In our many guides on managing the transition to digital, we advocate that those on or starting their digital journey should interrogate the market to know what options are available. Researching the products and innovations on offer from multiple manufactures equips you with the knowledge to make informed decisions about the direction you want to take your organisation. We highlight frequently the importance of not just browsing the websites but speaking to those organisations and asking the right questions to ensure you are confident in their ability to meet your requirements – today and in the future. We highlighted some of these questions in our recent blog https://appello.co.uk/blog/transitioning-to-digital-warden-call/.
It would be naïve of us to think that at some point in your history of providing telecare services, that you wouldn’t have come across Tunstall. For a long period, during which analogue equipment was the standard, Tunstall were manufacturing and supplying to the sector significantly more than anyone else – they were exceptionally good at this.
In recent years, we have moved into a digital era of telecare and warden call services, driven by the ongoing digital upgrade to the telecoms network. This has meant digital telecare equipment is now the required standard to mitigate the risks of failed calls, whereby analogue equipment is incompatible with the digital telecoms network.
Appello have been specialising in digital warden call, hardwired systems for use in communal properties since 2016. We have become the market leader in these systems with over 30,000 individuals using these digital systems daily and we have enabled over 13 million digital calls in this period.
We have now introduced SmartLife, our first digital dispersed alarm. It’s another innovative alternative in the sector and as a result we are often getting the question, how does SmartLife differ from the Tunstall Smart Hub? It’s a great question, and one we love to hear as it shows people are taking the time to review the market and compare their options. Therefore, we have taken the time to give a snapshot of how SmartLife and Smart Hub compare.
Legacy
Tunstall have been manufacturing analogue dispersed alarms for a long time. The Smart Hub is their digital offering, which has been around for a number of years in different iterations.
Although we monitor thousands, and have sold other providers previously, SmartLife is the first dispersed alarm to be manufactured by Appello. It has therefore been designed specifically as a digital device with backwards compatibility for those still with analogue requirements.
Appearance
Both alarms are fairly similar in size, SmartLife comes in a stylish black with silver trim, and Smart Hub in a sleek and neutral white. Both units have a series of LED buttons which can act as indicators during usage.
Digital Connectivity
The Tunstall Smart Hub supports their proprietary analogue protocol TT21, TT92, STMF and the digital protocol SCAIP, which is supported by their propriety monitoring platform.
Appello SmartLife enables digital connectivity via the European ratified variation of SCAIP, EN50134-9 and also offers customer the option of digital connectivity via British Standard, BS8521-2, also known as NOW-IP. It will also communicate using BS8521-1.
Furthermore, SmartLife has also by demand introduced the proprietary Tunstall protocol TT92 allowing connectivity with third party platforms including a Tunstall monitoring platform.
GSM Communication
GSM is the Global System for Mobile Communication, in short this is how your mobile phone connects to the internet when not on a WiFi connection. GSM is the connectivity method used for dispersed alarms, often when no Ethernet or WiFi connection is available, or used as a failover connection method.
With the impending closure of both 2G and 3G networks ensuring your dispersed alarm has a 4G connection is imperative. Both Smart Hub and SmartLife are provided with this 4G connectivity.
Interoperability
Tunstall Smart Hub does not offer interoperability capabilities, meaning that it only connects with peripherals manufactured by Tunstall. However, this is a significant range of devices from pendants and fall detectors to a range of sensors for use around the home.
SmartLife is ground-breaking in that it is the first dispersed alarm in the UK with interoperability. This means that customers can use SmartLife with Appello manufactured pendants but also with the wide range of peripheral devices available from third parties , including those you may already own. Furthermore, SmartLife is compatible with the excellent range of devices from industry experts CAIR, who produce market leading devices such as fall detectors, smoke alarms and much more.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
When communicating digitally, Smart Hub does not support VoIP using the SIM, this means that the monitoring centre needs to make a telephone call every time an alarm is activated to open the speech channel. The downside of this is that the service provider will incur additional call charges to a non-UK SIM telephone number every time a digital alarm is activated.
However, Smart Hub does support VoIP over Ethernet, but neither data or voice is encrypted when being transferred to the monitoring platform.
On the other hand, SmartLife from Appello, supports VoIP via SIM and Ethernet, meaning that when an alarm is activated a two-way call channel will be immediately opened, avoiding the requirement and associated cost of calling back.
SmartLife ensures that all data into our call handling platform meets TLS1.2 encryption as a minimum. Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption is a highly robust and reliable form of encryption used within financial industries.
Availability
Like many industries, our sector has seen the impact of supply chain challenges, leading to some manufactures quoting lead times of up to 40 weeks. Appello invested significantly in stock to overcome these challenges, and therefore have SmartLife available and in stock for immediate dispatch.
Cost
Manufacturers prices can change, and packages can be challenging to compare accurately, as features and benefits will differ.
Smart Hub is a competitively priced dispersed alarm, which on a singular unit is likely to be less expensive than SmartLife. However, when considering the whole package, the cost of upgrading to digital SmartLife can offer customer considerable savings.
SmartLife enables customers to continue to use existing peripheral telecare devices such as pendants, fall detectors, smoke alarms. On average in the UK there are three of these devices per dispersed alarm, at c£50 each. Therefore, removing the need to change these means that although the SmartLife base unit may cost more, the whole package to upgrade to digital becomes considerably less.
In summary, both Smart Hub and SmartLife are dispersed alarm options for those considering the move to digital services.
Both products are compatible with the vast range of telecare peripherals and sensors supplied by Tunstall, however SmartLife through ground-breaking interoperability offers customers greater flexibility and choice with additional compatibility with devices from industry experts CAIR and our own range of peripherals.
As we always suggest it is valuable to review all your options and ask the right questions. If you would like to discuss SmartLife with our team, you can book a demonstration or alternatively visit our website for more information.
