Auto-Dialer Voice Alert Video Review: NetGuardian LT

The NetGuardian LT can call your phone with an automated voice message when there's a problem at one of your remote sites. When you watch this video, you'll hear a real voice example and see a close-up examination of the front and back panels of this compact telco-grade RTU...

To see the custom voice wizard mentioned in the video, watch this how-to video.

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Hi everyone, this is Andrew with DPS TV.

I'm here today with the NetGuardian LT, also known as the NetGuardian Lite. It's a compact, small capacity, SNMP RTU- with a handy new voice alert function.

[Example NetGuardian LT voice message:]
Enter pass code, followed by the pound key to continue. (Presses pound)
This is the NetGuardian LT at site 100. You have selected option 3.There is currently 1 unacknowledged event. Please press 1 to list event, press 2 to acknowledge all events, or press pound to cancel. (Presses 1)
Event time 12:06 am. Alarm point 1, critical alarm is standing. Press 1 to acknowledge, press 2 to skip, or press 3 to replay. (Presses 1)
Acknowledged accepted. There are currently zero unacknowledged events. Please press 1 to list events, press 2 to acknowledge, or press pound to cancel. (Presses pound)
Operation aborted. Main menu. To list current alarms, press 1. To list all points, press 2. To list and acknowledge events, press 3.To operate controls, press 4. To activate site listen feature, press 5. Or press 9 at any time to hang up. (Presses 9)

So that's an example of the NetGuardian LT voice message. You can either chose to type in custom text-to-speech voice, like you just heard, or you can even record your own voice. And to do all this, there's a great new feature just coming online on the DPS website where you can create your own custom voice files and download them to your NetGuardians.

When it comes time to notify you, the LT can call your phone. But you can also dial into the unit at any time, just to check the status.

Now with all the talk about voice, remember you also have the option to plug in Ethernet, if it's available. That will allow you to send SNMPv1 traps to your SNMP manager, send email alerts, and access the NetGuardian's very fast web interface.

So right out of the box, you've got lots of notification options for getting alarms. You can use dial-out voice, email, SNMP, or the web interface.

So lets take a look at the front panel of the LT now. The first thing you notice when you pick up this unit is it's not made of flimsy plastic. That's critical. This is Telco-grade equipment housed in a durable aluminum case.

This particular unit has 4 alarm points, but you also have a build option for just 2 if that's all you need. These spring clamp terminal block connectors make wiring the alarms fast and easy. All you have to do is strip a small piece of wire, flip open the connector, insert the wire and lock it down.

These LEDs on the front show you the NetGuardian's current status.

Now lets talk about temperature sensors. You do get a standard internal temperature sensor, but on the exterior is an optional port for an external temperature probe. I've got one here. And you can see it clicks in very easy like this. And now I am able to monitor the temperature of a different important device up to 7 feet away.

Over here are the optional Form-C control relay contacts. The relay uses the same easy spring clamp connectors. And you can wire it either normally open or normally closed, depending on your application.

Now on the back of the unit, we've got a standard Telco jack for connecting a phone line. This craft port here is for connecting with a PC and performing initial configurations. The LAN port, as I mentioned, is for SNMP and the Web Interface. Now this power output here powers an external sensor directly from the NetGuardian. So if you loose commercial AC power, you can still run your sensor off your protected DC power. Last up is the LT's power input. And you can order that in either -48 volts, +24 volts, or standard AC using a wall transformer.

When it comes time to mount the units, you can chose to mount the LT to an equipment rack using the included rack ears, or directing on a wall using the included wall bracket.

So how do you know if the NetGuardian LT is right for you? Well, some of the common uses for it are: small sites that would normally go unmonitored because you don't have the budget for a large RTU, environmental and equipment alarms, monitoring a UPS, beacon lights on radio towers, and intrusion alarms, like door and motion sensors.

The LT is really useful anywhere you need to monitor a few sensors or discrete alarms, and possibly control something remotely. You have 4 different ways to get notified, right out of the box.

Also, you should definitely know this, I spoke with the engineering team earlier, and they told me that the voice capability is something we can easily add to our larger RTU models like the NetGuardian 216 or the NetGuardian 832A.

So if you like the voice, but you need more alarm points or an advance feature on a larger RTU, just give us a call and we can make that happen for you.

I'm always amazed by how fast the engineering team turns out new stuff. They're really quick.

So if you like the LT, or even if you want the voice functionality on a different RTU, give DPS a call at 1-800-693-0351. You can also visit us online at www.dpstele.com/RTUs