FAQs General The Technology Skyguard 500 The Skyguard Emergency Response Centre (ERC) The Skyguard National Response Service What is a Skyguard 500? It is a personal safety alarm capable of putting you directly in touch with a response centre in any emergency situation. The alarm is unique in that it sends your identity and geographic position, and opens a 2 way communications channel with a dedicated 24/7 emergency response centre. Click here for more details. How does the service work? Click here for an overview of how this unique service works. What does it cost? The Skyguard 500 alarm itself cost £199.99 (incl VAT), which is not expensive when you consider the technology and range of functions it possesses. You will also need to sign up for the 24/7 Emergency Response and Monitoring Service, which costs £19.99 (incl VAT) per month, with a one off connection and delivery charge of £19.99 (incl.VAT). If you activate the alarm there is a charge of 15p per SMS sent and a call charge of 25p per minute (incl.VAT). These charges are payable directly to Wireless Logic Ltd via a Direct Debit form which is included with you order. In the unlikely event that the normal emergency services cannot respond quickly enough, we can deploy our National Response Service which costs £80 (incl.VAT) per hour. Click here for more details. How can I sign up to the service? Click here for details. What will I receive in my order/pack? 1. The Skyguard 500 personal safety alarm (SIM card already fitted). 2. 3 different lanyards. 3. A mains charger. 4. A User Guide. 5. A Direct Debit form and freepost envelope. A car charger and leather holster are also available for £9.99 and £11.99 (incl VAT) respectively. To order these items please call 0870 8951 999. Who can buy one? Anyone can sign up for the service to provide themselves, their loved ones, or employees with peace of mind, safe in the knowledge you can call for help in an emergency situation. The Skyguard 500 is particularly useful for people working, travelling or living alone, who may need to call for help when in trouble from violence, injury, accident or abuse. Click here for more details. How do I buy more than one alarm? Click here and one of our Account Managers will contact you shortly. How do I set-up a corporate account? Click here and one of our Account Managers will contact you shortly. How do I sign up to the monitoring service? You will need to order a Skyguard 500 which you can do online here, and then you will be prompted to enter in your personal details on our secure site. What is the Skyguard Customer Control Panel? As part of the service you will be able to securely enter a description about yourself and any important medical/Lifestyle details onto the Skyguard system. In an emergency situation the Controller at the Emergency Response Centre will be able to use this information to assist you as effectively as possible, so it is important to enter this information and keep it up to date. 30 minutes after placing your order for the Skyguard you will be able to login at anytime and enter your details onto the Customer Control Panel. How long will it take to deliver? Your Skyguard 500 will be sent via courier and depending on what time you place your order, will be delivered within 2-5 working days. Unfortunately we can only deliver to the UK mainland at the present time. Is it suitable for the elderly? Yes it is very suitable for the elderly; especially where they may have an alarm already which is limited to use in the house. A Skyguard 500 will allow them the freedom to leave the house and still be able to raise an alarm. Is it suitable for children? It is suitable for older children who can understand how to use it responsibly. Is it suitable for pets? Unfortunately the Skyguard 500 is not suitable for pets. THE TECHNOLOGY What is GPS? GPS stands for Global Positioning Satellites. A network of 24 satellites launched and operated by the United States Department of Defence with the primary purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of U.S. and allied military forces. GPS enables extremely accurate positioning anywhere on Earth and is therefore the ultimate technology for personal safety devices. GPS is freely available for use by anyone who has a GPS receiver. How does GPS work? Each GPS Receiver measures the distance from each 'visible' satellite by comparing the timestamps of the received signals against a master clock signal. The satellite positions are known, so the time it takes for the signal to travel to the receiver allows your exact position to be determined by triangulation (see 3 below). Initially the receiver knows its distance from one satellite. Imagine a sphere; the receiver could be anywhere on that sphere: As soon as a second satellite is available, the receiver will know it is within the overlap of the two spheres, and an approximate position is obtained: Only when signals are received from three or more satellites, does the receiver have an accurate position (the small triangle in the centre of the intersection): For more information on GPS see http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=119. Is there a charge for using the GPS system? No. The service is funded by the US Department of Defence and available to the general public on a 10 year rolling revue. Could the US government switch off the GPS service in wartime or during civil unrest? This is highly unlikely today, as many civilian airlines, including American ones, depend on GPS for their navigation. However, it is not entirely impossible and this is one reason why the European Union is developing its own GPS system called Galileo. For more information see http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/energy_transport/galileo/index_en.htm . What is cell locating? Cell locating is different to GPS and uses a technology called OTDOA (Observed Time Difference of Arrival) to measure distances between GSM devices and mobile phone