Our base service plan covers the various services as described below. The service plan dramatically simplifies ownership of complex safety system infrastructure and its underlying on-premises and cloud networks, software, and interoperability therein. The service plan allows for rapid deployment of said networks while all behind-the-scenes technicalities are handled in-house by dedicated technical experts.
All of our safety systems are built upon a robust private network that we specifically engineer for your unique beach and use case. We bring in dedicated internet links that support anything from minimalistic device management to high bandwidth streams. We specialize in providing remote locations with reliable internet which will provide a solid foundation for safety systems and beyond. It all begins with establishing internet.
Our private networks are required to operate our equipment by default. While SwimSmart products can support multiple or redundant internet links (even third party); at least one SwimSmart managed link is required to guarantee quality of service.
We primarily provide internet connectivity through cellular networks. As a reliable, secure, and wireless source of internet connectivity it is ideal for remote locations. Our long range cellular technology allows us to connect in locations where others can’t. We take due care to perform site surveys to determine viable mobile network operators, preferred cell towers, and cellular bands. All cellular data plans are managed by SwimSmart as part of our base service plan.
If a redundant cellular carrier is desired, our radios can run two independent SIM cards for additional cost.
Our devices support AT&T FirstNet and Verizon Frontline cellular bands for additional cost.
SwimSmart products can be integrated into dedicated wired networks for additional reliability through redundant links. This includes third-party provided wired internet links. Wired internet infrastructure primarily focuses on Fiber and DSL incoming lines. However, the devices themselves can also support ethernet from locally managed networks. If existing networks are not available we also offer network design services to bring robust internet connectivity to your site.
We still require the use of private cellular as a fallback in the event the wired internet connectivity goes down. Especially in circumstances where third party wired infrastructure is used to provide internet. The cellular fallback requirement allows us to control and monitor basic device information even if the primary wired internet goes down. While cellular fallback links may not be able to support video streams, system-critical functionality will still be available to increase the reliability of the safety system. This also allows for further diagnosis and sometimes even over-the-air remediation of network issues.
Similar to redundant wired internet links, SwimSmart products can be connected to the internet through Wi-Fi links. Point-to-point Wi-Fi bridges provide a cost effective method of providing fiber-like bandwidth to remote locations within line of sight of internet connected buildings. This includes third-party provided Wi-Fi links. If existing networks are not available we also offer network design services to bring robust internet connectivity to your site.
Higher bandwidth applications such as video streaming, two way audio, and audio paging channels require private Wi-Fi networks managed by SwimSmart. In many cases separate channels can be utilized for non-safety related tasks such as public or private internet.
We still require the use of private cellular as a fallback in the event the Wi-Fi internet connectivity goes down. Especially in circumstances where third party wired infrastructure is used to provide internet. The cellular fallback requirement allows us to control and monitor basic device information even if the primary wired internet goes down. While cellular fallback links may not be able to support video streams, system-critical functionality will still be available to increase the reliability of the safety system. This also allows for further diagnosis and sometimes even over-the-air remediation of network issues.
Not yet available. Starlink, or Satellite networks more generally, are a method of last resort for establishing moderate bandwidth networks to extremely remote locations where all other options have been exhausted. Starlink is not yet readily available but as it gains more adoption may be a viable and economically competitive to fiber for new installations in remote areas.
Emergency Signal, or E-Signal, is a proprietary 900 MHz mesh network developed by SwimSmart. This mesh network allows for extremely long range, resilient, encrypted, local networks dedicated to safety critical tasks. E-Signal by design is low bandwidth to increase link reliability. E-Signal is typically used for safety systems that have many devices around one single beach. E-Signal can seamless connect all devices to one private, isolated, and encrypted mesh network.
E-Signal is not appropriate for all applications. E-Signal networks provide baseline device management and monitoring even if internet connectivity is down. For local E-Signal networks, devices can interact within the local network even if all other external internet links go down. E-Signal itself is not an “internet-protocol” and is specifically design to handle SwimSmart inter-device communication.
Note: E-Signal is exclusively used for local network communication and cannot connect a device directly to the internet. Therefore, at least one other device within the local beach must have another internet-supporting link (Cellular, Wired, Wi-Fi). The internet connected device then connects all E-Signal devices to the internet through this intermedary device referred to as a gateway.
