DECT phones and distance

[ericmark]

I have a friend who lives in the middle of a wood with no mobile phone coverage.
His worry is should something go wrong by time some one realised he was not answering emails or telephone it would be too late.
So he wants a method of contacting outside world should something go wrong.
He has a BT land line and first ideas is can this be made so he can use a phone or PMR radio to call for help?
Using a DECT phone one wonders if purely putting the base in an elevated position would give the coverage?
My first thoughts is to put the base in a box on end of pole?
However this is well beyond my ken and I will be all ears to any ideas as to how to increase the range.
The guy 80 years old is on a pension so money is a major factor. So what can be done?
At the moment the idea is to put the base on the end of a pole in a box.
Any ideas please?

 

[Alarm]

Check with the local council, here they do devices for the elderly for situations not too dissimilar. These are done free of charge or at nominal cost.
Not sure of the range, then again you have given no indication either.



This one has 300 mtrs range and SMS for missed calls.

http://www.cordless-phones.uk.com/c...epeater&utm_campaign=froogle#product-features

 

[bernardgreen]

One option would be to install an activity monitor that would detect a change in his daily routine and raise an alarm / concern to a neighbour, relative or other responsible person.

There are various ways to detect the change and the system needs to be tailored to the person. I have fitted flow sensors fitted in the water supply that triggered an alarm if 12 hours went by without any water being used. One stubbornly independent person was monitored by the sensors of her burglar alarm being used to detect that she was still moving around the house.

It depends a lot on the person and whether they accept there may be a need to "keep an eye on them". One old man was happy to push a button every few hours to silence a bleeper but then he had previously collapsed in the house and would have died had not a chance visitor arrived and through the window seen him on the floor.

 

[Alarm]

As I said Bernard local councils use activity monitors amongst other things.
A alarm in this case would not assist as it is outside the main is being mentioned.

 

[bernardgreen]

There may be some value in considering a "lone worker" system for your friend.

My old employer Multitone have some lone worker systems. I do not know about the modern systems such as http://www.multitone.com/vertical.php?tl=4&pnl=1_1 but in the past they had produced portable units which had a panic button and an optional movement detector in the portable unit and a range of several hundred yards to the base unit which could trigger an auto dialler. The range would be a bit less in a forest. It would almost certainly require a licence for the radio frequency.

 

[Alarm]

Sounds more like it.
Repeater system maybe?

 

[ericmark]

The idea of having a system that will auto send out an alarm call after a set time may be some thing that would work.

So if he intends to be out 2 hours have an auto system that will call for help after 3 hours which he would normally cancel on his return.

I would think the computer could do this for him although he does not normally leave it running. I would think there would be some autodial device that could be used similar to those used in an alarm.

Any ideas on what to google to find out more?

I remember when lone working I had to phone security every hour to say I was OK. Seemed a good system until one day the phone failed and the security did not turn up on site. Cost the firm a lot of money as from that point onward buddy system was used always two men on every job.

But auto dial asking for help would seem a better system.

 

[bernardgreen]

I would think the computer could do this for him

To provide reliable alarms the system cannot depend on mains power equipment. A not un-common reason for urgent help being needed is an accident or incident that results in or was caused by loss of mains power.

 

[bernardgreen]

Seemed a good system until one day the phone failed and the security did not turn up on site.

Surely when the phone failed and the expected "I am OK" call did not arrive then security should have interpreted it as a lone worker not reporting in and acted to find out why.

I recall a radio network controller who had several sand in glass 30 minute egg timers lined up on the desk. One for every active callsign. If she spoke to any callsign she reset the timer for that callsign. When a timer ran out she called the callsign fro a comms check. If there was a good reply she reset the timer.

 

[ericmark]

Seemed a good system until one day the phone failed and the security did not turn up on site.

Surely when the phone failed and the expected "I am OK" call did not arrive then security should have interpreted it as a lone worker not reporting in and acted to find out why.

I recall a radio network controller who had several sand in glass 30 minute egg timers lined up on the desk. One for every active callsign. If she spoke to any callsign she reset the timer for that callsign. When a timer ran out she called the callsign fro a comms check. If there was a good reply she reset the timer.

Yes they should have investigated that was the whole idea. But they didn't which resulted in the security firm losing contract and buddy system replacing them.

It seemed the security man was on his own so felt he should not leave his post. (Read that as nice warm office) When it was raised at the monthly meeting it was felt there was no concern for fellow workers as we never met.

But with my friend most people who know him would need to travel some distance to visit and would not be likely to visit just in case. So a call out would more likely get a response.

As to power failure that's is of course an issue but a minor one. The most likely problem is him walking to investigate something and falling breaking a bone in the trees. Lets face it if a tree does fall on him likely dead anyway so no hurry. But glancing blow could still trap him so he could not return to house. And it's not being able to return to house which is a worry as he could then die of exposure.