Let’s talk about intercom SIM cards and which is best for your system.
With so many network providers offering a wealth of tariffs to choose from, it can be tough to know which SIM is best for your intercom system. Most are designed for use within mobile phones and not static machines, so choosing the right SIM card is crucial.
It’s hard to know what to look for when selecting your intercom SIM card, so here are our top tips on what to look out for. Our experienced team have put together some helpful advice and guidance on choosing the right SIM and which ones work best with our intercom systems.
Choosing the best network
Choosing a SIM card on the best network in the area is key. We always recommend that you use a signal analyser to get an accurate signal reading wherever the antenna for the intercom is going to be mounted.
Contract or PAYG?
Whether a 12-month contract or a 1-month rolling contract, contract SIMs are usually a simpler and more cost-effective option. Choosing a contract SIM card means that you don’t have to worry about topping up, ensuring your intercom connection is never interrupted.
SMS & MMS Marketing
It’s important to remember that most SIM cards designed for mobile phone usage will usually receive marketing messages from the network. Sometimes these are just text messages and sometimes these are picture messages. These messages can cause your intercom to behave in an abnormal way. We strongly recommend contacting the network provider directly to ensure that these can be switched off.
Where is your intercom located?
Most of the intercoms we manufacture are installed externally. If this is the case, you will need to choose a SIM which is designed for external equipment. Most SIM cards are not designed for outdoor environments and may fail over a long period of time.
2G, 3G or 4G?
The Telguard & Optimus 4G LTE intercoms are backwards compatible, so they work with 2G, 3G and 4G. However, we always recommend that the SIM is 4G to ensure that you get the best possible connection. This will drastically reduce downtime and improve audio quality.
To make things super easy for our customers, we have specially designed a range of SIM cards to work with the Telguard and Optimus intercom systems.
What makes our SIM cards so special?
Our enhanced 4G IoT intercom SIM cards are designed to withstand corrosion, vibration, shock and extreme temperatures (-40°C to 105°C). This means they can be used in external environments and have a longer lifespan of up to 17 years. Our SIM cards are useful for all installations in long-term projects and vital in hard-to-reach locations.
IoT SIMs are also designed to be used in machines, meaning that the connection will automatically refresh to avoid interruptions. Standard SIM cards aren’t meant to be kept in static locations and are constantly looking for new cell towers in order to refresh.
Anti-lockout means that you can rest assured that our intercom SIM cards will not send any SPAM messages. SPAM or marketing SMS & MMS messages can often cause the intercom to go offline or interrupt the service.
With our contract SIMs, you don’t need to worry about topping up, and you won’t ‘lose’ credit at the end of the month if you haven’t used all of your allocated minutes or texts. It also means that if your intercom doesn’t make an outbound call for a while, the SIM won’t be deactivated. Unfortunately, lots of PAYG SIMs are deactivated if they’re not used for a certain amount of time.
Not keen on the idea of setting up a direct debit? No problem! We also provide annual SIMs which can be paid for upfront for the year.
Finally, our activation process is quick and easy. Simply fill out our online form and our team will do the rest.
Click here to find out more about the tariffs we have to offer. Or click here to get our recommendations!
If you have any more questions about choosing the right SIM and which is best for your intercom system, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team. Call us now on +44(0)1306 710120. We look forward to hearing from you.
You can also head over to our social media to keep up to date with the latest news!