Many retail stores and businesses cannot afford to have a full-time person manning the front door to greet customers. Business owners and employees could be roaming the building or buildings,  or even the grounds around the building where customers arrive. Such is the case with landscape nursery operators, funeral home operators, used car lots, or hundreds of other types of businesses.

What they need is a way to monitor the front door from a remote location. They need the ability to be mobile and still know someone has arrived.  That’s where a wireless alert system comes into play.

A wireless alert system consists of a battery-powered, wireless motion detector installed by the front door, and fixed base station intercoms. mobile handheld intercoms, or both to receive notice that someone has arrived at the front door. When a customer arrives, the motion detector will send a verbal “Alert zone 1″ message to let monitoring personnel know someone has arrived at the front door.

If you have multiple entry doors, you can set up four motion detectors and each door will have it’s own alert message so you’ll know which door the customer came in.

Not only can you use this system to monitor the front door, but it can be used for communication between employees. The handheld radios and base station intercoms can be used to talk between units.

This system has a range of up to four miles so you should be able to cover your entire business with communications and alert messages.

The system also works as a security system at night so if you or someone is within range of the motion detectors, they will get the message.

The system is not only cost effective, but can be easily installed in a matter of minutes. You will find this system by clicking here: wireless alert system

When you purchase a two way radio in the United States that operates in the business band VHF or UHF frequencies, the FCC requires that you get a license to operate them. Like all government requirements, paperwork will be involved and it can be confusing and time consuming.

Instead of going it alone through this process, we recommend that you use a licensing coordinator that handles all of the paperwork and processing.  During this process, they’ll ask some questions about your location, the radios you’re using, and how they’ll be used. Then they fill out all the forms and get them submitted to the FCC for approval.

The cost for this is usually in the $400-$700 range per frequency for a 10 year period generally.  Below is contact info for three licensing agencies that we use most often.

CARA Enterprises, Inc.
Doug Thompson
1383 Farm Meadow
Salt Lake City, UT 84117
(801) 278-9728

Atlas License Company & Data Services
Linda Simons
7202 North Shadeland Avenue, Suite 215
Indianapolis, IN 46250
(800) 252-0529

http://www.alcds.com

National License Corporation
9050 Briarclift Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46256
317-849-5866

http://www.nationalicense.com/

When you need to extend your wireless communications across distances greater than wireless signals can travel, a wireless IP intercom will solve your problem if you have a private IP data network with the proper QoS mechanisms in place.

A wireless IP intercom extender receives transmissions from your two way radios or wireless base intercoms and then it converts it to a signal that can be transmitted across your network via a Radio Gateway or RoIP Router.

If the radios on both ends are incompatible such as one side uses VHF and the other side uses UHF radios, you can use these devices to convert the transmissions. You simply use the model of wireless IP adapter that matches the frequencies you are using on either end. These intercoms can be programmed to work with virtually any brand of VHF or UHF business band radio.

You can find these wireless IP intercom units at IntercomsOnline.com

There are many jobs where you just can’t hold on to a two way radio so you need a hands free way of using the two way radio. While there is no truly hands free two way radio, you can get fairly close.

To use a radio handsfree you need two things. First you need a two way radio with VOX mode. I don’t know where the term VOX came from but it essentially means Voice Operated Control. It enables someone to transmit and receive just by speaking into the radio or a microphone attached to the radio.

The second thing you need to be truly handsfree is a headset with a microphone and earpiece. Since the two way radio will likely be clipped to your belt, it would be difficult to get it to pick up your voice to activate that transmit if the radio is located near your waist. If you are laying down and have the radio near your head then you could likely get away without this headset.

The really good radios have a sensitivity setting so you can adjust the level of sound needed to trigger voice transmission. You can set them to pick up very quiet voices or loud voices. The thing to consider about setting the sensitivity to high for quite voices is that other noises will also cause the radio to transmit even when you aren’t talking.

A good resource on choosing the right two way radio can be found by going here: How to Choose a Two Way Radio. Two way radios and unique radios they communicate with can be found at IntercomsOnline.com

We quite frequently get requests for our MURS intercoms from people in Canada. Unfortunately we cannot ship these to Canada since they use a frequency that is used by government agencies for emergency purposes.

