How do you do...Lockdown Alerts

[StephenPink]

Hey all,

 

Just wondering what people are using for their lockdown alerting/communications systems please. Or any that you have used in the past and feedback!

 

Cheers,

Stephen

[CHiLL]

Currently using NetSupport Notify to send popups, including lock down alerts. Relatively cheap and cheerful.

[Scan099]

Same here NetSupport Notify plus ringing of sounders with different tone to the fire alarm

[StephenPink]

Currently using NetSupport Notify to send popups, including lock down alerts. Relatively cheap and cheerful.

 

Same here NetSupport Notify plus ringing of sounders with different tone to the fire alarm

 

Thanks both! Do you have to be existing NetSupport customers/using any other NetSupport products or can this be used standalone?

[Rob_D]

We use Bodet speaker setup connected to panic buttons and SLT remote. (also used for lesson change bells and playing music on the last day of term.)

[Scan099]

Thanks both! Do you have to be existing NetSupport customers/using any other NetSupport products or can this be used standalone?

 

We only have Netconsent and Notify so not sure.

[MancTech]

We use a school wide PA system called Audiebant. It has bells for lessons, music if needed, text to speech announcements or prerecorded templates ready to go using a phone app or web interface. The multiple bell ringing system we had previously was just confusing people.

 

Incidentally we also have netsupport notify but don't use it for invacuation/evacuation messages.

[CHiLL]

Thanks both! Do you have to be existing NetSupport customers/using any other NetSupport products or can this be used standalone?

We use it standalone, we don't have any of their other products.

 

I also forgot to mention that lockdown is also denoted with a specific bell pattern, along with the popup. Same with when lockdown is lifted.

[PotNoodleTech]

We use it standalone, we don't have any of their other products.

 

I also forgot to mention that lockdown is also denoted with a specific bell pattern, along with the popup. Same with when lockdown is lifted.

 

Hi do you send the bell and thelockdown opn the PC differently - i.e do differnt poeple have to sit there and send those messages etc?

 

I am looking for something fully autopmatic hit a red button and it does it all but cant find anything that isnt cut-out-your-kidney inducingly expensive :/

[flyinghaggis]

We have Netsupport Notify. It's fine for messaging but for lockdowns/security purposes there should really be an audible alarm system of somekind IMO. I wouldn't recommend it for that purpose in the event of an emergency.

 

It reminds me too much of the IT Crowd scene with Moss and the fire...

 

Edited February 7, 2025 by flyinghaggis

[CHiLL]

Hi do you send the bell and thelockdown opn the PC differently - i.e do differnt poeple have to sit there and send those messages etc?

 

I am looking for something fully autopmatic hit a red button and it does it all but cant find anything that isnt cut-out-your-kidney inducingly expensive :/

It's different people and we don't have a great solution for the actual initiation process but the powers at be don't seem bothered enough to revaluate it at present.

 

In our main/public reception, there's a panic button. When that button it pressed, it triggers two flashing lights; one in the school/internal reception and one in our office. If that light is flashing, the office staff know to ring the bell in the specific lock down pattern and we know to push out the notification via NetSupport Notify. The obvious disadvantage of this is if either of the three offices are unmanned for any reason, a vital step could be missed.

[psydii]

We use the School-wide PA system. Would use a bell pattern if no PA. Info updates sent via email. Additionally we have a lot of CCTV, Access Control and 2-way radios.

PA has two locations from where messaged can be delivered.

CCTV and Access Control - Senior managers of relevant systems have remote access from their laptops.

We can remotely secure, segment and sweep the school pretty quickly.

 

In practice the flow is something along the lines of a request to talk is heard on the radio with conversation taken to Teams(*), people are pulled into the Teams call on a need-to-know basis. Depending on who is where, there might be another message sent out on the radio which is the code phrase to initiate a lock-down / evac PA announcement, but its likely that someone who is on the call is actually next to the PA system already. There are primary/secondary people defined for each role/activity, and IT Manager or Deputy can take over any role if needed.

 

* - this type of exchange happens multiple times a day, so initially appears to anyone listening as nothing out of the ordinary.

Edited February 7, 2025 by psydii

[ovenchips]

We use TeamSOS at my main school, and have recently set up their lockdown alert app. Deploys out via GPO really easy, and sending an announcement from the app will bring up a fullscreen alert & audio on every PC on the network, logged in or not. You can also force a typed response or a yes/no "I'm OK" response, which is quite nice. Handy if you already run TeamSOS as it's integrated into the main app - although not cheap as far as I can remember, and going up again this year!

[PotNoodleTech]

Thats great all thanks - very useful responses for me to feed back.

[Boredguy]

We have NetSupport Notify, but as we also have Paxton Net2 have got a specific keyfob setup and rules in place that when it's presented to any reader will enable the "Lockdown" mode (you can enable this feature from the config panel) and then send an e-mail alert as well.

 

Ideally would want an audible solution as well, but as we just have fire bells we can't use them and they keep saying we can't afford to upgrade our Bodet unit to the latest version and put harmony sounders around site and have the different pre-programed message.

[BucksITguy]

We are about to roll out Ping Alert (via Schoolswatch). It essentially throws a pop up to cover the users screen when a lockdown is triggered. Can also download an app for phones which overrides silent mode etc.

[jmak]

I call Chris Whitty and ask him to do a PowerPoint.

 

Too soon?

[STSM2113]

STI lockdown buttons in front office + admin office - integrates with alarm which emits an intermittent tone

 

staff information conversed through teamSOS where staff can reply and mark themselves safe

[mikes]

yeah we don't have any computer specific lockdown software here, apart from the net2 system which I believe plays a special bell sound and locks all doors? (could be wrong about it locking all doors that might just be a manual procedure they recommended). But the special bell is hearable all over the school and is unmistakable, I'm not sure a popup on a computer would add that much to it

[EntrySign_Dev]

You might find this news about our recent partnership with Vivi interesting...

https://www.entrysign.co.uk/press-and-news/entrysign-and-vivi-integration-partners/

 

If you have any questions, or would like any more information please feel free to PM me and we'll be happy to help.