Posted on 09 Mar 2022
As discussed in the previous P100 post, P100 is the most common, open-source DTMF based protocol used for emergency elevator phone test calls, that provides defined fault codes that don’t change by manufacturer.
The European Standard EN81-28 specifies that an emergency phone call must call out every 3 days to place a test call to verify it’s in working order, and that test call has to be placed to a receiver software that will log the results.
Most manufacturers of emergency phones have developed receiver software that can receive and record the outcome of the test calls.
The first thing a receiver will check is whether the call was placed – if not, it will register that there is a problem with the hardware or the communication link to the phone (e.g., the telephone line).
If the call does go through correctly, it will then check each step of the call handling protocol that emergency telephones follow:
Each autodialer manufacturer uses its own protocol so the average call centre can end up handling multiple protocols and therefore require multiple receivers. This can be a problem as the record of the calls can then be split amongst several receivers, and in some cases, additional dedicated hardware may be necessary (i.e., a dedicated modem, mini server, etc.) which makes the average install base more expensive and difficult to monitor.
The emergency telephone uses the voice channel to broadcast DTMF on order to send information. This works well over copper telephone lines, which were designed for analog signalling, though there is an expense to the owner of the autodialler as each call is charged as a voice call.
As some parts of the world moves into a fiber line network that is built to transmit voice and data, rather than only voice, DTMF audio transmissions will face new challenges as fiber networks may not support DTMF at all!
The most common option installers will choose is to install a GSM so the emergency telephone can work over the mobile network.
However, it’s not as simple as just plugging in any GSM as the following issues of P100 DTMF transmission over a fiber line may still occur:
In other words: if you push DTMF signals into a mobile network it may present problems and trying to solve this with any 2G gateway may still present a drop in the performance of the calls.
Luckily not all GSMs were born the same.
Currently, not all lift phones are set up to transmit digital data, but this can be easily solved by adding a Digital Communication Platform (DCP) to the emergency communication chain.
As most European manufacturers support P100 as an option for their emergency phones, the DCP (aside from supporting both the Memco and MK proprietary protocols) can act as an interpreter for any emergency telephone that uses the P100 protocol and will then be able to transmit either analog audio or digital data (via a SIM card).
To explain the analog compatibility feature of the DCP based on P100: the DCP intercepts DTMF tones generated by the emergency telephone, reads, and converts them into data. In this way, the smaller, local loop (the connection between phone and GSM), remains analog whilst the bulk of the communication is transformed into data, increasing its reliability.
DTMF to data conversion is a feature unique to Avire’s DCP. The average GSM doesn’t offer this capability.
An additional benefit of using the DCP is that the 3-day test calls are then recorded in the AVIRE Hub monitoring software and can send real-time alerts and notifications if any part of the process is malfunctioning. The reliability of the DCP means that immediate corrective measures can be taken to ensure passenger safety and compliance is in place.
Any autodialer that supports P100 can report into the Avire Hub meaning that you can monitor all those brands of phones from one centralized platform.
Any third-party device that can send P100 communication can be translated by the DCP
By transferring test information as data, there’s also the added benefit of not consuming voice minutes which offers reduced costs by staying within the data allowance.
Once you have connected the DCP to the emergency elevator phone, you will additionally have access to enhanced connectivity so you can remotely monitor other data-based equipment on your lift in real-time.
As an added feature, the DCP can futureproof an emergency elevator phone setup as it not only works as a converter of a DTMF signal but can transmit data directly over the mobile network when used with a digital audio unit or DAU (DTMF is not involved in this type of communication), offering the most secure and reliable signal.
In conclusion, to benefit from the best of both analog and digital, the recommended solution is to integrate a DCP into the emergency lift phone setup:
