Introducing Halo: The Halo Smart Sensor Helping to Make Schools Safer Spaces

The latest intelligent health and safety monitoring technology can detect signs of vaping, smoking and anti-social behaviour, all while protecting privacy without the need for video or audio recording.

Schools are the cornerstone of every community, playing an essential role in the lives of every family as they help young people unlock their potential. In addition to pursuing excellence in education and learning, school leaders and their staff work tirelessly to create nurturing, inclusive, friendly environments that work for every child. This responsibility is reflected in the extensive safeguarding and duty of care obligations schools take on under law.

But to coin a phrase, kids will be kids. Every education professional knows there’s no such thing as perfect behaviour in schools. Part of their responsibility is monitoring and spotting undesirable behaviours, keeping students safe from it, and providing guidance to explain why it is inappropriate.

A major challenge facing the education community at present is the alarming rise of vaping among secondary school pupils. Around 10% of 11 to 15-year-olds report vaping regularly. Inevitably, it’s a practice that is increasingly creeping into schools themselves.

Faced with such challenges, you couldn’t blame education professionals if from time to time they wished for a single, magical device that could identify and alert them to unwanted behaviours. Well, those wishes may have just been granted in the shape of the Halo Smart Sensor. And there’s no magic involved. Just clever technology worthy of any science lesson!

What is the Halo Smart Sensor?

The Halo Smart Sensor is an all-in-one intelligent health and safety monitoring system. Working on similar principles to smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, its multi-sensor technology can detect smoking, vaping, and marijuana use, audio cues for anti-social and aggressive behaviour, plus a range of other environmental risk factors such as concentrations of airborne pollutants (and yes, smoke and CO are included in there, too).

How the Halo Smart Sensor Works

Unlike familiar safety and security systems such as CCTV, the Halo Smart Sensor does not feature cameras or any kind of recording system. Instead, it uses sensors that pick up audio, motion and air quality cues and trigger alarms when an anomaly is detected.

Its monitoring capabilities fall into two main categories. First, chemical sensors react to the presence of potentially harmful substances in the air such as carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter. This category includes sensors that respond to the presence of tobacco smoke, vaping and THC. Halo devices are also triggered by high concentrations of aerosols if attempts are made to mask the smell of cigarettes and vapes with deodorants and similar.

The second category of sensors detect sound and motion. Without requiring audio capture, Halo Sensors can be triggered by raised voices and verbal aggression, by unusual noises such as bangs or potential explosions, or they can be trained to detect specific words such as ‘help’. They can also pick up on motion cues such as people running, and can be used as occupancy counters to help avoid spaces becoming overcrowded.

Each Halo unit is fitted with multicoloured LEDs which flash according to what triggered it – blue for airborne health risks, green for safety and security risks, red for smoking, vaping and THC.

Halo systems are built to integrate with other security systems and are software agnostic. You can, for example, connect Halo alarms to panic button systems to create another pathway to triggering them, or to access control systems to automate ‘lockdown’ in the event of an emergency.

Sensors can be managed via any web browser. There is also the option of subscribing to Halo Cloud, a management system which provides a range of perks including analytics dashboards and interactive maps displaying real-time visual sensor readings.

Key Benefits of Halo Smart Sensors in Enhancing Health & Safety

The big advantage of Halo over more traditional security systems is the fact that it provides robust detection and prevention without compromising privacy. Unlike CCTV and other technologies that involve audio and video capture, Halo can be deployed in privacy-sensitive spaces like public conveniences.

That’s one reason why Halo is proving popular in education settings like schools and colleges, as well as in hospitals and corporate premises. Bathrooms are common spaces where people might be tempted to smoke or vape, knowing there’s no risk of being caught on CCTV. The in-built tamper alarms also ensure people can’t try to switch them off or interfere with them.

The other key benefit of Halo is the sheer range of protections it offers, including detecting ‘hidden’ risks like high levels of pollutants and chemicals in the air. Carbon monoxide alarms are commonplace these days, required by law in any room where there is a fuel-burning appliance. But Halo guards against much more, on top of offering protection against smoking, vaping, drug misuse and violent and anti-social behaviour.

Halo also offers ‘soft’ protections like occupancy counting to avoid overcrowding, and monitoring things like temperature, air quality and humidity which can affect health in the longer term.

Find Out More

Halo Smart Sensors are a potentially game-changing innovation for the education sector. But they have a huge range of potential applications across industries, from hotels to retail and leisure venues, hospitals to airports and plenty more besides.

Brentwood Communications is delighted to have secured a distribution deal for Halo Smart Sensors as we continue to seek exciting and innovative products to add to our catalogue. If you’d like to find out more about Halo and how it can help to revolutionize health and safety in your establishment, please drop us an enquiry here and our team will get straight back to you.

FAQs

What is the detection range for HALO?

HALO can cover 144 square feet (13.4 square metres) with standard ceiling heights (8ft/2.4m) for vape detection. Other sensors in the HALO device can monitor up to 1963 square feet (182.4 square metres), providing effective coverage for larger spaces.

How many HALOs can be connected to the HALO Cloud?

An unlimited number of HALOs can connect to the HALO Cloud. This allows users to monitor and manage multiple devices from a single platform across different locations. HALO works well for organisations of any size, from small businesses to large enterprises, needing efficient monitoring.

Do HALO vape detectors have any warranties?

HALO vape detectors offer flexible warranty plans to match your needs. Choose from 2-year, 5-year, or 10-year options for reliable support throughout the product’s life. These plans reflect HALO’s focus on quality and customer care, making sure your device is built to last.