A wireless calling system facilitates communication between the provider of the service (be it a Nurse in a hospital or a waiter at the restaurant or the maintenance engineer on the shop floor of a manufacturing unit to name a few) and the people they serve, allowing service providers to serve their audience more attentively and efficiently. Call  bell systems can be wired as well as wireless.

Wired systems as the name suggests have wires connecting the person in need’s call to the service provider’s display panel. In the case of a wireless system, there are no wires except for the power supply needed for the display panel.

So then should one go in for a wired or wireless calling system? Which is better and why?

The wired system calls for the hassle and the upheaval required to install cables. If you can withstand that, then wired is probably the better option. You could opt for hiding the cables in the walls and flooring or using a trunking system. Hiding the cables is a neater option, but this calls for chasing the walls, holes for the boxes etc. Also if you have to lay the cables through the floor, God forbid, it can be a huge mess. The cables have to run through the corridors, through the false ceiling. If you were to opt for trunking over wires, you will obviate the need for chasing walls. However, the other problems continue as before. Trunking stands out like a sore thumb and makes it unappetising visually. What happens if you have to refurbish the room at a later date or move some stuff? Also while the laying of cables is being carried out, it renders the room useless.

Wireless systems score heavily here against wired systems.

Most wireless systems can be installed and commissioned in as little as a single day. Once the system is designed and installed properly, there is no need for boosting radio signal strength.

Common Elements Of A Wireless Calling System

This enables the person to call for assistance using the button. There are push buttons that can be placed strategically so the someone can immediately call for assistance. There can also be buttons for emergencies or other emergency calls.

As the name suggests, these call points are meant for and located in the toilet. These points enable the person in need to call for assistance if he/she is in the toilet. These call points have the option of a pull cord being attached to the call point. Otherwise, only the call point which can be operated by the person in need can be installed. Thus if someone has had a fall in the toilet or is in the midst of some kind of an emergency in the enclosed space, he / she can call for assistance.

This is the button pressed in case of an emergency. The sound played is different to warn the concerned people about the exigency of the situation.

This is the display panel that is normally installed at the central Station but there are instances in which they are installed in the corridor and the area for other attendants. When the person in need presses the button, the call is indicated on the display panel with the appropriate sound to indicate if it is an emergency or not.

If you have to maintain a report of all the calls made and answered to then you can have a PC monitoring software that works on Windows PC. It also gives a value-added feature of Reporting and calls escalation.

A signal repeater that boosts the signal strength in case of Wireless Systems so that the calls from the person in need can reach the display panel. The number of repeaters needed is dependent on the structure of the floor and the area to be covered.

A light can be mounted outside the door or just outside the area for visual indication of the need for help. It has different colours and has the option of sound also. The display colour can be configured as per the call type so in case there is an emergencycall, the door light will show red colour whereas a normal call can appear yellow.

Industries

Restaurants

Medical

Manufacturing

Hotel

Shop

SPA

Wireless call bell systems have their unique advantages over the wired systems.

  • Flexibility – In the absence of wires, it is possible to add devices at will. There are times, when we need to convert a single room to a twin sharing room in a hospital or vice versa. With a wireless system, this is a breeze as there is no need for any wiring. For existing buildings, it may also be physically impossible to run wires in some locations which makes wireless the only alternative.
  • Mobility – Patients / residents no longer want to remain confined to the bedside. They prefer to walk around (when possible, of course) and in times like these, providing them with a wireless pendant such that they can use anywhere in the building or even on the campus, is a huge feature for safety.
  • Reliability – The wireless systems have evolved over time and so are robust and resilient. Repeaters placed at vantage locations make sure that the signal reaches the destination from every nook and corner as required by the facility.
  • Cost – It is obvious that the wiring costs would be saved when using a wireless system. A good wireless call system needs less repeaters to cover the same area and so the total cost of owner ship is also brought down as was evidenced at the upcoming largest multi-speciality hospital of India. They could there cover over 100 OPDs without the need for a single repeater bringing down the TCO by more than 10%. No doubt that these aesthetically designed wireless systems are the choice for progressive hospitals and institutions.
  • Maintenance – Wireless systems are relatively ZERO maintenance. Every 15 ~ 18 months, the batteries need to be replaced which is going to mean someone’s time, access to the rooms and the cost of the batteries. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small cost.

According to statista.com, there were just around 23.8 million fixed-telephone subscriptions registered during 2021 in India. In comparison, there were over 1.15 billion wireless subscriptions in the country. This probably isn’t that surprising since increasingly wireless is in and wired is out.

While this is the case of the telecom sector, things are moving in that direction in other sectors as well. More and more printers are becoming wireless and the usage of wireless internet is increasing by leaps and bounds. Not to be left behind, calling systems too are moving now from the aged wired systems to wireless.

Wireless calling systems are here to stay. New facilities are actively considering Wireless systems over wired for the some of the above reasons. In fact, India’s largest multi-speciality hospital is using wireless systems too. What is stopping you?