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Wired vs. Wireless Nurse Call in a Retrofit
Upgrading nurse call in an occupied building raises a practical question early: do you pull new cable or go wireless? The answer is usually a bit of both.
New construction makes wiring easy. Retrofits don't. Residents live in the rooms, ceilings may be difficult to open, and older construction can make cable runs slow and expensive. That's why the wired versus wireless decision matters so much in an existing community.
Where wireless shines
Less disruption. No new cable to every room means shorter visits, less dust and less noise for residents.
Faster installation. Devices mount where they are needed, and repeaters extend coverage without opening walls.
Help that moves with the resident. Pendants work in the dining room, lounge and garden, not only beside the bed.
A supervised network. Each wireless device checks in on a regular schedule over a dedicated radio band in the 902 to 928 MHz range, separate from the community’s Wi-Fi. A device that stops checking in, or runs low on battery, is reported automatically.
Where wired still earns its place
Existing cabling in good condition. If your current wiring is sound, reusing it can reduce cost.
Corridor dome lights. Lights over doors show caregivers where a call is coming from and typically run on wired output channels.
Fixed bedside and washroom points. Wired stations suit places where power and cabling are already in the wall.
Why most retrofits are hybrid
In practice, most upgrades combine both. Direct Care Connect DCC™ from Poltys Canada supports wired and wireless devices on one platform, so alerts from a wired bed station and a wireless pendant follow the same priorities, routing and reporting. You can keep sound wiring where it exists and go wireless where cable would be disruptive or costly.
What a site assessment covers
A wireless survey. Confirms coverage and determines how many repeaters are needed and where.
Existing equipment review. Identifies which wiring, stations and devices can be retained.
Network readiness. Checks the connections the server and any Wi-Fi sensors will rely on.
Phasing. Plans work around residents, wing by wing, so the current system stays live until cutover.