Next Generation 911 for Smart Homes and Intelligent Buildings

Homes are getting smart, and commercial buildings are becoming intelligent. However, the venerable 911 system in most states in the US is still dumb. It’s not its fault. It was designed in the 1960s, and its use took off nationally. To keep prices low and encourage adoption, the telecommunications industry made a standardized configuration for 911 telephones and systems. The problem is that 911 telephones still require 1,200-baud modems and other obsolete technology. Scarcity has driven up prices, so 911 positions now cost more than $30,000 each.

What the Old 911 System Can Do for You

A 911 position is more than just a telephone on a desk. When you call 911, your call is routed on a separate telephone network. It looks up your number, routes your call to the correct 911 call center—called a public safety answering point, or PSAP—and tells the call taker which agencies are assigned to you for police, fire, and ambulance. This works great for single-family residences with landlines.

After this initial design case, the 911 industry figured out ways to make it work for people in office buildings, multistory residences, and hotels. In most areas, 911 can now work with cellular phones, cable phone service, smart speakers, and internet calls. These workarounds do a good job, but they do not do all we expect. For example, 911 cannot receive images or videos from the caller, use the phone’s GPS to pinpoint a caller’s location, or know for certain what floor a call is coming from. A redesign of the 911 system is necessary, and it is called next generation 911, or NG911.

What the New NG911 System Can Do for Your Smart Home or Intelligent Building

NG911 can do several things when connected to smart homes and intelligent buildings. Some examples include the following:

• Collect images and videos: Images convey useful information faster about the emergency. Security cameras can share images in real time with NG911.
• Access GPS-based location information: NG911 will be able to determine not only your precise location but also which floor you are on.
• Unlock doors: While first responders have tools to gain access to locked buildings, unlocking doors remotely is faster and less destructive.
• Access occupancy information: Getting accurate occupancy information from buildings is valuable for first responders when planning their approach to the situation.
• Access information for firefighters: Smart smoke detectors can analyze the smoke and tell firefighters whether special personal protective equipment is necessary.
• Identify potential danger: High resolution security cameras in a home can identify whether the person ringing the doorbell has a restraining order.

The sharing of additional information between smart homes or intelligent buildings and NG911 allows first responders to act faster and more safely in a variety of situations.

Where Is NG911 Today?

The formal standard for NG911 was accepted in 2011 by the National Emergency Number Association, or NENA. Since then, many states and regions have been installing the necessary equipment. The National 911 Program tracks the deployment of NG911. As of 2021, the most recent year for which information is available, 38 states have implementation plans in place, but only 12 have rolled out the new technology statewide.

One reason for the slow pace has been the overriding consideration that any equipment that can currently call 911 must continue to be able to do so. Importantly, the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the US House of Representatives voted unanimously in May 2023 to advance a bill that provides $14.8 billion in funding to encourage the adoption of NG911 technology. Once NG911 is implemented, citizens, and the buildings they occupy, will be able to rely on faster and more effective services from first responders.