Among all the great technologies and innovations the world has received through Internet Protocol, one that goes commonly overlooked is the development of the IP clock. IP clocks deliver the one thing that every facilities manager or maintenance worker needs: control. Having an IP clock system means the user has the ability to control each and every clock individually through its own personal IP address, letting the user pick and choose different configurations for each clock.

The engineers here at Sapling have taken this element of control beyond the industry standard. Seeing the advantage of a completely exclusive IP address for each clock, Sapling has created their IP Monitor Software – a simple, pc based program that lets users control each clock with a number of configurable features that any maintenance or facility manager would find extremely useful. The IP Monitor Software allows users to perform multiple tasks with each individual clock, but this blog will focus on three in particular:

Send Countdowns

With Sapling’s Monitor Software, users have the option to send a countdown to one clock in the system, or multiple clocks each located at different areas within a building. This feature is of great help in schools during standardized testing. For example, a principal might be administering a standardized test to the entire junior class, but the rest of the school may not be participating. With Sapling’s IP clocks and Monitoring Software, the principal can send a countdown for the allotted time of the test to selected classrooms where the test is being administered.

Save Configurations

A common flaw in other IP systems is the difficulty in configuring all the IP clocks in the system. In these scenarios, the facility or maintenance manager will have to configure each clock individually (and sometimes manually) for the correct time zone, the desired type of display, etc. With Sapling’s IP clocks and Monitoring Software all of these settings only need to be created one time. After that one time, the user can save the configuration of the first clock, and apply it to any number of other clocks thereafter. From a maintenance standpoint, this is a huge time saving feature.

Send Message Displays

During emergency situations in a school, hospital, or any facility, having the proper equipment to efficiently evacuate the tenants of the building is beyond crucial. This is why Sapling features a message display function with all IP digital clocks. In the event of a fire or intruder, IP digital clocks can display 4 or 6 character messages, such as “fire” or “911” at the click of a button. Through the Monitoring Software, the user can select an individual or group of IP clocks to display the message. By providing notification of an emergency to certain parts of a building, or just sending the message globally, Sapling’s IP clocks will assist in accomplishing such tasks.

With Sapling’s IP system, users can take the element of “control” to another level than that of the average IP system. Developments such as the Monitoring Software make our system easily managed with a very robust platform of features. For facility or maintenance managers across any range of building types, Sapling’s IP clock system will provide a suitable solution for their timing needs.