Introducing GH5200 [Hardware Series]

It's no secret: South Africans take security seriously (except for the government who seems to be rather blasé about job security, among other things). But as for the rest of us, we take security seriously. This pandemic has caused a fair amount of k*k, and I know you're as tired of hearing it as I am of writing it, but it must be said: The pandemic has, without a doubt, added fuel to already volatile socio-economic conditions (both in South Africa and the general global surrounds). Sadly, the result of this is an increase in crime nationwide.

Ergo, people, specifically business owners, are slowly starting to recognise the importance of incorporating IoT to improve security protocols. In this article, I'm going to share a little bit on how IoT is revolutionising security protection services with an IoT device the size of a credit card.

Defence companies offer a comprehensive security solution that ranges from hand-to-hand combat for crime prevention to advanced surveillance techniques using CCTV, thermal and radar technologies. It's common for said companies to also conduct sting operations in crime rings and more specifically, anti-poaching units. These operations require agents to work in volatile conditions, which involve interacting with dangerous criminals in remote locations - often without backup.?You can understand that these guys are pretty hardcore, putting themselves in life-threatening situations fairly regularly, like the Batman's of South Africa.

More often than not, agents get themselves into hot water, needing to call for backup. In sting-type anti-poaching operations, officers usually have their phones confiscated from them before moving to an undisclosed location for further meetings, making themselves untraceable and out of reach for emergency contact. On the rare occasion they keep their cellphone, calling for backup proves difficult to navigate in high-pressure situations. Have you ever tried to call your mum from the car while you're merging on the N2 in peak traffic hours? (Bear in mind that South Africans would rather die than let you merge)

Now imagine that with loaded guns very close by (potentially close to your vitals), you have to somehow navigate your contact list to find Deon, and call him, or let him know that you need help. This isn't factoring in that you might, in this fleeting panic, contact the wrong Deon from your contact list (there are always at least two).

To stop agents from “going dark” in the field, security companies must monitor the location of agents, maintain contact with agents and receive real-time alerts in man-down situations. For the solution to succeed the following requirements must be met:

1. Inconspicuous hardware (something that can be hidden on the agent’s body).
2. A device with low energy consumption.
3. “Always-on” connectivity to consistently maintain contact with the agents.
4. Two-way voice communication (bi-directional data transmission).

And what are the odds that Teltonika Mobility has one of these devices in its arsenal? Meet the GH5200. The "worker's badge" is engineered for the people, by THE people. It's not built exclusively for security, but it does a pretty good job at solving the case. Here's how:

The?GH5200?personal tracker with a SIM-management solution: (which is sourced and provisioned by the Trinity team all the way from Lithuania) is a slim and sexy Bluetooth and GSM equipped device, installed with a SIM.

It's pretty snazzy, and Teltonika has engineered the device to configure customisable geofencing. This means that the device will send an alert to a server/operator when an agent moves beyond a designated area. The GH also has multiple features that make it a flexible and understated tracking device. For example, it has 3 customisable buttons that can be configured to send certain commands (this can be anything from a panic button to a volume controller).?

What makes the GH5200 even more versatile is that bi-directional data transmission is enabled using a GSM-based SIM. Translated from tech babble, this means that agents can initiate a call with a preprogrammed number at the push of a button. Why does this matter? It’s imperative that agents are able to send emergency alerts to the control room, and receive or initiate emergency requests or calls.

If you don't want to take my word for it, check out this overly-dramatic (yet very cool) product video below (they don't currently have a video angled towards security but you'll get a general idea). Even if you are convinced, watch this video anyway (just because it's cool).

AN EXTRA BIT ABOUT ME

Only discovering the world of IoT and hardware roughly a year ago comes with a fair number of challenges: mostly related to the fact that I have next to no experience in the field, and am constantly Googling my way through every use-case scenario and setup when it comes to IoT solutions & hardware. However, what I lack in experience, I make up for in honesty, curiosity, and the absorbency of my sponge-like brain. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the reality is that the majority of the businesses needing, and undeniably benefitting, from IoT or nifty devices like the GH5200, didn't even know they needed it, to begin with. I'm here to make IoT more accessible for newbies, make technical jargon less immobilising, shed some light on some interesting use cases, and learn about how businesses can leverage their assets & data in the universe of end-to-end IoT.