Panic alerts that keep working when the internet doesn't.
An internet outage is exactly when tension at the front desk rises, queues grow, payments fail, tempers fray. It’s the worst possible moment for a cloud-based panic button to be offline. Duress Alert’s live alert path never touches the internet.
Why the alert path is local
Most modern panic buttons send the alert to a cloud service, which sends it back down to your colleagues, or to a monitoring centre. That round trip fails with your internet connection. Duress Alert routes the alert across your own network instead: from the workstation, to a small server app running on a Windows PC you already leave on, straight to pop-ups on your colleagues’ screens. No server hardware. Duress Alert runs on any Windows PC you already leave on, your reception or practice-management machine is perfect. Alerts travel over your own network, so they keep working even when the internet is down.
The cloud still has a job, licensing, downloads and reporting. It’s just never in the emergency. If the internet is down during an incident, reporting simply catches up when the connection returns. Nothing about the alert itself is lost.
Cloud-only vs LAN-based
| During an internet outage… | Cloud-based panic button | Duress Alert |
|---|---|---|
| Raising an alert | Fails or queues until reconnect | Works, LAN only |
| Colleagues notified | No | Yes, instantly |
| Acknowledgement (help is coming) | No | Yes, orange state |
| Incident recorded | No | Yes locally; syncs to reporting later |
Honest failure modes
No system is magic. Here’s exactly what fails, when, and what we recommend.
| Scenario | What happens | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Internet / NBN outage | Full function. Alerts, acknowledgement and reset all run locally | None needed, this is the design |
| Wi-Fi access point drops | Wired desks unaffected; Wi-Fi laptops rejoin when it returns | Wire the desks that matter most |
| Network switch / whole LAN fails | Alerts can’t route, true of any networked system | Keep the server PC and key desks on the same switch, on a UPS |
| Power outage | Computers are off | Put the server PC and one reception PC on a UPS |
| Server PC switched off or unreachable | Every button on every screen turns grey and keeps trying to reconnect, staff see at a glance the system is down, and it recovers automatically the moment the server is back. No silent failure | Pick an always-on PC; the app restarts with Windows |
| USB button unplugged | On-screen warning the moment it disconnects, confirmation when it’s back, and the screen trigger still works | None, this is built in |
For IT teams: the details
The server is a lightweight Windows application, no rack, no VM, no dedicated hardware required. Clients install via silent MSI (GPO, Intune, or your RMM, we deploy via NinjaOne ourselves), generated by the server with your configuration already baked in, so every machine arrives pre-configured and stays centrally managed. RDS/shared desktops and Mac clients run on the same local alert path.
- Client ↔ server: local network only, Your local network only, on a configurable port (default TCP 8001). By default, clients talk only to your server.
- Server → cloud: outbound HTTPS to the Duress Alert API endpoints, for licensing, downloads and reporting only.
- Firewall setup: where it has rights, the server configures the required Windows Firewall rules automatically, and shows you the status either way.
- Escalation: server or clients can fire webhooks to Slack, Microsoft Teams or Google Chat.
Does the licence need the internet?
Licences install locally on your server, so a licensed site keeps alerting with zero internet connection. The internet is only needed to install or renew the licence, not to use it.
“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
From A$299/year for up to 10 users · A$99 one-off install including training and 12 months of support. Prices in AUD, see local pricing for the UK, USA, Canada and Europe.
Start your free 21-day trial, covering up to 25 computers. Configure it and roll it out across your site, at no cost. The trial itself is free. If you go ahead afterwards, we can set it up with you for a one-off A$99. When you move from the trial to a full licence there is no extra effort, everything you have set up simply keeps running. No payment details to start, and you can cancel anytime.
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.
