You might be wondering; how does this change affect your Careline service? Well, we’re here to help you understand.

What is the Switch off about?

Openreach, the UK’s largest telecoms & broadband network provider, is switching off copper cables in 2025, because it is part of a national effort to modernise the country’s telecommunications infrastructure. Copper cables, which have been in use for over a century, are not capable of providing the faster broadband speeds and higher bandwidths required by modern digital services.

What does this mean for you? It means that you will no longer be able to use your traditional landline phone and broadband service as you do today. Instead, you will need to switch to a digital service, such as fibre broadband and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) also known as digital voice services, to ensure that you can still make calls and access the internet.

How does the digital switchover affect Careline?

With the digital switchover, there may be questions about the performance of Careline’s service, especially as your alarm system is connected to a traditional phone line. While certain adaptors can be used to facilitate the transition to the new digital system, it’s essential to note that these alarm systems weren’t initially designed for this purpose.

Is there an alternative version of Careline’s service?

Absolutely! The Careline’s Digital Alarm Unit serves as an alternative to the traditional Careline service. The Digital Alarm Unit is a state-of-the-art system. Simply plug it into a power socket, and it’s ready to use. The unit is equipped with a SIM card (used in mobile phones), where it can contact Careline’s dedicated team swiftly when assistance is needed. Additionally, this system operates even during power outages, thanks to its 40–70-hour backup battery.

How and when should you transition to Careline’s Digital Alarm Unit?

Transitioning to Careline’s Digital Alarm Unit is a straightforward process. To get started, please reach out to Careline Community Service via phone at 01553 616200 or email careline.operators@west-norfolk.gov.uk. Their dedicated team will guide you through the transition smoothly. To ensure a seamless switch, it is advisable to make the transition before the digital switchover takes place, allowing you to have your new equipment ready well in advance.

In summary, the digital switchover is transforming the telecommunications landscape, impacting traditional care industries alarm systems. Careline’s Digital Alarm Unit offers a modern and dependable solution to ensure your safety in the digital era.

For any inquiries or assistance with the transition, do not hesitate to contact Careline Community Services. RLS Computer Services and Careline Community Service are dedicated to your well-being, no matter how technology evolves.

Further Reading

https://www.careline-cs.org.uk/products/careline-home-alarm/

Careline Digital Switchover Information Flyer

For the past few years, the world of work has been dominated by something so small it can’t even be seen with the naked eye – yes, we mean coronavirus. Thanks to the pandemic and the lockdowns that came in response, businesses have had to embrace remote working. Video calling apps like Zoom and Teams have quickly become household names. And many people have had an extended taste of working from home.

But now that vaccination programmes have been established and restrictions have been eased, is remote working simply going to fade away? Will everyone ultimately return to the office and go back to normal? Or is there now a new normal, which includes remote working?

To give you some insight into this topic, let’s look at what industry experts and businesses were saying about remote working at the height of the pandemic and what they’re saying now.

Past predictions

In the early months of the pandemic, experts were already predicting that remote working could be here to stay. In November 2020, McKinsey Global Institute published an analysis that suggested, “Hybrid models of remote work are likely to persist in the wake of the pandemic”.

Research firm Gartner published similar findings in July 2020, which showed that 82% of business leaders were planning to let staff continue working from home. 47% said it would be a permanent arrangement.

Similarly, in October 2020, a survey of 1,000 businesses by the Institute of Directors showed that 74% of managers planned to maintain the increase in remote work.

The European Commission, meanwhile, confidently declared in September 2020 that “Teleworking is here to stay”. It suggested, as many did at the time, that the pandemic had accelerated a trend that was already happening. And it pointed to the potential cost savings from remote working – including the fact that many employees would happily take a pay cut to work from home.

The remote working picture today

Fast forward a couple of years, and what are people today saying about remote working? Are businesses still enthusiastic about letting people work from home, or has the opportunity to meet people face to face again lured them back to the office?

Writing for Barron’s in January 2022, economics professor Nicholas Bloom says remote working is going nowhere – with hybrid working being the most popular flexible arrangement. He predicts that in future, 50% of employees will work fully in-person, 40% will work hybrid, and the remaining 10% will be fully remote.

