10 reasons Entel’s DN495 LTE Radio will change the Security Industry

Blog: 10 reasons Entel’s DN495 LTE Radio will change the Security Industry       Published: 30/04/2021

The Security Industry has long been crying out for a device that can meet the communication and safety needs of its users. With security professionals playing a vital role in keeping people safe and assets secure, comms between Security personnel is a crucial and often-overlooked part of this process. If you look across the board, you’ll see an eclectic mix of devices and networks being utilised by Security Teams today.

At DTS.Solutions (U.K) Ltd, we think the wind of change is coming. Entel’s DN495 LTE radio has arrived…

1. The power of simplicity: The DN495 LTE radio sits at the core of Entel’s E-PoC offering – combining the instant, push-to-talk functionality of a two-way radio with the cellular coverage of a smartphone. But let’s cut to the chase here. There are hundreds of PoC (push-to-talk over cellular) devices on the market today. We know, we’ve tried them! What makes the DN495 so special? The vast majority of PoC devices we’ve seen totally miss the point. They’ve been designed as a smartphone with a push-to-talk button, giving users access to every app under the sun and vastly overcomplicating what is, in essence, a very simple requirement – instant, reliable communication. The DN495 has been designed by Entel – a company that eats, sleeps and breathes two-way radio. Embedding the E-PoC app within the DN495 ensures users have access to all the features they need – and none of the ones they don’t! Security comms doesn’t need to be complex – it needs to be simple!
2. Make it Smart: But simplicity doesn’t mean the DN495 isn’t smart. As it operates on broadband networks, Entel has been able to add some truly innovative and useful features to the DN495 that you won’t find on a “traditional” narrow-band two-way radio, such as seeing which radios are online via the DN495’s contact list. You can also check how many people are set to a talkgroup at any given time. Getting the balance between a feature-rich device versus an overcomplicated one is a line we think the DN495 treads perfectly.
3. SIMple Plan: We often tell people that your device is only as good as the network it runs on. With a multi-network roaming SIM in each Entel DN495, you’re covering the UK’s four main phone networks – O2, Three, EE and Vodafone. The DN495 will roam to whichever is strongest, and its highly-sensitive LTE antenna will catch any whiff of 3G or 4G signal on any of these networks.
4. Tell Me Wi-Fi: What’s more, you can extend your coverage further by connecting your DN495 to Wi-Fi networks – again, with seamless roaming. We even have some users who don’t purchase the DN495 with a SIM, choosing instead to rely solely on their Wi-Fi. This dramatically reduces both upfront and ongoing costs.
5. Dispatch, Record, Track & Control: If you need more than voice communication, once again the DN495 has you covered. Take advantage of a wide range of features when you integrate it with optional E-PoC software from Entel, such as the E-PoC IOS/Android app, E-PoC advanced dispatcher and E-PoC recorder. You can also monitor your user’s GPS positioning, manage emergency alarms and more through intuitive user interfaces, and record everything for auditability and accountability purposes.
6. Emergency, Emergency: The Entel DN495 offers a full suite of safety features, including a panic button, lone-worker mode and man-down functionality. You have the flexibility to choose which of your radios has access to these features and which also receive emergency alerts for rapid response. What’s more, all of these functions work in an extremely user-friendly way, making it easier for personnel to raise the alert reactively whilst you proactively ensure their safety.
7. The Right Device on the Right Network: As we alluded to earlier in this article, you don’t have to have a DN495 LTE device to stay connected with those who do. Entel’s wider E-PoC solution features IOS/Android apps, PC-based dispatchers and even gateways into “traditional” analogue and digital radio networks. You can select the right device on the right network for your users to carry out their role, be it a smartphone, tablet, PC, PMR radio or Entel DN495.
8. Your Voice – LOUDER!: The first thing that blew us away about the DN495 was its audio quality and just how loud the volume is at the highest setting. In recent years, we’ve become used to seeing DMR and PoC devices that have compromised their sound level and sound quality. The DN495 has no such issues, with even the quietest of transmissions being heard loud and clear on receiving DN495 units. The audio quality between the DN495 and other device types, such as IOS/Android smartphones, has also greatly exceeded our expectations.
9. Tough It Out: You can have the best feature set and greatest sound quality in the world, but none of that matters if your device can’t stand up to a bit of punishment. Based on the thorough tests we’ve put it through, the Entel DN495 certainly ticks the “toughness” box. Whether it’s dropped onto concrete or left outside in a storm (testing its IP68 rating), we’ve been seriously impressed by the device’s durability. So much so we’ve put hundreds of DN495 units into our hire fleet this year. We’re convinced these units are worth the long-term investment and equally sure that you will believe this too.
10. Build Your Own Solution: Entel’s flexibility means they understand that every end user is different. They offer an incredible package as standard with the DN495, including the aforementioned multi-network SIM and access to their E-PoC service. But if you’d rather source your own SIM (or not have a SIM at all and only use Wi-Fi), then you can. If you want to explore the possibility of running the E-PoC service on your own servers, again, you can. Entel has truly listened to what end users want with their core offering but are not arrogant in thinking their way is the only way.