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Chicomm Blog

How Does it Work: Digital Two-Way Radios

Posted by Lisa MacGillivray on Thursday, August 27, 2015

Using a digital two-way radio is pretty start forward. You go the the docking station and grab a handset. From there you turn it on and make sure that you’re on the right channel to begin or join a conversation. After double checking the volume and receiving a message, you hold the Push to Talk Button while you share your response.

The first time that you used a two-way radio, you probably didn’t need detailed instructions to operate the device. Although using this system is simple and doesn’t require any technical training, understanding the science behind the technology is slightly more intricate.

Radio Frequency

Tags: Two Way Radios, Technology, Digital Two-Way Radios

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If you have a fear of technology, your worst nightmare may be coming to fruition sooner than you may have hoped thanks to the Internet of Things. Although this major up and coming telecommunication advancement raises questions about artificial intelligence, it is expected to improve efficiency across all sectors of business and matters of personal life.

What Is the Internet of Things?

The Internet of Things (IoT) will use wireless networks to connect most devices, particularly those that collect data that can be shared. These items act as sensors, detecting activity that can be transmitted to other devices in the network. For example, your smartphone will communicate with your coffee maker, your car with your smart watch, and even your laptop with your refrigerator. 

Tags: Wireless Communication, Technology, Cellular Technology

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A Quick Guide on Broadband Networks

Posted by Lisa MacGillivray on Monday, July 27, 2015

Using the internet is pretty easy. With younger generations growing up with the internet and older ones adopting the technology, it seems as if everyone understands the basics of using the internet, but in reality, very few know how the internet actually works.

What is Broadband?

Internet service is made accessible by broadband networks. Broadband, in its simplest form, is a high-speed network that allows multiple forms of technologies to transmit their signals. The frequencies are carried over either wired or wireless connections.

Tags: Wireless Communication, Technology

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Is your city safe?

Many cities are asking this question. Safe City initiatives are on the rise around the world due to unique, ever-evolving and complex threats. As populations grow, so do the size and intricacy of the infrastructure required to support them. Municipalities must be able to respond with a citywide, unified approach to safety and security.

Implementing comprehensive command-and-control solutions to improve situation awareness, gather actionable intelligence and more effectively respond to incidents have become essential to growing urban populations such as those in Surat City, India, and Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Tags: Public Safety Communications, Technology

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Two Way Radio or IP Wireless Telephone?

Posted by Kendra Newlon on Monday, February 17, 2014

So you own a manufacturing company and your IT Manager recommendeds you get the latest in IP Wireless Telephone Technology. It allows you to leave your desk and be able to take a call virtually anywhere in your facility! Fantastic! Sign me up.

WHOA!!!! Let’s think about this…

1) Why do you need your people to get up and get away from their desk? I could see some of them requiring the need to be on the plant floor, but a whole lot of wireless handsets means a whole lot of batteries. In the future, these will need to be changed. By the way, how long do those telephone batteries last? With two way radios, you tell me how long you need them to last.

Tags: Two Way Radios, Chicago Communications, Wireless Communication, Tech Talk, Technology

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5 Quick Tips on Securely Using Wi-Fi

Posted by Kendra Newlon on Wednesday, January 29, 2014

It’s hard to remember a time where there wasn’t free Wi-Fi available virtually in every public place. Some see this as a blessing – access to the internet and all things wireless at the push of a button. But some see it as a curse – just one more channel of access to hack into your personal files, obtaining everything from bank account numbers to social security numbers.

Tags: Chicago Communications, Wireless Communication, Technology, IT Solutions

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"So you are the IT Manager and you were just put in charge of the radio communications..."

Sound familiar?

I recently glanced through an article in the new (November 2013) Public Safety Communications Magazine from APCO. The title of the article “Communications Manager or IT Manager?” made me think of our own business. It shouldn’t matter if you’re a radio technician or IT technician…electronics is electronics, right? I wish I could say it was that easy.

Tags: Two Way Radios, Chicago Communications, Wireless Communication, Radio System, Tech Talk, Technology, IT Solutions

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Are you ready for some…MOTOTRBO?!

Posted by Kendra Newlon on Thursday, December 5, 2013

What are the first things you think of when given the slogan ‘Are you ready for some football?!” Many ideas such as food, tailgating, friends and team rivalries are the first to pop into our minds. But what if we didn’t have our Sunday afternoon/nights of football, or what would we have to look forward to on Monday nights after a day at work if the NFL ceased to exist? Fault proof communication is one of the silent, yet very important aspects of running not only a successful game, but a stellar season.

Tags: Two Way Radios, Chicago Communications, Motorola Solutions, Two Way Radio Accessories, Technology, MOTOTRBO, Safety Solutions

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Trick or Treat....& Two-Way radios!

Posted by Kendra Newlon on Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Halloween is right around the corner – costumes are being finalized, trick or treat routes are being mapped, and candy is overflowing. Sometimes with the excitement of such a fun holiday, we forget to remember the basics in terms of safety.  If we let the safety of these little vampires, ghosts, and ballerinas slip to the background of all the enthusiasm, things can go from fun and games to spooky in a matter of minutes.

The Biggest Safety precaution:  SEAMLESS COMMUNICATION

For Trick or Treaters & Parents:

Cell phones are a great way to keep in touch with the older Halloween goers, or if it’s a relatively small group. But how do you communicate with groups of children who may be old enough to walk down the block, but not own a cell phone!? The same way Police and Fire crews communicate with each other- two way radios. Obviously purchasing high tiered radios aren’t the option we are suggesting, but there are two way radios designed for these types of instances- for relatively cheap in many stores. By sending your ghouls and goblins off in the neighborhood equipped with a  two way radio (or commonly referred to as a walkie talkie) you are able to constantly connect with them at the push of a button.

Tags: Two Way Radios, Chicago Communications, Wireless Communication, Technology, Education, Rental Equipment, Safety Solutions, Vertex

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The Only Constant In Life Is...

Posted by Jill McNamara on Monday, July 22, 2013

Holy Whac-a-Mole!

  Have you ever heard the saying, “The only constant in life is change”?  How true it is!  Kids grow-up (too fast by the way), technology changes (believe it or not there was no such thing as a laptop when I was in high school, and cell phones were not available to everyone), employees have unexpected emergencies that take them out of the office (for a while, or they move on to new jobs or retire) ... and somehow you have to learn how to not live in fear of change, but instead to anticipate it and keep it together through it all.  To say it’s a challenge is an understatement.  And it’s how you handle it that makes all the difference in the world.  You can panic and get frustrated or angry (which from experience, and trust me on this one, doesn’t make for a clear head for responding to the change) or you can take a deep breath and look at the change as an opportunity.

Tags: Chicago Communications, Technology, Pointers from the Principals

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