Product News - GroupTalk Bluetooth Multi PTT Button

GroupTalk enables you and your colleagues to communicate seamlessly with each other regardless of your location with Push to Talk (PTT).

Group communication with PTT enables fast and reliable real-time communication between two or more individuals. With the press of a button, GroupTalk users can instantly speak in the PTT group and convey information. This saves valuable time and facilitates efficient exchange of information.

To achieve the best possible user experience of the GroupTalk service from your phone, we recommend a PTT accessory. We are now launching the perfect PTT accessory for quick and efficient group communication. Our new Bluetooth Multi PTT button enables a more efficient and secure workflow, where you and your colleagues can use GroupTalk features such as Push to Talk, Queue, and Panic Alarms directly from the accessory. Watch the video below to see how this works in real life!

Queue allows GroupTalk users to request feedback from a PC Dispatcher (e.g., an alarm or control center) without disrupting the center's workflow.

It is quite common for mobile workers to require assistance from a PC Dispatcher, but the response may not be urgent. It may also be the case that only a few PC Dispatchers handle hundreds of mobile workers.

In such scenarios, it is preferable for mobile users not to directly call or contact the PC Dispatcher via PTT. Instead, when users need to speak to the coordinator, they join a queue by pressing the queue button in the GroupTalk app. The PC Dispatcher can manage the queue and take appropriate actions for each queue item, providing feedback to users in the most efficient manner. The queue system can also be used to inform the PC Dispatcher about the status of a user, such as a truck being available for a new job or a taxi being vacant.

Immediately alert your colleagues and / or an alarm center when assistance is needed, with real-time updates of your GPS location and listen-in capability for enhanced safety.

To increase personnel safety, panic alarms / personal alarms can be used, including alarms for lone workers. The alarm configuration is centrally managed in the web admin and pushed out to the user's phone. Various security features can be activated when a personal alarm is triggered, such as sending SMS, automatic full-duplex communication, or IP-based listen-in, real-time positioning, and panic alarms to colleagues' phones with the GroupTalk app and on the PC Dispatcher at the alarm center.

Panic alarms can be configured to remain active until reset by an authorized user. In this case, the user's phone continuously reports its position to allow a PC Dispatcher at the alarm center to track the device's real-time position. Personal alarms can also be displayed in colleagues' GroupTalk app.

These three features, available in a single PTT accessory, create the possibility for real-time group communication where you can quickly disseminate important information and instructions during emergencies or critical events. Speak, send a Queue request, or trigger an Alarm, all from a single device. This also provides increased reassurance for the work team, knowing that help is just a button press away.

Getting started with the Bluetooth Multi PTT button:

1. Turn on the Bluetooth button by moving the power switch to the right.
2. Go to the Bluetooth settings on your phone and enable Bluetooth.
3. Launch the GroupTalk app and tap on Settings. For iOS, select "Bluetooth 4.0 buttons," and for Android, select "Bluetooth buttons."
4. Press and hold the PTT button for one second, then release it.
5. Select "GT-PTT" from the list of Bluetooth devices and choose "Pair device." Click back until you return to the GroupTalk home screen.
6. Now you are ready to talk in GroupTalk!

Buttons:

• PTT Button: Press and hold to talk, then release.
• Personal / Panic Alarm: Press and hold the button for 3 seconds to activate an emergency alarm, which will be sent to mobile users and PC dispatchers.
• Queue: Press the button to send a ticket to the PC dispatcher.
• Volume / Channel: Press the buttons to adjust the volume or channel.

Using the Bluetooth PTT button with a headset:

• The PTT Button can be used in combination with wired or bluetooth headsets.
• When using a wired headset the button on the headset wire will be used to control phone calls (media button) and the bluetooth button will be used to control the PTT functionality in GroupTalk.
• On Android phones, GroupTalk can be configured in Settings » “Prioritize phone calls. Mute GroupTalk during phone calls”. By default this option is NOT selected and thereby a GroupTalk PTT talk burst will cut into the phone call, which is typically very convenient.
• If the “Prioritize phone calls” option is selected, the GroupTalk talk burst will be muted if the user is in a phone call.
• On an iPhone the option cut into phone calls is not available and GroupTalk will always be muted if the user is in a phone call.

Important Tips:

• If you press the PTT button and start speaking before the "beep," that part of the conversation will be lost for the recipient.
• GT-PTT has a built-in replaceable CR2032 battery.
• If the GT-PTT button has been out of range from the phone and lost Bluetooth connection, press the PTT button once to reconnect.

Technical Specifications:

• Push to Talk (PTT) button
• Queue button
• Personal / Panic Alarm button
• Channel - / Channel + buttons (iOS)
• Volume - / Volume + buttons (Android)
• 6-12 months battery life