As rates continue to rise, our education clients are finding that people vaping inside of schools is a growing and concerning issue. Nearly 15% of students admit to vaping, and the most popular places that vaping is happening are rooms where there is a right-to-privacy, like bathrooms and locker rooms.
K-12 and other educational institutions have found success in curbing vaping with the Halo Smart Sensor. Halo’s popularity comes from the sensors ability to detect vaping – including THC. The sensor sends an email or text within seconds of detection.
Parallel Technologies believes that intelligent building sensors like Halo should work with your existing security systems to create a smarter, more streamlined process. Halo works with a variety of platforms, including Genetec, so it can be seamlessly integrated into your building.
This sensor goes beyond vaping. Halo is an all-in-one solution for health, safety, and security. It can detect a wide range of environmental changes, including:
- Air quality: The Halo Smart Sensor can detect carbon dioxide, particulate matter, humidity, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen dioxide. This information can be used to improve indoor air quality and prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses.
- Works Even When “Masking”: Many students try to mask vaping with cologne or other aerosols to cover up the smell, however this sensor is smart enough to detect vape and THC particles, regardless of masking.
- Gunshot detection: The Halo Smart Sensor can detect the sound of gunshots and send an alert to the appropriate authorities.
- Emergency keyword alerting: The Halo Smart Sensor can be programmed to alert users to certain emergency keywords, such as “fire” or “help.” This can help to ensure that emergencies are quickly responded to. Secret keywords are even used to curb bullying in schools.
In addition to its environmental and security features, the Halo Smart Sensor also includes a number of other features, such as:
- Emergency Escape & Alert Lighting: Halo comes with a literal HALO of LED colored lighting options that can be programmed to show escape routes for safety such as a red, yellow, and green patterns. Create unique colors for different alerts such as purple for Air Quality alerts or blue for Health alerts. The lights themselves are projected onto the ceiling around the HALO for extended visibility.
- Motion Detection: Identify and alert on movement for occupancy and trespassing.
- Occupancy and People Counting: Identify how many people are within the HALO location and configure to alert on abnormalities.
- Tamper alerting: The Halo Smart Sensor can detect if it has been tampered with, which can help to prevent unauthorized access.
Although the benefits of a smart sensor like Halo are obvious, there are concerns with the device being installed in bathrooms or locker rooms since that can be an invasion of privacy. Halo does not have a camera, and the audio is not recorded. There is no personal identifiable information captured.
Our K-12 and higher education clients have seen great results with the Halo Smart Sensor. In a recent install, a large Minnesota school district caught a student vaping within 15 minutes of the sensors going live.
It is a powerful and versatile device that can be used to improve the safety and security of any environment. It is easy to install and use, and it provides a wide range of data and features that can help to protect people and buildings.
To learn more about smart sensors and whether these powerful devices may be right for your school, contact us today.