base stations. Accuracy depends on how many masts the device can 'see' and how close they are, as well as weather conditions and vegetation. Where masts are tightly grouped, such as a city centre, cell location will typically return a position anywhere within a 500 metre radius. In rural areas where masts are further apart accuracy is considerably less or near impossible to predict. Why is GPS locating better than cell locating? The emergency services need an accurate location, such as a known landmark, address or street intersection, in order to be able to accurately respond to an emergency. GPS is capable of locating to within 10 metres which does meet this requirement. The accuracy of a location given by cell location is usually insufficient to meet emergency services requirements. What is GSM? GSM stands for General System Mobile and is the technology that underpins most of the world's cellphone networks. It is essentially a very small digital radio receiver/transmitter. GSM devices such as mobile phones and personal safety devices require a SIM card that enables connection to a particular network providers system. Is GSM an international standard? GSM is an international standard but some countries use different radio frequencies; the most common being 900/1800 - usually referred to as dual band - which is used by all countries except the United States and Japan. The US uses 850/1900; many phones are designed to work across all 4 frequencies and are referred to as quad band. Japan has a system of their own, called Imode. What does the SIM card do? The SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module) enables the Skyguard to connect to a specific GSM mobile phone network. It identifies the user in terms of who pays the bill for calls made. We have chosen O2 as our SIM card provider because they offer the best coverage in the UK. However we recommend that you check to see if there is coverage in you area by clicking here. SKYGUARD 500 How do I know my Personal Safety Alarm is working? In order to be 'working' your Skyguard 500 must fulfil 3 requirements: Sufficient battery power A GPS 'fix' A GSM phone signal All these are indicated by the LEDs (lights) on the face of the unit and are explained in the User Manual. Does it matter if the Skyguard gets wet? The unit is not waterproof but, as with a mobile phone, a few spots of rain will not damage it. Does it matter if I drop it? The Skyguard 500 is not designed to be completely shock proof and you should avoid dropping it - particularly on to hard surfaces. Has it been safety tested? Yes, to the highest standards. The Skyguard 500 is tested and certified to the following European standards; CE, RoSH, and in particular SAR (Specific Absorption Rate). What happens if I lose it? Losses should be reported immediately to Skyguard Technologies Ltd on 01252 899970 and, if applicable, to your employer. We will attempt to recover it but as with any valuable possessions, it is sensible to insure against loss. What happens if it is lost or stolen and someone else activates it? Once it is reported as lost or stolen the controller will ask anyone who activates it some questions from your registration details which only you would know. The controller will know the location of the unit which may make its recovery possible. What happens if I activate it by mistake? We appreciate that this may happen as a genuine mistake. The controller's first task is to determine whether the alarm is a false alarm or genuine. So if it is an accident then you can tell him over the 2-way audio link. He will ask you some personal questions to confirm. If I faint or have an accident, how does it help me to be traced? There are 2-ways; if you recover consciousness you can activate and call for help. If you are believed to be missing, perhaps following an accident, your friends, family or employer, should report this to the police and inform them that you have a Skyguard tracking device and to contact Skyguard. Provided it is switched on, we can locate the position of the Skyguard 500 and pass the information to the police. Can I use it like a phone? The Skyguard 500 is designed as a personal safety alarm and is dependent on battery power to function effectively when you need it. It may require more frequent charging if it is also used as a mobile phone to call up to two pre-programmed numbers. This can be done with the issued mains charger or with the optional car charger. How often do I have to charge it? We strongly advise that you charge the Skyguard every day so that it can function effectively in an emergency. What are the benefits to me? A Skyguard 500 provides you with peace of mind; if you get into trouble, through illness, accident, violence, injury or abuse, you can call for help. In doing so you know that a trained controller has the information and capability to help you in an emergency situation. How do I carry it? We recommend that it is always carried discretely attached to the person. If in a handbag or briefcase it may be separated from you or there may not be time to get to it. There are three main ways of carrying it discretely; On a lanyard around the neck, perhaps inside a jacket or shirt. In a holster clipped to the belt or waistband. On a short lanyard attached to the belt or in the pocket. 