How does the X-Guard personal alarm system work?

1. You send an alarm
2. People in your vicinity (or emergency response officers) are alerted
3. If no one is available, the X-Guard alarm centre is contacted
4. The alarm centre alerts the police or a mobile security guard
5. (or) the alarm centre alerts a key holder.

These five steps guarantee that someone will come to your aid as soon as you need it

1. You send an alarm

As soon as you find yourself in an unsafe situation and you need help, you can send an alarm. You can do so in a range of different ways:

• Via the Alarm app on your phone, you have access to various types of personal alarms: there’s a panic button (to alert the police/a mobile security guard), an assistance button (an alarm centre operator will offer support) and a RISK button (man down alarm).
• Via the Bluetooth Alarm button connected to the Alarm app.  You can  wear the alarm button on your wrist, on your belt, on your set of keys or around your neck. You can discreetly press this button to send a silent alarm when you find yourself in an unsafe situation. The advantage of the button is that there is no need to pick up or unlock your phone to send an alarm. You can also configure which type of alarm is sent when you press the button: a panic alarm or an assistance alarm.

Panic button: for use in acute emergencies. A one-way connection will be established with the X-Guard alarm centre, where an operator will listen in to the situation and decide which type of help is needed. The operator can then alert the police, a mobile security guard or key holders.

Assistance button: for use in unpredictable situations. There’s no immediate panic, but you’re not sure whether the situation you’re getting into is going to be safe or unsafe — for example, you might be visiting a client in their home. When you press this button, a two-way connection is established with an operator at the alarm centre. You can discuss the best plan of action and the operator will listen in to the situation until you’re completely safe.

RISK button (Man Down alarm): you can switch “Personal protection” on or off in the app, or you can select “RISK”. When in RISK mode, X-Guard keeps track of whether you are moving, using the motion sensor in your mobile phone. If you fall unconscious or are unable to move for any other reason, the app triggers a pre-alarm. If you are still not moving after a certain period of time, an alarm will be raised. You can customise the time that elapses before a pre-alarm is triggered, but the standard setting is two minutes.

Test alarm (green): you can raise a test alarm to check whether the app is working properly. You will subsequently receive an e-mail to confirm your personal alarm functioned as it should.

More detailed information about how the app works can be found on our website and in your X-Guard Alarm app. 

2. People in your vicinity (or emergency response officers) are alerted | Basic package

When every second counts, it is essential that the people who are physically closest to you can come to your aid straightaway. When you raise the alarm, other app users in your vicinity will be called by the alarm centre directly through the app.

This may include:

• Neighbours
• Colleagues
• Family members
• Emergency response officers

The people nearest to you can then use the app to indicate whether or not they are available to offer help at that time. If no one is available at the time, the alarm will be forwarded to the X-Guard alarm centre.

3. The X-Guard alarm centre | Extra package | High risk package

Operators at the X-Guard alarm centre use the X-Guard Alarm Manager system. This system fulfils an important function, but the person operating it is the most important human link in the process. When an alarm is forwarded to the X-Guard alarm centre, a one-way connection to an operator is immediately established.

4. The alarm centre alerts the police or a mobile security guard | Extra package | High risk package

If the person who sent the alarm cannot be reached, the operator will alert one of our mobile security guards who is nearest to the location of the alarm at the time for the most effective personal alarm response. The security guard will check in on the situation and take the necessary action if necessary by calling the police or an ambulance straightaway.

5. Key holders | Extra package | High risk package

Key holders are people who have access to one or more premises or locations, which means they can provide assistance quickly if a personal alarm is raised at one of these locations.

X-Guard: Everyone safe everywhere!

We’re aware that personal alarm systems are taking on an ever more important role. Dangerous situations may occur while working, or people may feel unsafe or threatened. To help these people as best as possible, we have developed a range of safety solutions that can be used by anyone, in every situation: Everyone safe everywhere! Contact us for more information or explore the various packages we offer (see above).