DPS Telecom Blog

How to Buy an HVAC Controller in 2021

There was perhaps a time when you could shrug off moderate inefficiencies in your HVAC setup. Perhaps you'd use a simple thermostat that offered "good enough" performance. Maybe you would run your lead HVAC into the ground without rotating the lag unit into the lead role. You can't do that in 2021...

Monitor Your Digitize Prism LX via CAPS IV CAD Protocol

Do you monitor multiplex, telegraph (McCullough) codes, digital dialer, polling radio, or serial input alarm signals? If you do, you might well be doing it with the Digitize System 3505 Prism LX (or its predecessor). Learn how DPS improved our T/Mon master station to poll this new device via LAN instead of the serial method of the older model.

Telecom Hut Monitoring: How to Choose and Buy an RTU

You have telecom huts to monitor in order to keep your service online. Each of those remote buildings contains thousands (or perhaps millions) of dollars of your valuable telecommunications equipment. Companies and government agencies frequently call me and ask what RTU they need. Here are the key steps you should follow...

Network Management Software Buyer's Guide

Any good network management software will put your alarm events on a list display. The best software will have other intuitive views, like geographic maps or logical network diagrams. Let's take a look at the key components you need to consider before making a purchase decision for your company.

How to Remotely Monitor & Control Conductive Concrete (Snow Melt) at Bus Stops

What a trip! I just recently returned from a two-week-long romp to perform field trials for two DPS clients, both in the public-transit space: one large metro railway and one transit bus operator. After the first segment ended, I spent 5 more days in an urban center in America's heartland. The goal? Monitor and remotely control snow-melt systems at downtown bus stops.

Choose Battery Sensors that Won't Short-Circuit Your Battery Posts

Let's take a look at the typical causes of battery shorting, the risk of downtime/fires/explosions, and what we can do from a design perspective to minimize risk...

How DPS Maps Radio Strength in Railroads and Subways

For this project, the goal was to map the radio strength across a major rail network. This included both below-ground and above-ground sections.

Buying Remote Monitoring? Why In-Person Engineering Visits Matter

It's expensive for sales engineers to sit in airports, on planes, and in cars. In the Internet Age, you can have a video chat that closely mimics an in-person visit. Unfortunately, there's really no substitute for having an engineer come out to your site for an in-person visit. Learn about the 5 important benefits you'll get from a vendor site visit.

How to Monitor Your Generator Propane Tanks at Telecommunications Sites

"Don't I have to drain my propane tank to install a sensor for monitoring?" In most cases, you actually don't. Let's talk about propane monitoring for mission-critical business & government facilities.

How to Monitor Your Telecom Batteries 7x24x365

Let's walk through the reasons for high-quality battery monitoring. We'll look at the the inherent difficulties. We'll also review one possible solution that walks the line between "ineffective" and "too expensive to justify"...