Skymira’s reinvented RoIP (RoIP 2.0) solutions solve your everyday communications challenges and harden your network so that you’re already prepared to stay online during disasters.
Here are twenty-one reasons you should consider integrating radio over IP (RoIP) solutions into your land mobile radio (LMR) network.
COVERAGE PROBLEMS – Gaps and Range
- Remote areas – If you work in remote areas, you know all about coverage gaps. One moment you’re getting directions from dispatch and the next you’re in a dead zone unable to call for backup. Or, perhaps you’re far enough out that you spend whole days disconnected and unable to get real-time updates, alerts, and collaboration requests. RoIP 2.0 solutions can change that with flat-rate satellite coverage which ensures you’re always online no matter how remote your location.
- Network switching – If you work on the edge between different kinds of networks, such as LMR, RF, and LTE networks, perhaps you’ve experienced the exasperation of constant gaps in conversation while your radio scans for and switches to the strongest network. With an Explorer Mobile Gateway you’ll be able to use whichever network is best at any given moment without experiencing glitches because of built-in redundancies which allow for seamless transitions.
- Expanding territory – If you’re looking to expand your business, you may have realized that you’ll need a different communications setup for the new territory because of different coverage options in the region. Skymira’s reinvented RoIP solutions can make that a non-issue by creating nearly limitless interoperability between disparate devices using different networks, bandwidths, and protocols.
- Remote workers – If you want to keep remote workers connected via push-to-talk (PTT), you’ve probably experienced what a headache that can be. Range and interoperability are usually the two biggest challenges with remote workers – challenges that disappear when using Skymira’s RoIP solutions which make it easy to connect remote workers with dispatch, facilities, and other personnel.
- Changing locations – If you find yourself frequently changing locations, re-establishing secure, reliable communications at each new site can feel overwhelming. Connecting with a compatible network, ensuring continuity, and keeping everything running smoothly is hard enough when you don’t have to pack up and move all the time. Skymira’s portable and mobile RoIP solutions make setup a breeze. No more feeling that by the time you finally have the comms system running smoothly it’s time to pack up and try again. Plug-and-talk configurations mean you have secure, reliable comms right away so you can hit the ground running.
- Outside the bubble – If you’re using COWs (cellular on wheels) or other mobile cell towers for communications in remote areas and disaster zones, what happens when you need to go outside the bubble? With Skymira’s GoKIT™ or another portable or mobile RoIP solution you can stay connected in real-time to the rest of the world when you go outside the bubble.
INTEROPERABILITY CHALLENGES – Disparities and Smartphones
- Disparate equipment – If you’re trying to integrate new devices into your communications network, you may have run into the brick wall of LMR interoperability problems. Some devices just don’t work together on their own. The simplest solution is to deploy a RoIP gateway to bridge those differences and achieve seamless interoperability no matter which brands and devices you want to work with.
- Interagency cooperation – If you’ve tried to collaborate with another organization or agency whose dispatch uses a different bandwidth than yours, there isn’t much you can do about it…unless you deploy RoIP 2.0. Skymira’s solutions integrate into your LMR configuration to provide seamless interoperability between disparate devices using different bandwidths, networks, and protocols.
- Smartphones – Yes, it’s possible to add smartphones to your communications network without losing the easy simplicity of PTT. Whether the smartphones are for remote workers or personnel on-location, you can keep your radios and other equipment while adding smartphones using Skymira’s advanced smartphone PTT solutions.
- Modern devices – Tablets, laptops, smartphones, computers…the list of modern devices you can add to your LMR network is almost as long as the list of reasons you might want to add them. With excellent apps you can seamlessly integrate modern devices into your LMR network to work with mobile and handheld radios, dispatch consoles, and more.
- Equipment upgrades – Do you want to update some of your radios or other equipment, but don’t have it in the budget to replace everything? No problem. You don’t have to stick with something that is designed to automatically work with the technology you already have. RoIP 2.0 solutions mean you can upgrade any part of your LMR network to whatever is most suited to your needs and then establish seamless interoperability between that and your existing equipment.
DISASTERS – Expected and Unexpected
- Hurricanes – Hurricanes have a tendency to knock out critical communications where they’re needed most. Relief efforts are often hampered by lack of real-time updates, and it’s hard to collaborate with people you can’t talk to. Skymira’s satellite-enabled RoIP solutions are unaffected by natural disasters allowing you to stay online during and after hurricanes.
- Tornadoes – Tornadoes wreak havoc in hard-to-predict patterns that can suddenly leave whole areas without communications. Because Skymira’s RoIP solutions don’t rely on terrestrial infrastructure, tornadoes can’t knock them out. By integrating RoIP 2.0 into your LMR network to solve everyday challenges, you also harden it against disasters like tornadoes.
- Wildland fires – Wildland fires often rage in areas without network coverage. Then, when they make it into areas with coverage, they often take down the network. This exposes wildland fire crews to risks which would be easily reduced or eliminated by reliable communications. Satellite-enabled RoIP solutions create reliable communications and allow for GPS tracking to increase safety and efficiency ultimately saving lives.
- Terror attacks – Whether a particular terror attack targets communications infrastructure or not, it can knock out key network components. This complicates response and increases risk not just for first responders but for everyone affected. Mobile satellite RoIP solutions mean that secure, reliable communications can be instantly set up no matter the conditions in the area.
- Ice storms – Ice storms have a tendency to freeze communications, take down power lines, and otherwise interfere with operations as usual. With RoIP 2.0 integrated into your communications system, you won’t have to worry about losing communications after winter storms.
- Evacuations – Evacuations happen in the middle of an emergency which usually means most everything that can go wrong will go wrong. You can’t afford to wait while dusting off a special-use communications system that half the team has forgotten how to use. If you have RoIP 2.0 integrated into your comms system, you’ll already have a familiar system in place which will allow you to communicate securely and consistently when everything goes wrong.
- Tidal waves – The devastation left in the wake of a tidal wave or tsunami often includes washed out communication infrastructure. Portable and mobile RoIP solutions mean you can reestablish communications right away to begin rescue and restoration work safely and efficiently.
- Compromised internet – If security is a critical component of your communication strategy, then network compromise is a constant concern. Hackers, AI glitches, outages, and other problems can make channels unusable. By establishing your own private, secure channels over satellite via RoIP gateways using AES-256 encryption, you don’t have to worry about using compromised connections.
- Earthquakes – One of the most important things to get back online after an earthquake is reliable communications. Rugged, satellite-enable RoIP solutions don’t just survive earthquakes, they work independently of the infrastructure that earthquakes knock out. This means that you’ll have critical communications when it counts most.
- Power outages – A power outage doesn’t start as a disaster, but if it goes on long enough, it can become one. When you start to run out of fuel for the generators and backup generators that run equipment, the situation can become critical in a hurry. Skymira’s portable GoKIT™ runs off of a 12v plug using a lot less critical fuel. Stay online while preserving your resources in the case of a power outage that turns into a potential disaster.
Get in touch with Skymira’s experts today to see how you can solve these and other communication challenges with integrated RoIP 2.0 solutions.