3 different lanyards are included with the Skyguard 500. Will it help me in my job? Yes. The unit is designed for those who have to work away from their employer's location and therefore away from colleagues who may come to their help if they get into difficulty. Such jobs may involve a degree of risk from hazardous situations such as, violence, accident, injury or abuse. In such circumstances, knowing you can call for help will give greater peace of mind and therefore reduced stress levels. It is also relevant that if you suffer, for example, from diabetes, a heart condition or an allergy which could be critical information for paramedics in the event of an accident or escalation of the medical condition. Such information may also help the controller in assessing an alarm situation. How do I know if I have any GSM signal? By pressing and holding the number '2' on the face of the unit and observing the number of LEDs that light up. Red only means you have the minimum connection. Can the GSM Network be disabled for reasons of national security? Yes. This is possible, but is extremely rare and would only happen in a situation of great national emergency. Such an operation can be selective in the devices which are not allowed to operate on a network for a particular area, at a particular time. THE SKYGUARD EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTRE (ERC) What is the Skyguard ERC? The Skyguard ERC (Emergency Response Centre), is a 24/7 national monitoring centre, operating to appropriate British Standards and dedicated to receiving alarms from Skyguards and other Personal Safety Alarms. Is the Skyguard ERC an automated or staffed facility? Unlike some other lone people solutions, Skyguard's ERC is fully staffed round the clock with professional Controllers trained to a high standard and dedicated to managing emergencies for lone people. What does an ERC Controller do? Skyguard controllers regard themselves as the person who can bring help to you when you need it and are in no position to do it yourself. When an alarm is activated, they are trained to: 1. Gather information from; the 2-way audio link the personal, medical and occupation details you have submitted the location given on the map the address given from the location information 2.Use the information to decide; whether a false alarm or not the appropriate emergency response 3. Manage the incident; inform the appropriate emergency services or Skyguard National Response Service give them all the relevant information keep them up-to-date provide information and reassurance to the user as appropriate follow the agreed escalation procedures 4. Complete the incident; ensure emergency is satisfactorily completed inform all concerned prepare report How many Controllers are on duty at any one time? The number of controllers on duty at any one time is calculated statistically to ensure that there are no delays in dealing with an emergency. The monitoring system is fully scaleable and the controllers will be increased in line with user volumes. Can anyone see my personal details? No one can see your personal details except in the following circumstances; You activate your Personal Safety Alarm. You are reported missing. In which case the police will ask Skyguard to locate the unit; Skyguard will pass the information only to the police. How do I know the controller is listening when I set the alarm off? Using the Skyguard 500 you will hear a soft 'beep' which indicates the controller is listening. I am worried that my employer will know where I am when I have it on? Send4Help and Skyguard take the provisions of the Data Protection and Human Rights Acts very seriously and will not pass on information relating to your location to your employer unless you have agreed it or there is a genuine alarm. Skyguard does not know where you are until either you activate the unit yourself in an emergency or the police request us to inform them following a missing person report. It is obviously important that I keep my personal details up to date. How do I do that? Skyguard has provided a Customer Control Panel which is accessed through our website. This allows you to easily enter your personal details and keep them up to date. Security of access is provided by a username and password. THE SKYGUARD NATIONAL RESPONSE SERVICE Is a response guaranteed? Skyguard will notify the emergency services if appropriate, but cannot guarantee that they will be in a position to respond. Skyguard will inform them of all the facts and urgency of the situation. However Skyguard recognises the importance of a response and have established a partnership with national keyholding and alarm response provider Nikaro to provide the National Response Service. So, if for any reason the normal emergency service cannot respond or it is inappropriate for them to do so, we can deploy the Skyguard National Response Service. What is The National Response Service? The National Response Service is provided by Nikaro Ltd and already has 780 response staff in their vehicles, who are available nationwide to respond to your situation. This service has been in existence for over 10 years and is formed by Nikaro from 200 security companies all of which are Government approved and licensed through the Security Industry Authority. Drivers are security screened, uniformed, in liveried vehicles and in possession of identity cards. They have been trained in aggression control and communications. How do I know the police will come? We cannot guarantee the police will come; it will depend on resources and priorities at the time. However the police have a statutory obligation to come to the support of a citizen in distress and provided the situation warrants, we are in no doubt they will make their best efforts to respond quickly. They are more likely to respond to a verified alarm to a precise location, which is why considerable effort has gone into making the Skyguard Emergency Response Centre capable of verifying an alarm as 'genuine' before passing it on to the emergency services. GENERAL SERVICE ISSUES Could the Police charge for responding to Incidents? At present we are not aware of any plans for them so to do. The Police are extremely keen to reduce crime; they are already funded for this purpose. Will the Police respond to "silent" calls i.e. timer expired? The police will respond to a verified alarm, so if such calls are supported by evidence of an emergency situation then the police will make every effort to attend an appropriate emergency situation. If not the Skyguard Emergency Response organisation is available as an alternative.