Emergency Phones

As the digital switch continues to be implemented across Australasia, building owners and lift maintenance engineers need to ensure auto dialers continue to operate after the change from copper to fibre lines by choosing to either upgrade to a fully digital solution or update their current analogue setup.

Whatever option they go for, a specific setup is required in each case and it is important to understand what are the benefits and challenges of each one, particularly as pricing and maintenance of the new setup is yet another consideration.

The traditional setup shown in the infographic is how emergency lift telephones have been set up in the past – they draw power from the copper lines to ensure they are able to function when required. To proof them in case of a power failure, they also have access to a dedicated battery backup which is plugged into the DC power.

To upgrade this setup, an additional monitored battery backup will need to be implemented as well as a Dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) to Digital conversion function which helps to eliminate issues with DTMF distortion over the mobile phone network. It is worth being aware that this setup still has a risk of interference at the installation (“noise on the line”).

Alternatively, the updated fully digital option future-proofs the autodialler setup as the device itself already includes a monitored battery backup. The signal is re-scanned via a machine to machine (M2M) roaming SIM card which removes the analogue signal altogether.

Whatever option you choose, it is always best to contact a specialist to help you weigh in on your options and choose the setup that works best for your specific situation.