service fees. Our detectives voiced little interest in carrying two
devices, and field tests did not convince us these new PTT devices
and services were measuring up. We broadened our search and
began looking for an “app” that might utilize smartphone data
plans and sure enough we found several. After testing a number
of these apps we decided to go with Voxer as our PTT service.
I spent many hours talking and meeting with Voxer about
system security measures, data retention, encryption, and other
specific public safety needs. One of Voxer’s founders, Tom Katis
who served as a Special Forces Communications Sergeant in our
armed forces, gave me a good feeling that security was of prime
importance for their solution. We tested Voxer using their free
service for several months in real-world environments and their
app performed exceptionally. Now we had PTT capabilities and
range was no issue since we were operating on the cell carrier’s
data system.
Voxer is loaded with features. Not only do they have PTT in
real time, but if you happen to miss a message you have the ability to play it back. Need to be more covert? They also provide
text messaging and photo sharing; all integrated with your designated group (up to 500 users) or one-to-one communications.
Even if you happen to be out of cell range Voxer can connect
to a Wi-Fi network, continuing to work seamlessly. Apps are
available for iOS, Android, Windows 8 and web browsers. Need
situational awareness for your team? Voxer also has the ability
to map locations of fellow team members, much like traditional
AVL systems. Need to go out on foot and blend in? Simply plug
earbuds into your cell phone and you have full communications
with Voxer. It looks as if you are listening to music or talking on
your phone. Bluetooth devices are also available.
If you want to include a dispatcher for command and control, Voxer for Web and Voxer for Windows is the ticket. With the
addition of a USB foot pedal and a standard computer headset,
a dispatcher can operate hands free,
running multiple Voxer communications
at the same time and have a full map up
with all team members visible. Has your
LMR ever gone down in patrol operations
where your officer’s end up using cell
phones to call dispatch? Voxer can also
serve as your back-up communications to
your LMR system in patrol cars equipped
with an MDC. I actually found a USB PTT
microphone that can tether off of an MDC
and with the standard web browser, every patrol car could have a back-up radio
to your LMR using Voxer.
Let’s talk about security. According
to Voxer, they provide a military-grade
level of encryption (TLS/SSL) for overthe-wire/air communications. All voice,
text, and photos sent from the clients to
the server are encrypted using TLS/SSL.
Users’ passwords are stored encrypted
on servers with randomization to prevent
dictionary attacks. Data is encrypted at
rest on the mobile device when a user enables a passcode (iOS 5
and up) or enables encryption on their Android device. When it
comes to data retention, since Voxer is a third-party vendor, access to historical data on the hosted system is not available at the
client level. This can be controlled by the agency administrator
on their appliance offering, however Voxer does have an option
for agencies to host their own server if this need is required.
According to Voxer, since the app uses the cell carrier data
plan, Voxer uses a minimal amount of data. The average audio
message on Voxer is about 7 seconds and uses about 14KB of
data. Text messages on Voxer average about 700 bytes of data.
To put this in perspective, to hit 1GB of data usage sending
messages via Voxer, you would need to send approximately
34,000 voice messages or 1.5 million text messages. Voxer is very
efficient and doesn’t even put a dent in the monthly cell data
usage plans.
Irv Remedios, President of Voxer, says, “The inspiration for
Voxer came from wanting to dramatically improve communication including walkie-talkie functionality, so it’s no surprise
that Public Safety has been so enthusiastic. We reinvented voice
technology, whether live or recorded. It’s efficient, modern
communication for high performing teams. We understand that
consumers, small business and government agencies all expect
top-notch messaging and security from us.”
Check out Voxer if you are still looking for a replacement to
your Nextels, or Y