Alert-it Companion Mini User manual

LESS STRESS CARING
Companion
Mini
Connect
HANDBOOK

Your product has been manufactured
by a team of industry experts with
more than 20 years of experience
designing, manufacturing and
distributing care alarms.
With a commitment to quality and innovation we
are able to bring you a robust and reliable system
to aid carers with the detection of seizures and the
safeguarding of individuals. Please read this guide
carefully to ensure the correct set up, use, and
maintenance of your new product for years to come.
If you have any questions or require assistance in
regards to the Companion mini, Connect-iT or any
other Alert-iT product, our experienced team are on
hand to help. Please nd contact details below.
Don’t forget you can also join us on Facebook,
Twitter and LinkedIn where you’ll nd even more
information and advice.
Head Office: [email protected]
Call: 01530 239 900
Social:
AlertitCareAlarms
Alert_iT_Care
Alert-iT
or join our supportive Epilepsy Forum
Congratulations on your Alert-iT purchase 2

Product Information 5
In The Box 6
Quickstart 7
Using the device with a 3rd party radio module 7
Companion mini Function 10
Device Installation 10
Turning on the Companionmini (Monitor) 10
Postioning and Setup 11
System Operation 12
Maintenance Instructions for the mini 14
Connect-iT Function 15
Turning the Connect-iT on
Pairing
Clearing the Memory
Function 16
Front panel Lights
Wired Output
Resetting an Alarm (Excluding the Companion mini)
Common Fault Conditions
Alarm Conditions 17
Normal Alarms
Mounting the unit to a wall
Removing the Connect-iT from Service
Contents
Continued Overleaf
3

Installation 18
Nurse Call Cables/Leads 19
Leads available from Alert-iT
Wired Output Specification
Advanced Options 20
Maintenance Instructions for Connect-iT 21
Routine Testing of the Backup Battery
How to Clean the Device
Additional Info 22
Third Party Radio Transmitters 22
Troubleshooting 23
Warranty Information 24
Companion mini Specification 25
Certification 25
Connect-iT Specification 26
Certification 26
Routine Test Sheet 27
Profiler Editor Software 29
Product Information 31
Contents 4

The Companion mini provides peace of mind for carers and individuals
who have epilepsy.
This product has been designed to discreetly monitor the user with high performance
sensors which identify movements that could indicate a seizure.
The monitor can help to indicate the following seizure types:
`Tonic-clonic
`Partial
`Generalised
The Companion mini is paired to the Connect-iT via Alert-iT’s failsafe “Safelink®” radio
system. Upon detection of an alarm condition the Companion mini alerts the Connect-iT,
which in turn triggers a nursecall point or internally tted 3rd party radio board.
The Connect-iT will normally be powered from a mains adapter, but it features a battery
backup that provides over 24 hours of power in case of a power cut.
The Companion mini is a battery powered device with a 1 year battery life.
Product Information 5

In The Box 6
The Companion Mini Pack Contains:
A 1 x Companion Mini - P176A (C0) Includes 2 x AAA Non-rechargeable Batteries
B 1 x Foam Block
C 1 x Companion Mini Mounting Kit
D 1 x Connect-iT - P155B MKII Includes 2 x AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries
E 1 x 12v Power Supply - P171
F 1 x Wall Mounting Kit (Not Shown) 2 x Wall screws + Wall plugs / 2 x Sticky pads
A C
E
B
D
PLEASE NOTE:
Nurse Call Leads are not included and are provided
separately. See page 19 for further details.

Quickstart 7
`Unpack box
`Turn on the Companion mini by pressing the recessed
“Test” button with a pen tip
`Place the mini under the bed
`Press the “Pair” button on the Connect-iT to turn it on
`Plug the P171 Power Supply into a mains socket,
then plug the other end into the socket labelled
“12v DC”. (The green “Power” LED should turn on)
`Plug the red end of the nurse call cable into the
socket labelled “Output”
`Plug the other end of the nurse call cable into the
nurse call point
`Pair the Connect-iT with the 3rd party pager as
described in their manual.
See page 22 for more details
Using the device with a nurse call point
Using the device with a 3rd party radio module
Figure 1
Figure 2

Quickstart 8
`Now ensure that the “Monitor” LED ashes green
every time the radio product transmits (Every 8
seconds for a Safelink enabled product like the
Companion mini)
`Ensure the “Alarm” LED ashes and the Wired output
activates when the monitor is triggered.
See page 16 for details
`Pull out the 12v DC jack to simulate a power cut. The
device should continue to operate as expected on the
battery backup. See page 16 for details of LED status
`Fix the Connect-iT’s back panel to a wall using the
provided screws OR sticky pads
PLEASE NOTE:
We highly recommend screws are used, as the sticky
pads can slowly work their way loose over time
unless the surface is perfectly clean and at
`Clip the Connect-iT onto the back panel
`Route the cables to ensure they do not pose an
entanglement or trip hazard
`You can now return the monitors to their intended
locations and test the system works as expected. i.e
Monitors are within range of each other and trigger
your system/nurse call
Figure 3

