Verkada vs Halo for Vaping Detection - which is better?

We are often asked how Verkada differs from the Halo sensor that is used for detecting vaping in schools - here is a quick overview.

1) One advantage of the Verkada system over the Halo, and/or the Flysense product is that Verkada offers a fully integrated Sensor and CCTV solution, where one of Verkada's cameras is paired with a sensor in their Command dashboard.

2) With Verkada, when Vaping is detected, a user can click on the Alert and be taken immediately to the CCTV footage of the camera on the entry of that particular bathroom to see who entered / exited quickly and easily with no delay or swapping between systems.   

3) In comparison to the silent alerts to the user's device that Verkada provides, Halo has a loud audible alert in the bathroom from the device itself - the students hear this and run! They also try and set off the audible alert by slamming the bathroom doors as a game - triggering false alerts that need to be investigated.

4) Verkada Warranty = 10 years, Halo = 1 Year.  Ask yourself whether it is reasonable to expect to have to replace a failed device out of warranty at some point within 10 years? With Verkada, you never have to worry about replacing it at your cost. 

5) Verkada allows for remote access and data is encrypted by default, meaning its secure from the outside world. Halo is unencrypted by default (it uses port 80 on your LAN), requires a local server to configure it, and a VPN for remote access.

6) Verkada is provisioned and firmware is automatically updated via the Cloud instantly whilst Halo requires configuration and updating on a per device bases (which means a lot more administration).

7) Verkada provides 24/7 support @ no cost, with a team based in Sydney - call, email and live chat through their dashboard. With Halo, you would need to call a partner for support that will charge you for their time.  Verkada is simple to set up and deploy yourself if you are IT savvy.

8) Verkada is ready to go out of the box and takes minutes to set up whereas Halo setup requires that you: Download and update to the newest firmware, Set up notifications (SMTP Settings), Sync your HALO to a NTP server, wait 24 hours for the sensors to self-calibrate. Halo must be configured via a Windows PC (no MAC Support).

9) Verkada allows you to see past readings on 1 page, via a slick easy to navigate interface. With Halo, viewing historical readings is impossible. You are limited to viewing past events / alerts only. The live view graph page looks like an Excel document that you have to scrub through.

10) Verkada alerts & notifications are very easy to set up - it takes just a few moments - and you can tie the sensor directly to one of their cameras to obtain an instant link to video evidence when the sensor activates. In order to receive email alerts from Halo, you need to manually connect Halo Sensor to your on-premise server or a hosted solution like Google, and then configure it to use a third party camera system. Uggh!

11) Yes, with Verkada, you do pay for a license to use the device - but this incorporates instantaneous 24/7 support direct from Verkada, a 10 year hardware warranty, hosting of the Cloud dashboard, Cloud storage for archiving video and data, and perpetual automatic feature upgrades and firmware updates so you get the most value from your investment. 

12) Verkada offers expertise on hand via their always online Support Team, at the click of a mouse, where and when you need it, all from within the Verkada Command dashboard.  Their product documentation is also accessible from this area, making it easy to find the information you need to quickly configure their products or troubleshoot a setting.

Above all the Verkada solution is quick and easy to configure (add users, set alerts and share data). This will save you hours of time in administration and frustration and allow you to use the solution to do what it's designed to do - to detect vaping activity quickly, identify who it was, and respond to it in a timely manner.

The choice is clear - contact us for a trial of Verkada today!