Some of our wireless products (Callboxes and base stations) do have IC approval (Canada’s equivalent of the FCC).  As part of that, radios we ship directly to Canada must have only the specific agreed upon frequencies available for field programming.

In other words, we have models that have a default freq. of 151.0550 MHz and 151.1150 MHz available for the customer to select between.

Note that there will be a few day delay on shipping these units out since we have to program them.

Below is a sample of the products you can order, but we will replace them with the Canadian version. The lower-cost MURS Multi-Mile products cannot be reprogrammed so we cannot ship them to Canada.

MURS Commercial Intercom (1 unit)

MURS 110 Commercial Handheld Two-Way Radio (1 unit)

MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom

MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom with Gate Relay

MURS Basic Commercial Callbox

The 900MHz and MURS wireless intercoms we offer at IntercomsOnline are not for use in the United Kingdom (U.K.), but we do offer versions of the MURS intercoms that can be used in the U.K. if you are willing to get a license. There are a couple of good articles about the license free requirements of Europe below.

License-free usage in U.K. requires that radios have a fixed antenna and our radios have a removable antenna.  So to use our wireless intercoms, you will be required to get a license. See the Business Band link below for more information.

License Free
http://radiotechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/pmr446_cb_2way_radio_in_the_uk

Business Band
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing/applications08/changes/

There are two styles of MURS two-way radio handhelds you can choose from. The MURS Multi-Mile Handheld Intercom is a light-duty, less featured two way radio. The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld Two-Way Radio is a heavy-duty fully featured two way radio. There is a big difference in price so you’ll want to make sure you choose the right one for you.

Both units will achieve a similar range and they both have all 5 of the MURS channels. For basic communication you could choose either radio.

The only advantage the MURS Multi-Mile Handheld Intercom has other than price is the fact that it integrates with a long-range motion sensor (MURS MAT which comes in the MURS Base and MURS Alert Kits). The MURS MAT will send its “Alert Zone 1” voice message to the MURS 110 Commercial Handheld but for some reason it sounds a little garbled.

The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld is built to what’s called “MIL-SPEC” standards. In an effort to achieve standardization objectives for purchases of products used by the military and other government organizations, the U.S. Department of Defense created standards that these products must meet. You will see these standards called military standard, “MIL-STD”, or “MIL-SPEC.” These standards ensure products meet certain requirements, commonality, reliability, compatibility, and similar defense-related objectives.

The Department of Defense also has standards for two-way radios and radios that meet this standard must meet levels for such criteria as vibration, rain, salt air, sand/dust, shock (dropping), humidity, temperature as well as other factors.

Buying a product that meets mil-spec standards means you are buying a quality product that is built to withstand tougher use.

The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld also has features you won’t find on the MURS Multi-Mile Handheld. They are summed up below:

The MURS Multi-Mile Handheld…

• is smaller so it fits in your hand better
• has Channel Scanning so you can listen to multiple channels at once
• has an audio output and microphone input jack so you can use headsets. These devices screw on to the radio so they can’t be pulled out. There are several types of headsets available.
• has NOAA weather radio capability for weather reports or for automatic alerts of storms
• has a programmable softkey that can be used for weather radio, gate opening, or for activating other devices that use 2-tone decode. Programmable on a per channel basis.
• has a charging doc that allows you to charge a spare battery for uninterrupted operation
• has an optional multi-charger unit available for charging multiple radios at once.
• has a voice scrambler when used with other compatible radios. With this feature turned on, other people won’t be able to understand your conversations.

So if all you need is plain voice communications and the environment you are using the two-way radio in isn’t too harsh, then the MURS Multi-Mile Handheld would be sufficient. If you need a really tough two-way radio with some features, then the MURS 110 Commercial Handheld is for you.

A waterproof two way radio is usually one that meets mil-spec standards. Buying a product that meets mil-spec standards means you are buying a quality product that is built to withstand tougher use.

