Fixed panic buttons protect one spot. Software puts a panic button on every screen, and a A$25 USB button wherever you still want one.
| Fixed panic buttons | Duress Alert | |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Electrician + cabling, one location each | Software on every PC, ~5 min each, no wiring |
| Fail-safe triggers | One physical button; dies silently | Screen button, tray icon, hotkey + optional USB button that warns when unplugged |
| Context | Which button? Where? | Alert shows exactly which desk needs help |
| Visibility | A light on a wall | Full-screen pop-up over whatever staff are working on |
| Evidence | None | Raise → respond → reset history |
| Software depth | None | Central management, Mac + RDS, acknowledgement |
Do the maths before the electrician arrives
A hardwired button typically means an electrician, cabling, and one covered location, then silence: no self-test, no warning if it dies. Duress Alert covers every workstation from A$299/year, installed in about five minutes per computer, with no wiring at all. Full-screen pop-ups appear over whatever staff are working on, harder to miss than an email or a silent light on a wall. Works on shared and remote desktops too, Have an IT team, multiple sites, or shared/remote desktops? See our IT deployment page, silent installs, central configuration and rollout at any scale.
Want a physical button anyway? Have both.
Add a physical button where it helps, from A$25 plus delivery. Unlike a hardwired button, Duress Alert warns you on screen the moment a button is unplugged, and confirms when it’s back, so you never discover a dead button during an emergency. And if a button ever fails, staff can still raise the alert from the screen, tray icon or hotkey.
“Our receptionist hit the fixed button under the desk during a confrontation, and found out later it was broken. With Duress Alert she knows: if it’s green, we can see her.”
Sally Anderton, Legal Practice, VIC
The button nobody had tested
“We run a busy solicitor practice and have always used the fixed button systems under the desk, with clients and people we are pursuing for justice sometimes the situation can get heated, with frequent visits of the pursuant to our offices we had used our Duress Alert system on several occasions. With a sizable divorce case on the table and after some earlier correspondence our front of house team were met by a gentleman bearing a baseball bat, he was very frustrated by our communication, our receptionist hit the Duress button under the desk only to realise some time later the button was broken! Since installing the Duress Alert, she now knows, if it’s green, we can see her.”
Sally Anderton, Victoria
The button itself
You find out when a button stops working
Tell us about your site.
Tell us your team size and setting, and we’ll show you how Duress Alert works on your own desks and what a rollout looks like. We get back to you quickly.
Questions? +61 1300 366 911 (Australia).
