People in charge of church security know there is more involved in going to church than the message from the pulpit. Kids running around, parking space, sitting arrangement, general security need to be coordinated seamlessly for a hitch-free worship or church event.
Congregations tend to be more comfortable if they see church staff discreetly communicating with walkie talkies. That implies professionalism.
If you are looking to up the ante with modern communication gadgets as far as your church’s security goes, you’ve come to the right place. Reviewed here are what we know to be the best walkie talkies for church security.
The five products were chosen after a careful and thorough selection process involving several dozens of handheld 2-way communication devices. With this review, you don’t have to go through the confounding vetting process of deciding which walkie talkies are the best for your church.
Important Considerations when Buying the Best Walkie Talkie for Church Security
Choosing the best security gadgets can get quite tricky if you are clueless about the features to look for. Narrowing down the essential features and specifications is the only way to ensure your choices are nailed on the best products notwithstanding the size of your budget.
Some of these features include:
Battery life – This is an important consideration for a church security communication device. A dead walkie talkie is of no use to anybody including the user.
The priority must be a walkie talkie with at least 8 hours of battery life. That should be enough to last through a church service or event.
Easy to use – Unless you are a big church with a large budget to spend on professional security staff, a walkie talkie that is easy to use by almost anybody should be the preferred choice.
Sophisticated gadgets with advanced controls would require specialized training for church staff which might be something that isn’t included in the budget. Besides, in times of emergency, it’s crucial that even a novice should be able to figure out how to operate them easily.
Headsets – Users must be able to communicate discreetly without disturbing the congregation. The best walkie talkies for church security come with quality headsets or have ports to attach compatible earpieces.
VOX function – Discretion is what church security and other forms of security is all about. With the VOX functionality, the walkie talkie can remain out of sight while it is in use.
It is a voice-activated feature that in some models is activated once the earpiece is inserted.
UHF radios – Coordinating church security always involves staff in different locations on campus. They could outdoors in the church grounds or on a different floor level.
The signals from UHF walkie talkies can perpetrate walls whether they are made of concrete or steel ensuring users can remain in contact where ever they are.
Channels – The gadget must have as many channels as possible. This makes it easier to find and allocate free frequencies to the team.
CTCSS/DCS privacy codes dramatically increase the channel options that can be used, further ensuring privacy.
Range – How far the gadget can receive and transmit information is also an important consideration.
Obviously, if the church is small, you won’t need long-range devices. But it is better to get a device with a range that is almost twice the campus size. This is to ensure that reception and audio quality is excellent at all times even from the furthest reaches of the church grounds.
Other important factors include: