POC Radios ... sulit ba?

[111prez]

Anyone here using POC (Push to talk Over Cellular) radios?

How is the experience?

Sulit ba? If so, anong recommended brands?

Seems interesting ....

[Walter]

Useful if you handle and need to communicate to a lot of people at the same time ... otherwise, just use mobile phone ... you need to set up a server / base station ...

[111prez]

Useful if you handle and need to communicate to a lot of people at the same time ... otherwise, just use mobile phone ... you need to set up a server / base station ...

From what I read so far, there is no need for a server or base station.

Two radios are enough to start communications.

This could be useful as a communication device rather than dialing and calling on the cell phone.

Seems like so long as both radios are on and connected to the cell network, you can talk instantly just like a walkie talkie

What I am unsure is whether this radio should have its own sim card or it relies on the sim card of your phone

This is the video that got me curious about this radio ...

[Motortrend]

From what I read so far, there is no need for a server or base station.

Two radios are enough to start communications.

This could be useful as a communication device rather than dialing and calling on the cell phone.

Seems like so long as both radios are on and connected to the cell network, you can talk instantly just like a walkie talkie

What I am unsure is whether this radio should have its own sim card or it relies on the sim card of your phone

This is the video that got me curious about this radio ...

I think this particular radio in the video requires its own sim card.

One thing to be aware of is that these POC radios rely on cellular coverage. So, in areas without coverage or when down, you will not be able to use these like you could regular walkie-talkies.

[ice15]

Anyone here using POC (Push to talk Over Cellular) radios?

How is the experience?

Sulit ba? If so, anong recommended brands?

Seems interesting ....

my brother in law who used to sell coffee sa condo during Covid-19 has one. he mainly uses it to communicate with his delivery boys.

ang tagal ko din iniisip if I should get one... perfect sana when travelling as a group (overseas trips). pero mura na din naman roaming ngayon

[oj88]

It's definitely a niche little thingamajig. I think the specific application should dictate whether one needs it or not. If urgency, coverage, and being able to do one-to-many communications are critical, this is for you.

My family isn't particularly talkative, so we make do with group chats.

I do have a couple of traditional handheld transceivers. Can't shake the ham habit.

[Walter]

Most will need a SIM card ... the all connect to a base server one way or the other ... when you buy, you are normally using the server of the company ... so be careful when buying China models ... make sure they are legit ...

Useful for broadcast messaging ... when you need users to be aware of situation updates ... like in security ... catering ... factory ... outdoor activities ...

[111prez]

I envision the usage as follows: carry this together with the regular cell phone. Then if you want to communicate, you text or viber that person that you want to talk so keep the radio on and then diretso na mag usap.

could be very useful especially if the person with the other radio is in another province or even country.

I read that this won't get you charged for any roaming services either. Totoo ba ito?

Yes, I agree that we should be wary of tsaynis brands with pre installed tsaynis sim cards.

I think itong CIGNUS ay Japan ata and you put in your own sim card here.

[Yatta]

Di ba ito yung business model nung local Nextel in the early 2000s? I also remember this being touted in in some phones in Japan also in the 2000s, marketed for teenagers actually, not for the office workers which would have been pretty useful. But alas the iPhone and Android smartphones came along.

[111prez]

Di ba ito yung business model nung local Nextel in the early 2000s? I also remember this being touted in in some phones in Japan also in the 2000s, marketed for teenagers actually, not for the office workers which would have been pretty useful. But alas the iPhone and Android smartphones came along.

Yes mayroon na nito dati but the tech was not as advanced as today.

It is making a comeback

[Walter]

could be very useful especially if the person with the other radio is in another province or even country.
I read that this won't get you charged for any roaming services either. Totoo ba ito?

You need data service or WiFi signal in the country you are in ... All POC devices need local or roaming SIM ... POC actually makes little sense when Telcos started offering unlimited calls and SMS ... If you can Viber or SMS the person, why not just call using the mobile phone? ... This is really more useful for groups ... Also, you can only use POC device of the same brand and model ... Cignus ver 1 can't talk to ver 2 ...

[Dr.Kamiya]

It's a VOIP radio that uses cellular data.

You'll still get charged for roaming data.

There's still a "base station" somewhere, just not under your control. The Cignus models will be calling home to a Cignus server.

IMO just call from your favorite messaging service (Whatsapp, Viber, Line, Discord etc).

Or if you really want PTT, just use the Zello app. If it's for use on an overseas trip there's a free 14-day trial. Monthly cost of $8/month and activate only when you need it will probably be cheaper than buying separate Cignus units for everyone in your group then leave the device unused for months.

[111prez]

You need data service or WiFi signal in the country you are in ... All POC devices need local or roaming SIM ... POC actually makes little sense when Telcos started offering unlimited calls and SMS ... If you can Viber or SMS the person, why not just call using the mobile phone? ... This is really more useful for groups ... Also, you can only use POC device of the same brand and model ... Cignus ver 1 can't talk to ver 2 ...

Case in point: at the mall yesterday, I was calling my wife on the cell phone. Kept ringing but no answer. very frustrating.

Kung may radio at naka on (pero hindi silent mode), isang "hoy" lang kaagad at marinig na ang boses

[Motortrend]

Case in point: at the mall yesterday, I was calling my wife on the cell phone. Kept ringing but no answer. very frustrating.

Kung may radio at naka on (pero hindi silent mode), isang "hoy" lang kaagad at marinig na ang boses

That's assuming the volume is loud enough for her to hear the "hoy". Ha ha!

For me the advantage is the near instant communication. Take a Viber call, it takes a few seconds to ring. Then once the other side picks up, there is a 1 to 2 seconds of chirping before the Viber call actually connects and the parties are able to talk. Very frustrating.

[Yatta]

That's assuming the volume is loud enough for her to hear the "hoy". Ha ha!

For me the advantage is the near instant communication. Take a Viber call, it takes a few seconds to ring. Then once the other side picks up, there is a 1 to 2 seconds of chirping before the Viber call actually connects and the parties are able to talk. Very frustrating.

Not sure kung same experience, but from what I can tell, when you call someone via Viber, it appears from the caller's end that the receivers phone is ringing, even if either the phone is off or no internet connection. Makita mo na lang kapag nag-connect na sa internet ang Viber, you got missed calls.

[cityfolk]

Case in point: at the mall yesterday, I was calling my wife on the cell phone. Kept ringing but no answer. very frustrating.

Kung may radio at naka on (pero hindi silent mode), isang "hoy" lang kaagad at marinig na ang boses

I used GMRS radios way back when cellular service was expensive. Calls are very easy to miss specially inside a noisy mall. Moreso if the wife will keep the radio in her bag. So no advantage over a regular celfone. I ditched the radio when cell service got cheap. Best solution was to get the wife a smartwatch that will vibrate when a call comes in.

[oj88]

Case in point: at the mall yesterday, I was calling my wife on the cell phone. Kept ringing but no answer. very frustrating.

Kung may radio at naka on (pero hindi silent mode), isang "hoy" lang kaagad at marinig na ang boses

Sakit din ng Mrs ko yan. But as you've said, it still depends whether or not the POC is on silent because you'll run into the same issue if the power or volume control was inadvertently or deliberately turned down. You can have her wear an earpiece (good luck with that!) so she can hear your call discretely, but the same can be said with a phone using a BT earpiece.

Anyway, in my case this only happens maybe 2 out of 5 times I call her. Most of the time, it takes her a while to hear the ringtone. It's really a problem when her phone is buried inside her bag or purse.

This thread has reminded me of this problem and I'm now thinking of automating her phone to set the ringtone and vibration level to the highest whenever she leaves the house. I think the MacroDroid app (Android) should be able to do it.

[Motortrend]

Not sure kung same experience, but from what I can tell, when you call someone via Viber, it appears from the caller's end that the receivers phone is ringing, even if either the phone is off or no internet connection. Makita mo na lang kapag nag-connect na sa internet ang Viber, you got missed calls.

Same experience. Another frustration.

[Dr.Kamiya]

Natawa ako dun sa 'HOY!'

Anyway if always-on voice is the goal, using Discord then having your active group join a Voice Channel should do the trick without the need for any new devices.

Usually Discord is used for voice chat during gaming so it has same functionality as a basic feature, with added options for text and/or video.

[111prez]

siguro dapat sabihin ko "Hoy may sale dito" ..... sagot kaagad yun