Understanding how these two devices interact helps you make better decisions about placement, coverage, and troubleshooting.

The signal path during an emergency

When a staff member presses a Rescue Card:

1. The Card broadcasts a LoRa emergency signal
2. The nearest Repeater receives the signal and relays it through the mesh
3. The Alert Station receives the signal from the mesh
4. The Alert Station activates facility-wide audible alarms and strobe lights
5. The Alert Station transmits the alert to the backend, which notifies staff via push notification, SMS, and email
6. If 911 Alert is configured, RapidSOS simultaneously transmits location data to 911 dispatch

For Raft deployments without Repeaters, the Raft communicates directly with the Alert Station over LoRa. Repeaters are not required for basic aquatic deployments but can be added to extend range and reduce false Fall Alerts.

Coverage and redundancy

LoRa radio has significant range, but building materials — thick concrete walls, metal fixtures, multiple floors — can attenuate the signal. Repeaters compensate for this by acting as relay points, extending coverage into areas the Alert Station cannot reach directly and providing redundancy in areas that are borderline.

For location tracking specifically, coverage depends entirely on Repeater density. One Repeater per major room or zone is the standard recommendation. Areas without Repeater coverage cannot be tracked on the 3D map.

What happens during a network or power failure

If your facility's Wi-Fi goes down: LoRa emergency signals are not affected. Cards and Rafts communicate over LoRa independently of Wi-Fi. Repeaters continue to relay signals. The Alert Station transmits alerts via cellular if its Ethernet connection fails.

If building power goes out: Repeaters switch to internal battery backup (up to 72 hours). The Alert Station switches to internal battery backup (several hours) and cellular connectivity. Emergency signals continue to travel through the system.

A Wi-Fi outage or power failure alone will not prevent an emergency from being detected, reported, and dispatched.