Two-way radio’s one drawback over the years has been long range communications. Sure, communicating within a building, campus, or even metro area was easily accomplished, but going much farther out than that quickly became problematic. Then came Nextel® – the first convergence of two-way communications and cellular technologies. But we all know what happened to them and the attempted reboots, over the years, of Push-To-Talk Over Cellular (PoC) technology. Even today, attempting to leverage traditional LMR technologies and infrastructure, to accomplish regional communications and farther, quickly escalates in cost.
The advent of 3G and 4G/LTE technologies, and their wide-spread deployment, has now enabled PoC to be a robust and reliable back-end for traditional two-way communications. Imagine a two-way radio that works everywhere your cell phone does, and farther.
That’s not at all to say traditional site-based Land Mobile Radio (LMR) is dead. It certainly has its place and advantages over PoC. Read on to learn a little bit more about the technologies and contact us to see which one may be the right fit for your organization.
PoC is two-way radio to the end user, but cellular to the hardware
PoC equipment looks, feels and acts like traditional two-way radio technology. To the user, it’s two-way radio – you have channels, groups, users, buttons – all the traditional two-way radio functionality. To the hardware, it’s a cellular device – PoC radios operate the same way your cell phone does with the cell site negotiation and roaming from tower to tower.
Leverage the extensive nation-wide cellular network(s) to keep your employees in constant two-way radio contact. Anywhere cell phone coverage exists, your PoC two-way radio will work. In many cases, because of the cellular service used by PoC devices, and the increased efficiency of the PoC device design, PoC devices will, many times, work in places that actual cell phones don’t!
Advantages of Poc radios and technology
PoC devices, as previously mentioned, use the cellular networks deployed by industry leading companies like AT&T® and T-Mobile®. What that means for the PoC user is:
- Robust infrastructure
- Cellular carries have backups and backups for backups, when it comes to power, site connectivity and RF equipment.
- Dense population of infrastructure
- Cell sites are everywhere – if one goes down, your communications don’t.
- Constant optimization and monitoring
- Cellular technicians and engineers are constantly monitoring, upgrading and optimizing their infrastructure to deliver higher and higher levels of service to the end users.
- Low cost-of-entry for the end user
- Receive all of the benefits of a reliable and robust wide area communications system at a low hardware cost and low monthly recurring costs.
- Virtually unlimited range of communications
- as stated previously, anywhere a cell phone works (and farther) the PoC radios will work:
- school busses on nation-wide field trips
- medical transport in the vehicle and inside the hospital
- over the road trucking in terminal and on the road
- HVAC technicians traveling to a service call and inside on the service call
- much, much more.
- as stated previously, anywhere a cell phone works (and farther) the PoC radios will work:
not all PoC radios are alike – caveat emptor
With the advent of robust and reliable 3G and 4G/LTE networks, many companies have rushed to hop on the PoC bandwagon. Some PoC radios aren’t worth the plastic and aluminum they’re made from. From initial meeting to years into our business relationship, Viking Communications will be there to support your organization and the products and services we provide.
Viking Communications offers Hytera HALO PoC products and services which not only use the cellular network but they can use your WiFi network as well! You have the choice – use your WiFi network, the cellular network OR automatically roam between both for ubiquitous communications coverage.
- Hytera HALO PoC radios:
- come with a standard two (2) year hardware warranty – additional warranty is available to purchase,
- offer superior high quality audio and digital noise cancellation,
- come with GPS receivers allowing you to track your fleet in real time – mobiles and portables (walkie-talkies),
- offer models allowing real-time video and audio to be transmitted to other terminals and PC dispatch software,
- support WiFi and cellular connectivity.
CONTACT VIKING COMMUNICATIONS!
We have demonstration equipment available for our products and services and are very excited to meet with you and your team to see how we can improve your organization. Contact Viking Communications, we have been in the business since 1964, always maintaining the consistent goal of helping our clients to communicate more effectively and efficiently. We are locally owned and operated, this allows us to provide professional service in two-way communications systems, with a personal approach for each client.