Time to Put an End to Construction Radio Rentals

There’s a project cost line item that’s in need of an internal audit. Are radio rentals costing you thousands of dollars on every construction project? Occasionally, radio rentals are a good idea. Rarely is that the case on construction projects. Let’s look under the surface of some of the standard reasons for renting two-way radios on a jobsite.

#1 Radios Aren’t Used Every Day

OK, but should they be? Is your reliance on radio rentals the primary reason they’re not being used every day? On a construction jobsite, poor communication is literally an accident waiting to happen.

Also, consider how often workers would use a radio if it was more than a radio. What I mean is, if the radio allowed for communication plus hearing protection, Bluetooth connectivity and improved situational awareness, would it become an everyday item?

#2 Professional Two-Ways Are Expensive

The $50 cheap-o walkie-talkie is inadequate for construction. It’s unreliable, cheaply made and likely to cause more problems than it’s worth. Professional radios that cost $500-$1,200 apiece have the durability and features required for use on a jobsite. However, they’re only radios.

Comparable to the cost of a higher-end professional radio, a construction wireless team communication headset gives workers voice-activated full-duplex communications (hands-free) as well as hearing protection and situational awareness. Plus, construction wireless headsets are designed to be rugged and reliable in challenging working conditions.

#3 Fewer FCC Complications

With radio rentals, dealers often help you navigate byzantine FCC regulations and licensing. But you still have to be cautious about things like illegally crossing state lines with regulated frequencies.

Sonetics wireless team communication systems that use DECT7 wireless do not require a separate FCC license to operate (we pick up the tab for that). That’s a surefire method to avoid FCC complications.

#4 No Two-Way Radio Expert on Staff

Many large companies that use radio rentals do so because they don’t want to hire a two-way radio expert to manage an in-house system. Unfortunately, even with radio rentals, there’s usually a supervisor or project manager who owns the responsibility to rent radios, make sure they’re working properly, keep track of them on the jobsite and then return them to the dealer on time. This time suck compounds quickly when you need the radio rentals multiple times throughout a project.

Wireless team communication systems are designed for simple setup, use, charge and transport by every worker on the crew. They’re as intuitive as universal PPE such as goggles, hard hats, safety vests and steel-toe boots.

#5 You Don’t Have to Worry About Tech Getting Old

One benefit of spending so much on radio rentals is that you’re always able to get the newest technology. If you want to pay for it, then you can rent digital radios with emergency buttons, voice activation, noise cancellation and GPS positioning.

A less costly option is to purchase a team wireless communication system with upgradeable firmware. The communication, hearing protection and listen-through technology is timeless. Because the network travels with the system, you don’t have to worry about compatibility with the next two-way radio network upgrade.

What do you think? Is throwing away thousands of dollars on radio rentals every year a sound investment for your construction company? Ownership has its privileges, especially if you own a team communication system with construction wireless headsets.