How a Remote Control Monitor Will Prevent Outages and Save You Money

Are you tired of putting a technician behind the wheel of a truck every time you have some equipment that needs to be rebooted? Do you wish you could avoid wasted time driving just to configure a few settings?

If you're tired of bleeding cash and wasting productivity, then you're ready for a remote control monitor. You don't have to waste money on windshield time - you can avoid it.

Anytime you put a well-paid technician behind the windshield of a truck to drive long distances - you're wasting money. Not only in fuel and transportation costs, but in wasted time - that technician could be getting much more done. This time spent driving could really add up, especially if you're in a rural area or in a big city with heavy traffic.

Common causes of costly windshield time
With the right remote control monitor, you won't have to dispatch technicians every time there's a small issue or need. If you can remotely access your sites through your NOC, you can save thousands upon thousands of dollars each year in wasted time. Here are a few common causes of windshield and how deploying the right remote control monitor can help you avoid them.

• Site visits to operate on-site equipment - Many problems can be solved by flipping a switch to turn on a backup generator or restarting some frozen equipment. This simple solution of "flipping a switch" becomes expensive real fast if the site is 30 miles away. Instead of the problem being solved in 3 or 4 minutes, you now have to send a technician 30 minutes to the site, then 30 minutes back. That's over an hour of wasted labor.
• Sending the wrong person with the wrong tools and supplies - Without a monitoring system in place, you won't truly know what the problem is - let alone precisely where it's at. For all the times you do have to send a technician, you can make sure you're sending the right one, and that they're going with the right tools and supplies. Nothing is a bigger waste than driving back and forth, because you didn't have the right supplies to fix the problem.
• Site visits to load firmware - It's frustrating to have to drive long distances just to plug in a laptop and update some firmware or configure a few settings. With the right remote control monitor, you won't have to deal with this waste of time - you'll be able to load firmware or change all the settings you would like, right from the central office.

How exactly does a remote control monitor prevent windshield time?
It's critical that you choose the right remote control monitor. The wrong one will leave you with even more headaches and troubles. You'll think your network is secure and protected, but in reality it isn't. You'll end up with even more technicians spending more time behind the windshield of a truck - which is the complete opposite of what you're trying to do. You want results and productivity, not wasted time and money.

In order to deploy a truly effective solution, you'll need a few key features. First, you'll want to find a remote control monitor that comes with discrete and analog alarm inputs. This way you'll be able to monitor critical conditions at your remote sites - so you always know what's going on.

Second, you'll want a device that features control relays. These allow you to operate any device that is normally operated by a button or a switch. Like in the earlier example, when it comes time to turn on a backup generator, you just activate the relay from your central office rather than drive 30 minutes. That's a simple solution.

Lastly, you'll need a device with serial data ports. These are essential in reducing windshield time. Instead of driving just to configure settings, you can now access your serial devices through these data ports. That means firmware updates no longer take a tank of gas and several hours - they can be done right from your NOC in a much shorter period of time.

Finding the right remote control monitor
Just imagine how much easier your job could be. How much more could your team get done with all of the extra time you'll save with your remote control monitor? You can achieve pretty substantial gains in productivity - you just have to deploy the right solution.

Monitoring and controlling your network is a serious issue and you want a serious solution. This is why I recommend taking a few minutes to read the free Network Alarm Monitoring Fundamentals White Paper. This free guide is a solid introduction to choosing the right remote control monitor to handle your monitoring and remote control challenges.

If you have any questions about anything related to remote monitoring and control, please call (1-800-693-0351) or email (sales@dpstele.com) the monitoring experts at DPS Telecom. They're standing by to help answer your questions, help you choose and design the perfect-fit solution, and even provide you with a free ROI analysis - so you can see how fast a monitoring solution will save you money and deliver results.