2 Way Radio PBX Integration

[plexer]

Does anyone use 2 way radios which are linked to your phone system for making and receiving calls?

 

Also is anyone running the Kenwood FleetSync software?

 

Ben

[laserblazer]

Most two way radios are simplex, ie. they either transmit or receive, which means that the party at the other end needs to be aware that they can't both talk at the same time. There are duplex systems but they are expensive. I think you would have to make a lot of calls to make it cheaper than using a mobile phone.

[SYNACK]

If you have sitewide WiFi and a phone system that supports SIP then you could look at something like these: Latest Generation Of WiFI IP SIP Phones | Voip Up Close

WP04 WiFi VoIP Phone - Yippz.com

[localzuk]

Motorola make such a system, and I've had a nose at it in the past but it was pretty expensive, and used special radios.

 

As Synack says, your best bet is to make use of SIP over WIFI.

 

ie. find a SIP handset which comes with PTT capabilities and use them as your radios.

[paul]

before you can go ahead and do this you will need to ensure the following is adhered to:

• You are using licensed radios
  
• Your License covers you for 'PSTN Interconnect'
  
• Your radios are capable of generating DTMF tones
  
• Your radios either have a keypad for direct entry such as the Motorola GP380 or can have a contact list programmed into them to recall such as the Motorola GP360
  
• You have a repeater which you can attach a Telephone Interconnect to Such as a Zetron 35A
  

As you can see its not a straight forward process, even if you have the radios and the repeater already to hand they will unlikely be programmed up to simply 'plug and play' requiring reprogramming by a dealer.

 

I have used a similar setup personally in school before integrating with an Avaya IP office system.

Edited October 8, 2010 by Ric_

[plexer]

Thanks for all the great info here guys, we can get side wide coverage with uhf licensed radios from the front of the school to the farthest part of the field, we do not 100% wifi coverage in all the buildings and even if we did the outside coverage wouldn't be as good as the uhf radios.

 

We are moving from unlicenced pmr466 radios to licences uhf, the Zetron 35A is what the Kenwood site threw up as an option.

 

We are most likely looking at the Gensis software from CST with Kenwood radios as it also enables text messages to be sent to the radios, the radios can also provide man down and lone worker facilities as well. Most likely Kenwood TK-3170's

 

The current phone system is ip capable but could do with an upgrade if we looking at that so even more money for that.

 

We are looking at about 18 handsets and the school does not want mobile phone contracts.

 

Ben

[paul]

Have you looked at the price of the Genesis software? As a cheaper option radios can be programmed with a preset list of status messages which are encoded using 5-tone signalling, the radios you are looking at will support this at no extra cost to yourseleves, staff won't be able to compose there own messages but will be able to recall preset messages from the radios status menu, this is also the method which can be employed to identify each calling party on the radios screen.

[tom_newton]

You can fairly easily bridge a sip system to an existing "old style" system, tho Radio->SIP->PBX might throw up some "fun" dial plans

[plexer]

Yes I am aware of the cost of genisis and was also looking at the kenwood fleetsync as well and there isn't a lot between the 2 yet genisis can facilitate plugging the system into other bits of kit, fire alarm and burglar alarm etc...

 

Ben

[TechMonkey]

We were talking to a company who had sorted out a school with wireless handsets that can double as on site radios. Now I only had their word to go on but the range they were giving was fairly impressive. It meant they could do person to person, person to group or person to all without interfering with anyone else. Pricey though.

 

I can try and get details if you like.

[plexer]

Would be handy, thanks.

 

Ben

[plexer]

Just to update this thread. The solution we went for in the end was kenwood tk-3170 radios and an 8180 with a zetron 735 interconnect. These are all programmed using 5 tone to provide radio id and groups both radio to radio and telephone to radio.

 

Was good fun with the programming software getting it all buttoned up.

 

Ben

[victory2009]

Just to update this thread. The solution we went for in the end was kenwood tk-3170 radios and an 8180 with a zetron 735 interconnect. These are all programmed using 5 tone to provide radio id and groups both radio to radio and telephone to radio.

 

Was good fun with the programming software getting it all buttoned up.

 

Ben

 

We are currently looking into replacing our radios too - could you possibly provide me with the company you used to supply your radios? did they let you trial a few to see if they worked in noisy enviroments? thanks in advance