Push-to-talk radios compared with traditional two-way radio

How push-to-talk radios and traditional two-way radio compare on cost, coverage and day-to-day use.

Traditional two-way radio has served security teams well for decades. Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) does the same press-and-speak job, carried over the mobile phone masts instead of your own radio system. Here is how the two compare.

What is the same

Officers press a button and speak, everyone in the group hears them, and channel discipline works just as it always has. Training is quick, because the habits carry straight over.

Where RevoNet fits

RevoNet uses the UK's mobile phone masts, so your team can be in different towns and still be in the same conversation. There is no radio system to put up at your sites. Groups are set in your control room rather than programmed into each handset, so adding a new site is a matter of minutes.

You also get things a traditional radio does not give you: a map showing where each officer was last seen, jobs with their own timeline, and a log of what has happened.

What changes day to day

On a traditional radio, a supervisor knows who is talking. With RevoNet, they also see where everyone is, who is online and which jobs are open, so questions like "who is closest?" are answered at a glance.

Training is light. Officers keep using the same habits, and supervisors pick up the control room screen in a shift or two.

A side by side view

Topic	Traditional radio	RevoNet
Equipment	A handset per user, plus any radio system you need	A radio or company phone per user
Cost as you grow	Hire and terminals	A per-user monthly price
Map of your team	Usually a separate system	Built in
Job tracking	Rare	Built in
Reach	Set by your radio system	The UK's mobile phone masts
Adding a new site	New terminals and programming	Add users to your control room

A sensible way to decide

Try RevoNet on one contract, alongside the radios you use now. Ask your supervisors one question at the end: did the map change who they sent to a job? That answer tells you more than any brochure. Many firms keep radios at a single site and use RevoNet for everything else, and others move over completely.

Choosing radios for a security team? Our buyer's guide to the best radios for security companies in the UK compares licence-free, licensed DMR and push-to-talk radios for static guarding, patrols and events.

Common questions

Do we have to replace all our radios at once? No. Many teams run both side by side and move over contract by contract.

Can we still use dedicated radios? Yes. Radios and phones join the network the same way.

What do we see if an officer is offline? They show as offline on the map, with the last place they were seen.

Is this only for firms with radio problems? No. Many firms choose RevoNet for the map and the jobs as much as for the cost.