Other than providing reliable internet, the service plan covers comprehensive remote device management services. Note that remote implies over-the-air services. Any on-site maintenance is a separate service.
The most integral part of the base service plan is remote device monitoring. Our device monitoring software tracks all devices 24/7/365. Each device is connected to our servers and sends small "heartbeat" messages back and forth every 180 seconds. Devices also publish important diagnostic information ever hour of which allows for precise tracking of historical device performance. Automated alerts and processes can automatically remediate devices if issues occur.
A critical aspect of the base service plan is that SwimSmart handles remote device remediation. In other words, inevitably when a device eventually goes down or experiences errors SwimSmart technicians will resolve them behind the scenes over-the-air. Through the same monitoring software is the ability to perform various diagnostic and restorative functions to ensure devices properly function throughout their lifecycle. Given the private network requirement, SwimSmart is in many ways a full service Internet Service Provider (ISP) and Information Technology (IT) company all bundled into the Base Service Plan.
An additional important bundled service is that SwimSmart handles software, configuration, and firmware updates for all remotely connected devices including devices in the field, external servers, including application software ("Phone App"). These updates include bug fixes, new or improved features, or other necessary updates. Falling behind on software updates is a common root cause of devices becoming inoperable over time. With the base service plan this is all taken care of.
As part of the Base Service Plan a majority of “maintenance” is performed over-the-air behind the scenes. Device monitoring allows our team to detect problems with devices whether it’s loss of power, loss of or degraded internet connectivity, or other software bugs and errors.
For maintenance that can be performed over-the-air it is by default covered by the Base Service Plan and will be performed by SwimSmart. In most cases issues are detected and remediated immediately. For problems the require further diagnosis we will communicate directly with your system administrator and give updates as progress is made.
However, for devices that require on-site maintenance this will be communicated to you by SwimSmart.
Generally, for cellular devices, the industry measures the inverse in what is referred to as the Nine’s principle. For example, our devices operate between 2 and 4 Nine uptime. This translates to 99% and 99.99% uptime which is recorded within the same 30 day rolling average.
For example, the lower limit we see 99% translates to 430 minutes/month of downtime; while the upper limit 99.99% translates to 4.3 minutes/month of downtime. Our devices typically fall in this range each month whereby devices with clear line of sight to cell towers see minimal downtime. Conversely, very remote units, units surrounded by foliage, or at the base of drop-offs or hills will see more downtime.
What we find is that correctly calibrated units will reliably in this range. However, there are occasionally events such as cell tower downtime, excessive congestion, or permanent/temporary changes in cell service that can cause prolonged downtime events. We find a majority of planned cell carrier downtime is done late at night to mitigate service impact.
Note: This range is for cellular only internet links. Redundancies can be put in place such as fiber, Wi-Fi, dual cell carriers, and more that can dramatically increase uptime. We commonly see 99.999% (0.43 minutes/month of downtime) or more for units with redundancies in place.
There are a series of additional upgrades that can be done to ensure maximum uptime.
1.) Dual Cellular Carrier – For sites with lesser cellular quality or poor local mobile network operators (MNOs) a second cellular SIM card can be included. The hardware by default can support two SIM cards of which the most common are AT&T and Verizon. SwimSmart determines suitable MNO and tower configuration when onboarding new sites; however, dual carriers can be supplied by request at additional cost.
2.) Antenna Upgrades – Specialized antennas, cabling, and boosters can be used to dramatically increase not only range but link reliability. Sites that have weak signals or experience cell tower “bouncing” are suitable candidates for antenna upgrades. These upgrades are an inexpensive way to dramatically increase the reliability of a link if required. Not all sites are candidates for this upgrade as cell signals can indeed be “too strong” and be rejected by the MNO.
3.) Redundant Links – The most dramatic improvement to any site is providing secondary sources of internet connectivity (Fiber, Wi-Fi, etc). However, this is not always feasible and dependent on available resources or budget. For very large setups redundant links are highly recommended or even required. For smaller setups this is typically unnecessary and an appropriately calibrated cellular link is sufficient.
4.) Uninterruptible Power Supplies – For utility powered units, especially on old infrastructure or shared circuits, power outages can happen. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) provides the unit with power for different durations depending on the setup.