Don’t be dumb in managing your digital two-way radio batteries

Anyone who has ever owned or used a mobile device has experienced the annoyance of watching as the battery percentage runs down to zero with no hope of recharging it, or having the device unexpectedly shut down just when you need it.

In everyday life this can be little more than an annoyance.

But within a business environment it can be a productivity killer and within emergency situations it could have devastating, potentially fatal, consequences.

Battery management within a digital two-way radio system is often one of the most overlooked aspects of running a communication network but it is also one of the most important.

Poor maintenance and overcharging of batteries are two of the leading reasons for them failing prematurely.

No matter what industry you’re in, if you’re using digital two-way radios the batteries need to be charged and reconditioned properly to maintain optimal performance.

Trying to do this manually can be next to impossible because implementing the right reconditioning intervals can be impacted greatly by the usage patterns of the devices – which maintenance technicians will not always be aware of.

Making battery maintenance smarter

New “smart” battery technology has been one of the most significant developments within communications networks by helping to take the guess work out of battery conditioning and bringing automation to the charging and reconditioning cycle.

This type of technology – like that within the Motorola IMPRESä Smart Energy System – enables departments to maintain their two-way radio batteries to the most optimal performance through “adaptive” reconditioning.

Within this system, chargers are able to evaluate the usage pattern of each IMPRES battery and adapt to the individual battery’s usage pattern to establish the optimal reconditioning and recalibration interval for that battery.

Batteries are then reconditioned and recalibrated as required.

Consequences of poor battery monitoring

By failing to take the necessary steps to ensure optimal battery health, and failing to make investment in this vital part of their communication network, operations run the risk of an unreliable network with operatives potentially put at risk.

One of the main consequences of failing to ensure correct battery maintenance is the potential for batteries to develop a “memory effect” – when a battery loses its ability to accept a full charge due to repeated charging before the battery has had a chance to fully discharge.

The result is batteries which end up suffering with shorter usage time and the need to be recharged more frequently, leading to lost productivity.

Ultimately any organisation which has invested in – or is planning to invest in – a digital two-way radio network cannot afford to overlook the impact of also investing in a battery management and conditioning system which means they are getting the most out of their devices.

In emergency situations and lives are potentially at risk operatives need to have confidence in their devices beyond just seeing a “fully charged” light on their device, they need to have confidence that on an eight hour shift their device is not going to die after four hours.

Having your employees put at risk because their devices failed when they most needed them is not a risk you can afford to take.

For more information about the Motorola IMPRES Smart Energy System, click here