Day to day

Messaging that reaches people who never open email.

Duress Comms is two-way internal messaging with SMS broadcast, built into the same platform as the alarm. It is for reaching frontline workers who do not sit at a desk or read email during a shift. It runs on the Duress App, Falcon and Eagle. It is not available on Phoenix.

Why it exists

The problem it solves

Safety information that arrives by email does not reach a community nurse mid-visit or a storeperson on a night shift. The message that matters most, a warning about a person or a site, is the one least likely to be read in time.

Putting it on the device already being carried for safety means one thing to check rather than two, and it means a broadcast can reach a whole team in the same moment.

How it works

Step by step

  1. 1

    Send from Pathfinder

    An administrator sends to an individual, a team or everyone, from the same admin platform that manages devices and escalation procedures.

  2. 2

    It arrives on the device

    The message reaches the Duress App, Falcon or Eagle directly, rather than an inbox nobody opens on shift.

  3. 3

    SMS broadcast as the fallback

    For reach that cannot depend on the app being open, SMS broadcast covers the same audience.

  4. 4

    Workers reply

    Messaging is two-way, so a warning can be acknowledged and a question answered without a phone call.

Across the range

What each device does

Including the ones that do not have it. A device paired to a phone does not inherit the phone's capabilities.

Duress App

Supported

Two-way internal messaging and SMS broadcast on the phone the worker already carries.

See Duress App →

Falcon

Supported

Messaging on the wrist, over Falcon's own 4G connection.

See Falcon →

Eagle

Supported

Messaging on a 2.8 inch colour touchscreen, plus push-to-talk to an individual or the whole team.

See Eagle →

Phoenix

Not available

Phoenix is a three-button card with a small e-ink display and no standalone connection, so it is not a messaging device. Teams that need both usually pair it with the Duress App.

See Phoenix →

Comparing devices rather than features? The full comparison table puts all four side by side, or the device selector asks six questions and recommends one.

Questions

Common questions

Is Duress Comms a replacement for Teams or Slack?
No, and it should not be. It is for reaching frontline workers on the device they carry for safety, particularly for warnings and shift-critical information. Office collaboration belongs where it already is.
Why can Phoenix not do this?
Phoenix is a deliberately minimal device: three physical buttons and a small e-ink display, with no standalone data connection. It is built to be pressed, not read. Teams that want both usually run Phoenix with the Duress App.
Does it cost extra?
No. Duress Comms is one of the modules included in the Duress One licence, along with emergency monitoring, team alerts and check-ins. There is no separate messaging tier.

Talk it through with someone who knows the detail.