Pinpoint Ltd, UK developer and manufacturer of Staff Personal Alarm Systems, has added a new application for PCs and mobile devices to their system portfolio. The Pinpoint Mobile Alert App and PC Alert app take all vital information from a user’s Pinpoint system, including alarm calls, and displays them on a mobile device/desktop PC.
“The new applications are designed to ensure response staff receive information as quickly as possible”, says Allan Aikman, senior design engineer at Pinpoint Ltd. “The new technology builds on the proven features of the traditional alarm system, adds speed, and increases accuracy and reliability.”
The Pinpoint Mobile Alert App offers greater coverage and ensures response staff are informed of situations regardless of whether they’re onsite or not. It is an application that enables mobile, Android-based devices to receive information like alarms, patient calls, and system status updates. Data transmission utilizes any available connection like Wi-Fi, LTE, and 4G technology, providing better coverage and reliability than traditional paging systems. The range is virtually unlimited and message delivery is almost always guaranteed. Bad or no reception does not stop but only delays delivery until the connection can be re-established.
When an alarm is activated on the Pinpoint System it is instantly forwarded to the devices subscribed to that zone. When the handset receives the alarm; the phone will be woken up and a full screen notification appears indicating the level of call (in text as well as by color), the system it originated from, the zone, and the individual address (location of call button or personal transmitter) along with a vibrating and audio alert. Users can then tap to acknowledge the call. Each call level can have its name and color customized (more than 60,000 possible colors).
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 receive maintenance alerts if the Pinpoint System detects any issues like units going offline, or problems with the power supply, and the alerts are automatically forwarded to the Pinpoint Priority Service team.
The Pinpoint PC Alert App brings Pinpoint alarms to a user’s desktop computer, meaning they can have an information point at a pre-existing hub of activity. The desktop application displays Pinpoint 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 Pinpoint 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 application 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 application can be programmed to automatically start when the computer starts up and can be opened at any time to check the status of the Pinpoint System.
The new applications are fully backward compatible with legacy Pinpoint Systems through the addition of a cloud interface for Pinpoint Mobile Alert or an Etherbridge for Pinpoint PC Alert.
