Regardless of which type of (wireless) critical communications you are contemplating, you need to regard a number of factors to ensure you implement the right solution for your needs and budget.
Coverage
For all wireless communications, reception is critical. Simply because without coverage no features are available, no matter how cool they are.
It is important to examine exactly where you need to communicate both outdoors as well as inside of production facilities, offices and areas underground. When relevant sites have been established a coverage test needs to be conducted to pinpoint optimal antenna placements and wiring, as well as identify areas that may require dedicated infrastructure (repeaters).
In some cases it may be sufficient with a virtual analysis but wall thickness, materials, reinforcements, wirings, etc. can affect radio wave propagation in ways that are almost impossible to predict theoretically.
Capacity
Central to usability is that the solution can manage the workload in a satisfactory manner. That includes any temporary spikes that may occur.
In order to calculate and obtain the right capacity you need to know not only the number of users but also how they interact. In short, this means number of calls, times, call lengths and between whom they are placed. Similar data needs to be collected to for any peaks affected by temporary conditions like hard weather, season, time of day, etc.
You probably have data and experience from an existing system but if not, there are theoretical models available to base the calculations on. As a bonus, the analysis can also be the basis for operational communications planning as it might provide insights for more streamlined processes.
Control
Reliability, availability and security can make up the difference between success and failure. What if the connection fails because there is a concert in town or if you are unable to communicate because of power outages.
You should have complete oversight of how the solution will be provided, i.e. how and where it will be installed, if sufficient redundancy will be offered or if the calls are protected against eavesdropping. For the same reason you should investigate how much influence you have on future functionality and the ability to alter the solution in the long term.
The Six C’s of Critical Communications is a development of Motorola Solutions model The Five C’s of two-way radio with the addition of Convenience. The concept originates from the Five C’s of communications that concern the basic rules of rhetoric. Hansen Communication Lab, who developed the original naturally specified other meaning to the letters.
The Six C’s of Critical Communications is a development of Motorola Solutions model The Five C’s of two-way radio with the addition of Convenience. The concept originates from the Five C’s of communications that concern the basic rules of rhetoric. Hansen Communication Lab, who developed the original naturally specified other meaning to the letters.
Functionality
You certainly already have a clear image of your needs, but there are likely a lot more features you can integrate to increase the value of your investment.
Perhaps you see a need, a desire or requirement to be able to talk to several people simultaneously or point-to-point might be exactly the way you want to interact. Besides these fundamental decisions, modern communication solutions can provide numerous features to increase operational productivity and efficiency, such as remote control features, job ticketing and resource management. There are also many embedded safety and security features like user priority, emergency management and location tracking.
So think past your “basic” needs and maybe let the supplier/provider present what additional values that can be attained with their system.
Convenience
Once you get the physical issues out of the way, it is a good idea to reflect on the (more) intangible values. In this case, what warranties that are included and/or which service and support agreements are available. Do you desire specific response times, service levels, remote monitoring or maybe preventive maintenance…
For critical communications the most important thing might be that, it doesn’t interfere, get in the way or in any other way creates irritation. It should just work.
Cost
Economy is surely not unique for critical communications but relevant nonetheless. As with other investments, it is really just about compiling and prioritising needs and wishes to base a calculation on. Besides making sure your budget is in line with the costs you might also want to consider how the costs should be allocated over time, i.e. capex vs opex.
Finally, it can be valuable to try to predict how costs will be affected by potential expansions, extensions and other alterations and additions.