Text

In some cases, text messages may be a practical and even necessary way of sending notifications, such as in noisy work environments.
As an added bonus, they are less intrusive than voice calls and offer greater traceability. 

ALERT offers a wealth of possibilities for sending alarms by text message.

SMS

ALERT supports two methods for sending SMS messages:

• By using a GSM modem (requires a mobile subscription from a telecoms operator)
• By IP over the Internet and via the SMPP protocol, which is natively available in ALERT (requires an SMPP subscription from a service provider offering this particular protocol) 

DECT

ALERT incorporates a large number of drivers for sending text messages to the DECT devices marketed by leading brands (Alcatel, Mitel, Ascom, Cisco, Spectralink, etc.).

On compatible devices, users can define different acknowledgement levels for the message that they have received from ALERT (message stored on the device, message opened, explicit read confirmation, etc.).

Email

As standard, ALERT supports emails (simple messages and emails with an attachment) via an SMTP (SSL, STARTTLS and ESMTP) or Exchange account.

ALERT can also be used to receive emails for:

• Managing call acknowledgements (alarm message acknowledgements). To use this feature, the system must be configured to receive emails with the embedded POP3 protocol.
  
• Retrieving alarms from third-party devices or solutions that are capable of sending emails. Emails can either be retrieved with an external mailbox (POP3) and dedicated ALERT email address, or by using ALERT directly as an outgoing server with the natively integrated SMTP server.  

Fax

Fax machines may have left the mainstream, but they are still used in the information transfer process to ensure traceability and comply with standardized procedures.

ALERT caters for this option by allowing users to send faxes via a digital or analog modem.

Pager

Pagers are still frequently used at industrial sites due to their reliability for sending messages.

Whether across a public or private network, ALERT can send text messages to pagers that are compatible with standard protocols, including TAP (analog or IP), ERMES, ESPA 4.4.4 and ESPA X, as well as certain proprietary protocols (ASCOM, e*Message, etc.).

Radio

The emergence of digital radio has opened up the realm of applications for walkie-talkies, meaning that they are no longer confined to voice calls. Users can now send text messages over radio devices.

ALERT includes IP drivers for sending notifications to users on their radio devices and enabling them to interact with ALERT (acknowledge or reject calls).