In an effort to achieve standardization objectives for purchases of products used by the military and other government organizations, the U.S. Department of Defense created standards that these products must meet. You will see these standards called military standard, “MIL-STD”, or “MIL-SPEC.” These standards ensure products meet certain requirements, commonality, reliability, compatibility, and similar defense-related objectives.

The Department of Defense also has standards for two-way radios and radios that meet this standard must meet levels for such criteria as vibration, rain (water), salt air, sand/dust, shock (dropping), humidity, temperature as well as other factors.

You may also see radios with an “IP” designation. IP stands for Ingress Protection and it is an international standard that specifies the sealing effectiveness of the enclosure of a product. It is a two digit code that tell you how effective the enclosure is to penetration from fingers, dust, and water.

For instance, for a radio that meets IP 55, the first 5 means it is protected from the amount of dust that would interfere with its operation. The second 5 means that it is protected from water that shoots from a nozzle.

So when you look for a waterproof two way radio you really want to look for one that meets mil-spec or IP 55 standards.

One of the most useful intercom systems available is an outdoor intercom. These intercoms are used at outside entrances to buildings, security gates, or anywhere anyone may need to communicate with a person inside a building or at a remote location. They save people from having to make trips to your entrance door to let people in, and they alert you when customers or visitors are at a locked security gate.

Outdoor intercoms are available in both wired and wireless versions. The wired intercoms are most often used at external doors where people at a fixed location inside the building need to monitor the door for visitors.

Wireless outdoor intercoms not only have the benefit of not requiring installation of cable, they also allow for mobility of the person or people monitoring the outdoor wireless intercom. Some of these devices communicate with handheld two way radios and others with portable wireless intercoms.

A wireless outdoor intercom faces some difficult challenges. Most obvious is the weather. Not only is there moisture to worry about, but also extreme heat and cold. You need a wireless intercom that can withstand exposure to the elements.

Another factor is the range you need to cover. How far apart are the intercoms going to be? But it’s more than just distance. Building construction can greatly reduce the distance a wireless intercom will communicate. A wood-framed building with siding will reduce the range less than a concrete or brick building.

Depending on where you put the wireless exterior intercom you may also have to worry about vandalism. You need to ask yourself whether someone will attempt to steal or destroy the unit. If so, then you need a unit built to resist vandalism.

There are several wireless outdoor intercom systems that can handle being used outdoors. See the links below:

Light-duty, short-range intercom:

WireFree Outdoor 900MHz Intercom

Light-duty, short-range hands free doorbell:

WireFree Wireless 900MHz Doorbell and Intercom

Light-duty, long-range intercom/callbox that communicates with two-way radios:

MURS Basic Commercial Callbox

Heavy-duty, long-range, vandal-proof intercom/callbox that communicates with two-way radios:

MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom

Heavy-duty, long-range, vandal-proof intercom/callbox with gate opener (communicates with two-way radios):

MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom with Gate Relay

You can go to any local building supply store or department store to buy a cheap two way radio, but a professional two way radio will give you much better performance.

A professional two way radio is built to what’s called “MIL-SPEC” standards. In an effort to achieve standardization objectives for purchases of products used by the military and other government organizations, the U.S. Department of Defense created standards that these products must meet. You will see these standards called military standard, “MIL-STD”, or “MIL-SPEC.” These standards ensure products meet certain requirements, commonality, reliability, compatibility, and similar defense-related objectives.

The Department of Defense also has standards for two-way radios and radios that meet this standard must meet levels for such criteria as vibration, rain, salt air, sand/dust, shock (dropping), humidity, temperature as well as other factors.

Buying a product that meets mil-spec standards means you are buying a quality product that is built to withstand tougher use.

You may also see radios with an “IP” designation. IP stands for Ingress Protection and it is an international standard that specifies the sealing effectiveness of the enclosure of a product. It is a two digit code that tell you how effective the enclosure is to penetration from fingers, dust, and moisture.

For instance, for a radio that meets IP 55, the first 5 means it is protected from the amount of dust that would interfere with its operation. The second 5 means that it is protected from water that shoots from a nozzle.

A professional two way radio also uses higher transmission power so you are likely to get better range.

If you buy a professional two way radio that meets mil-spec standards, you’ll get a radio that will survive the harsh environments that these radios find themselves in.