How an alert works
With Bellpull, the family is the response. This page follows one alert from the moment the button is held to the moment someone in the family is on their way. The times are Bellpull's standard settings, and you can change them for each person.
In this example Jean lives on her own at 4 Mill Lane. Her responders are her son Sam, her daughter Rita and her neighbour Ali.
Jean holds her button
Jean is in the kitchen. She holds the button on her wrist for a moment. The hub by her router picks up the signal and passes it to Bellpull over the broadband connection. Jean does not need a phone nearby.
A short press would have done nothing, so the button does not go off by accident. A double press would have sent a test message.
Sam, Rita and Ali are alerted
Each of them gets a text message with a link to respond. Sam and Rita have the Bellpull app, so their phones also sound an alert, even though both phones are on silent.
Bellpull: Jean pressed her button, 07:18, 4 Mill Lane. Reply YES or tap bellpull.app/r/7Q2K to respond.
Bellpull phones them
Nobody has responded after 45 seconds. Ali is driving and Sam did not see the notification. Bellpull phones all three at once. The call reads out the alert and asks them to press 1 to respond.
This is Bellpull. Jean pressed her button at seven eighteen. Press 1 to respond.
Sam responds
Sam answers the call and presses 1. Bellpull ends the other calls and tells Rita and Ali that Sam is going, so nobody else sets off without knowing. Sam can see Jean's address and the access note about the key safe, and decides whether to ring 999.
Sam is responding. Pressed 07:18, taken 07:19.
What responders see in the app
The app shows the alert full screen in red, with the address, the access note and a button to respond. Once someone responds, the screen turns green for everyone and says who is going.
Bellpull alert
Jean pressed her button.
07:18, 4 Mill Lane
Key safe by the back door. Code with Sam.
I'm responding Call JeanBellpull
Sam is responding.
Pressed 07:18, taken 07:19
4 Mill Lane
Message Sam Call JeanExample screens. Final app design may differ.
If nobody responds
Bellpull does not stop after one try. It follows the same timetable every time, so you know in advance what will happen. Only a person can stop it, by tapping the link, pressing 1 on a call or replying YES. A message being delivered does not count.
- 45 seconds
- Bellpull phones every responder at once.
- 2 minutes
- Texts, app alerts and calls are sent again.
- 4 and 6 minutes
- The same again.
- 8 minutes
- Backup numbers are added, such as a neighbour or a landline, and the alert is marked as unanswered.
- Every 5 minutes
- Bellpull keeps texting and calling everyone, including the backup numbers.
- 1 hour
- Bellpull stops calling. The alert stays open until someone responds or the button is held again.
On days when nothing happens
Most days nobody presses the button. On those days the app shows that everything is ready: the responders, the button battery, the hub and the last test.
Once a week Bellpull reminds you to run a test. The person double presses their button, and the responders get a test message. No phone calls are made for a test.
If the hub stops checking in or the button battery runs low, Bellpull tells you so it can be put right before it is needed.