Two-way voice was amongst the primary business applications of radio technology. It was in New Jersey, where the first two-way radio was installed in patrol cars of New Jersey police department. The first two-way mobile radio system was installed in patrol cars of Bayonne, New Jersey police department. Also called walkie-talkies, they provide efficient communication channels in a variety of industries such as Often known as walkie-talkies, two-way radios are accustomed to providing efficient communications in an exceedingly wide selection of industries including courier services, aviation, security, and even school systems.
With an ever-increase in workers in the modern workplace, there arises a need for high-performance and cost-effective communication solutions. Also, many organizations embrace a range of devices such as smartphones, handheld devices, tablets and digital radios.
When the field of enterprise mobile computing communication solutions are concerned, factors ranging from target users and usage environment to form factor and device functionality all contribute to determining the most apt solution. As far as current-day organizations are concerned- from commercial enterprises to education and government municipalities -a vast majority of wireless cellular devices such as smartphones, tablets and two-way radios are used.
Two-way radio serves a crucial purpose- leveraging a private network to provide prompt and reliable voice-based communication and specialized data services. Conversely, smartphones and tablets represent multitasking devices that, while highly functional, often cannot be depended on to support the business-critical communications required in many line-of-business workflows. Moreover, during disasters and other emergencies, cell tower overload leaves public cellular networks useless, making private radio networks the sole reliable source of communication.
Here are 10 reasons, why a business should make the switch to digital two-way radios.
- Cost of Ownership is Cheaper
With no recurring monthly fees, a two-way radio requires a small up-front investment. While most users discard cellular devices after one year of use for a relatively newer model, two-way radios last at least for five years depending on its usage.
- Radios are durable and rugged
Smartphones are consumer-grade devices and don’t seem to be engineered for commercial or industrial use. They can break instantly when dropped or exposed to water, making them costly to replace regularly. Unlike cell phones, two-way radios are built to last and are rugged commercial and professional-grade devices. They are dustproof and can be fully submerged in water without much damage due to their Ingress Protection (IP) ratings. They can even withstand shocks, drops, shakes, vibrations, static and many other harsh situations and environments so as to meet the specifications of military requirements.
- Better coverage area
Smartphones have dead zones, particularly in dense urban cities wherever there may be too many signals. In the event of an emergency, telephone towers become overloaded and plenty of calls fail to go through. During these desperate times, communication is of uttermost importance. No matter where one is in the coverage area, two-way radios always have near-perfect reception. They also always work in times of emergencies as they do not use satellite towers for their communication signals. Instead, they use their airwaves – so one can always count on calls made with two-way radios to go through.
- Customizable coverage and features
Two-way radio was developed and has continued to evolve to fulfil the particular needs of group-oriented communications and dispatch environments. The ability to cater to the wants of companies – with fast, reliable one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many communications – remains unequalled. Carrier-based solutions don’t provide relative levels of customization and performance.
- Simple, reliable implementation
On-site and in-the-field solutions typically need no infrastructure at all. Users simply talk to each other via their radios – for miles – using rugged devices designed for everyday use in the most demanding environments. For group voice calls, the coverage requirements are measured in miles. For such calls, two-way radio will provide the reliability that cannot be provided by cellular, VoWLAN or other technologies.
- Battery life and Management
A major demand for business-critical communication solutions is a strong all-shift battery performance without vital design implications. The desired target is between 10 to 12 hours of continuous operations. It is usually observed that a majority of enterprise mobile users today indicate that their cell phone batteries “frequently” or “occasionally” don’t last the total shift. Two-way radios can continue to perform well into the second shift.
- Audio-quality
The level of ambient noise-especially in environments like manufacturing plants-can leave several mobile communications devices useless. More than 6 in 10 organizations state the need to “hear clearly in noisy environments” as a very important communication system feature. Voice quality of two-way digital radios are improved by background noise suppression and sophisticated software algorithms which makes sure that clear voice is delivered in any circumstance.
While each mode of communication has its place, two-way radios are the most favored communication lifeline for millions of workers. For best quality equipment, it is recommended to so some research on the brand prior to purchase. The right two-way radio supplier will give you products of unmatched quality.