The propagation of telecommunications technology has given rise to what has been termed the “global village”, a phenomenon largely driven by the number of mobile users in the world, of which there is currently 5.22 billion, or 66.87% of the world’s population. In South Africa alone, smartphone penetration was at over 80% as of April 2019, according to IT Web. As a society, we have become more connected thanks to the advent of the wireless revolution, which began in the 1990s, and we are able to communicate with friends, family members and colleagues on the other side of the world, which may very well represent the future of communication as global mobility increases and remote workplaces underpinned by digital transformation become the norm in many countries.
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) has been central to this metamorphosis, the subtext being that societal needs are rapidly changing and evolving.
CENTURION recently launched an innovative new data plan for its ULTRA range of GSM solutions that allows free activations and notifications* when using the G-REMOTE mobile application. This means that you are able to remotely monitor and control different devices and systems from your phone without incurring data costs or having to worry about ever running out of data.
According to CENTURION national branch manager Johan Lessing, this new programme, which is set to make life easier for ULTRA users, is part of a paradigm shift and the rise of the network society in which homes will be completely connected and wireless.
“Data is the currency of our time,” says Lessing. “We believe that supplying our GSM solutions with free data is a tremendous value-add and makes these products even more versatile and efficient than they already are. Add to that the fact that we’ve just upgraded our ULTRA range to 3G for faster and more reliable connectivity and enhanced security, and you have the best all-round solution for remote monitoring and control”.
The CENTURION ULTRA range can be used to control and monitor a vast array of systems and solutions, including gate and garage door motors, lighting, pool pumps, alarms and electric fences.
These solutions are also a boon to the newly-reopened tourism industry, with owners of B & Bs and guesthouses being able to use the system’s integral visitor control, automatic activations and time-barring to set arrival and departure dates and times and even lock down gates during specific time periods, which is ideal for game farms.
Using the G-REMOTE app offers the following additional benefits:
- Activate device outputs with a single tap
• Names and colours of “buttons” are fully customisable
• Device monitoring via push notifications with the ability to block notifications for each individual phone
• The G-REMOTE app boasts a dedicated screen displaying critical system information such as airtime balances and device signal strength.
• The current input/output status can be viewed on the Status Panel
• Status panel
• Visible inputs and outputs can be configured for each Access Profile
• Each G-REMOTE instance can have access to multiple devices
*Terms and Conditions
- Free data is only applicable when using the G REMOTE app; tokens will need to be purchased when making use of SMS notifications
- It is still necessary to purchase airtime/tokens for voice communication on the G-SPEAK ULTRA
- Call and SMS tokens will never expire
- Rejected voice calls will not use tokens
- All token balances are stored on the SIM card
- SIM cards are device locked and can only be used in G-ULTRA and G-SPEAK products
- Firmware required on devices: 2.x.8 or later (2G) and 2.x.8 or later (3G)
- Solution only valid if the device is installed and used in South Africa with MTN network coverage
