm, an audible alert sounds and a pop-up window opens on top of any application running at the time, displaying the level of call, location, description and time.
The PC Alert app can be programmed to automatically start when the computer starts up, and can be opened at any time to check the status of the INSTANTalarm 5000 System.
The new applications are fully backward compatible with legacy INSTANTalarm 5000 Systems through the addition of a cloud interface for Pinpoint Mobile Alert or an Etherbridge for Pinpoint PC Alert.
For more information about the INSTANTalarm 5000 System and the new Mobile Alert and PC Alert apps, visit the Pinpoint website.
