Communication Systems For Lifts
Communication systems that you may come across:
Telephone
An emergency phone handset within the lift is a cost effective means of communicating between the person in the lift and a 3rd party (outside the building) during an emergency situation. A connection will be required to a dedicated telephone line. Care should be chosen when choosing a phone, they are only suitable in an environment where the usage can be controlled (e.g. in the home) as unauthorised calls could be made leading to a large call cost bill.
Intercom
An intercom is used where you want to have communication between the lift and someplace outside of the lift but still within the building. Intercoms are a cost effective choice as they do not incur call/rental charges. They should only be considered if there is a manned area that can answer the emergency call. Building opening hours should be considered and whether the lift should be used by say the cleaning staff outside of normal hours.
Standard Autodialler
An autodialler is an emergency phone that can only ring predetermined telephone numbers and is used to alert a 3rd party that someone is stuck in the lift. The autodialler will ring the first number in its list, if there is no answer it will call the second number and so on. You should not programme the auto dialer with mobile numbers or phones with answer machines as once the auto dialer makes a connection it will consider its job done. The autodialer will need a dedicated phone line.
GSM Autodialler
A GSM autodialler works in the same way as a standard autodialler but instead of being connected to a telephone line, it utilises mobile phone technology and requires a SIM card in order to work. You will need to assess the mobile phone coverage at each floor within the building.