Following my two recent posts on LinkedIn around digital telecare and standards , I’ve received several queries from housing providers. The question everyone is asking is how can we be sure the equipment proposed by a telecare provider is fit for a digital telecoms network?
Our Smart Living Solutions provide a fully end-to-end digital solution
There are several elements you need to consider when ensuring a system is fully digital compatible. As BT previously stated, the best system for a digital network is a fully digital system, and the important word here is ‘fully’. The installation of a new telecare service into a development consists of multiple parts, from the resident equipment and wiring around the development, through to the control equipment, often located in a comms cabinet. Additionally, you need to consider all the elements taking the signal offsite, and the capabilities of the monitoring centre itself.
Our Smart Living Solutions provide a fully end-to-end digital solution, whereby everything mentioned above is working on digital protocols. This ensures that at no point is there a weak link, and we all know the saying, ‘you’re only as strong as your weakest link’.
Unfortunately though, providing a digital end-to-end solution, is not the norm. For commissioners of telecare services, this can add confusion, and you may not have your attention drawn towards these non-digital elements of the system. But it is imperative you check and ask the question, to ensure you are only considering systems that will offer you longevity, future-proofing and improvements in service.
What else can you do?
We would strongly recommend that you ask if your prospective supplier has visited and tested their equipment at the new BT digital services lab at Adastral Park near Ipswich. This is an environment created by BT that looks to replicate the ongoing changes in the network to ensure equipment is fit for purpose.
More importantly than just visiting though, you should ask to see evidence that their equipment has successfully transitioned this digital environment.
What about Appello?
As per my previous posts, we have been working closely with BT, and visited their site not long after it opened last year. We were pleased to confirm our digital telecare suite Smart Living Solutions successfully worked on the network, and as we love a belts and braces approach, we invited along an independent engineering and software consultancy to verify the testing.
Over 6,000 individuals are now benefiting from our digital telecare solutions. If you would like advice and guidance on digital telecare please contact us, enquiries@appello.zgstageci.work