Indeed, support for flexible and remote working still seems to be high. A survey by the Chartered Institute of Management in February 2022 showed continued adoption of hybrid working – with more than 80% of managers working flexibly.

Recent research by PwC, however, suggests there might have been a slight drop in support for remote working. Of the businesses it surveyed, 43% said they now offer hybrid work opportunities. And 30% say they’ve made remote working permanent for roles where it’s possible.

Regardless of whether remote working is more or less popular with businesses than it was in 2020, it’s clearly still seen as a permanent fixture by many. In a round-up of expert opinions, Forbes makes the bold prediction that, “Remote working is here to stay and will increase in 2023”.

So what next?

As predicted, remote working has stuck around – particularly in the form of hybrid working. Many businesses are open to the idea of letting their employees work flexibly, but there are some jobs and some tasks that simply cannot be done remotely.

Businesses that reject remote work completely do so at their own risk. Not only will they miss out on potential cost savings, they may find they’re unable to attract the best candidates. The majority of workers want more flexibility, and many employers are responding to that desire.

Doing remote working the right way

Despite the potential benefits, remote and hybrid working should be approached with a plan in mind. Organisations need to balance the pros and cons of allowing people to work from home. It shouldn’t be implemented just for the sake of it.

Businesses also need to have the right infrastructure in place to support remote working. If employees are working remotely, they need to be able to communicate and collaborate effectively with their colleagues. 

Technology is the key to making this work. As well as video calling apps, workers can use instant messaging, cloud software and shared spaces to stay in touch with each other and work on projects together. And thanks to cloud-based phone lines, they can make and take calls from a single phone number, no matter where they are or which device they’re using. That provides a seamless experience not just for a businesses’ employees but their customers too.

If organisations get these things right, they can reap the rewards of remote and hybrid working while keeping staff happy. Although face-to-face work will continue to be important, the last few years have opened the door to the benefits of remote working – and now everyone has seen what’s behind that door, it’s unlikely to close again.

Need help going hybrid?

We offer a range of solutions that can help. Our cloud-based phone solution Wholesale Hosted Communications (WHC) makes it easy to embrace remote and hybrid working, allowing you to access calls from anywhere, on a variety of devices. You can even make WHC calls in Microsoft Teams using WHC Teams Direct Connect. Or if you need a whole new video calling and collaboration tool, you can add Cisco Webex into the mix. Call us on 01553 776937 or email info@rlscomputers.co.uk, so we can discuss your needs and find you the right solution for your business.

What you are about to hear is a telephone recording of that conversation.

We recorded it to show people the tricks and techniques these people use to manipulate users to “Thinking” their PC is infected or faulty by showing them technical information on your PC that would scare you in believing that your PC is indeed faulty or infected with a virus.

View on YouTube: PC TELEPHONE SUPPORT SCAM

Also Read:

Beware Cold Calling IT Scams

To celebrate this, we have teamed up with the award-winning Plusnet (the phone and broadband provider that will do you proud) to offer our customers a super deal on the service, regardless of whether you’re switching or signing-up from scratch.

OK, some of you who can’t get fibre yet will be disappointed. However, the picture of fibre availability is changing quickly across the country with two-thirds of properties set to be fibre-enabled in 2014. In any case, Plusnet has many excellent deals on the regular Broadband service.

What is Fibre Broadband?

Simply put, it’s where all your broadband is transmitted via fibre optic cables allowing you to get faster speeds. The actual fibre optic wire does not go all the way to your property; it usually only goes as far as the little cabinet in your street — so this is known as Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC).

What Do I Need?

Because this works differently from the original, copper broadband service, the installation and equipment is also slightly different. First, you will need a separate modem, (don’t worry; the engineer will install one when he visits). Then you will need a router; if you’re thinking wireless then we’d recommend 150Mbps or 300Mbps N class router to ensure you have the best possible wireless signal.

To find out more about the packages available or to signup call us on 01553 776937 or for the latest offers click the image below.