Quickstart 9
`As you are paired with a Safelink enabled epilepsy
monitor, the Connect-iT will raise a “Radio Fail” fault
and trigger an alarm if it does not receive any radio
signals for 2 minutes.
`So if the wired output is activating unexpectedly
and the “Monitor” LED is ashing it may be that the
monitor has been turned off.
`The lights and sounds can be disabled by holding the
“Clear” button on power-up. See page 20 for details.
`Please be aware that Nurse Call systems which
do not use a “Normally closed” connection may
not be alerted if the nurse call lead is unplugged or
disconnected. Regular testing must be performed to
ensure system is working as intended.
`It is recommended not to use this system where a
risk Is identied that users are likely to intentionally
remove cables, or intentionally un-pair / tamper
with the monitors, as alarm conditions may not be
annunciated at the carers location.
`Use rechargeable batteries (listed) only!
Using the device with a 3rd party radio module

Companion mini Function 10
Device Installation
Turning on the Companionmini (Monitor)
The Companion mini monitor is shipped in a low-power state.
The monitor is turned on by pressing the recessed ‘Test’ button on the front of the monitor (Figure 1), typically
using a pen tip. The monitor will rst enter a 60 second test mode.
When the “Test” button is pressed the internal red light will ash to indicate the unit is now turned on and in test
mode. After 60 seconds the light will stop ashing and the test mode will end.
This test mode exists to allow the user to easily test the positioning of the monitor under the bed. While in test
mode, every time the monitor detects movement, it sends out a radio signal to the Connect-iT.
Figure 4

Companion mini Function 11
Positioning and Setup
Press and release the “Test” button on the front of the monitor to enter the 60 second test mode.
Temporarily place the monitor under the mattress without any xings.
The monitor performs best if placed beneath the user. However, due to the wide variety of bed types and
mattresses, it is advisable to test the units positioning before securing it into place.
If movement isn’t detected due to the mattress thickness or density, the foam provide is designed to enhance
the sensitivity.
This is used to enhance the sensitivity of the 3 settings available if you require the Companion Mini to detect small
tremors associated with the seizure. Please use the sticky pads provided and secure the foam block to the bottom
of the Companion mini, place the unit under the mattress in a central location and test by simulating the seizure.
For an example of the seizure presentations discussed above, please see a video which was recorded in a clinical
simulation on our YouTube Channel “Alert iT Care Alarms”.
If required, the base can be screwed to the bed through the holes in the base (screws not provided) if foam
not required.
If a suitable position (place to detect movements) cannot be found, the sensitivity may need to be increased
slightly by connecting the monitor (mini) to a PC and making adjustments with the software provided Online
https://alert-it.co.uk/support
Contact Alert-iT customer support for more information.
As default the monitor detects any excessive movements in the bed for a period greater than 15 seconds.
This 15 second Time Delay is programmable using the provided software.
Please refer to page 16 for how to use this software
Figure 6
Figure 5

Companion mini Function 12
System Operation
Alarm Mode
You should now have the monitor installed in the bed, and the Connect-iT turned on and receiving the Safelink®
signal every 8 seconds. Indicated by the red “Monitor” LED ashing on the Connect-iT ashing every 8 seconds.
If the Connect-iT stops receiving the failsafe radio signal from the monitor, the “Alarm” LED will be permanently lit,
the “Monitor” LED will ash every 2 seconds and an intermittent alarm tone will sound.
If the monitor’s battery gets low the Connect-iT’s “Monitor” LED will ash red every second, to indicate that you
should now change the battery in the monitor. (see page 14). When the battery gets very low the “Alarm” led will
begin to ash and an alarm will activate.
If the monitor now detects any excessive movements in the bed for a period greater than 15 seconds the monitor
will enter its alarm mode.
(This 15 second Time Period is programmable using the provided software, contact Alert-iT for support).
When prolonged movements are detected, the “Alarm” LED on the Connect-iT will light up and the Wired output
will activate (Or the internal 3rd party radio transmitter will trigger).
A minute after the spasm activity has ceased, the Companion mini will send an “All Clear” signal to the Connect-iT.
SAFETY NOTICE:
The monitor is set to send an alarm signal
continuously (every 10 seconds) while spasm activity
continues. The monitor will send an “All clear” signal,
when atleast 1 minute has passed spasm free.
Always check the user even if the alarm
appears to have cleared.

Companion mini Function 13
Opening Unit in Situ
If the unit has been mounted to a at surface using screws, remove the top by inserting the tip of a at-headed
screwdriver into the slot next to the USB connector, applying gentle pressure and twisting. See gures 7 & 8.
Figure 8Figure 7

Maintenance Instructions for the mini 14
Routine Testing
How to Clean the Devices
Changing Battery’s in the Companionmini
It is recommended to test the system weekly by simulating spasm movements on the bed for 15 seconds (the
default time unless changed by a user via programming) & ensure the Connect-iT is triggered by observing the red
“Alarm” LED on the Connect-iT and the activation of any connected 3rd party radio or wired system.
It is also recommended to regularly clean the units by wiping with cotton wool pads moistened (compressed until
dripping stops) with a mild detergent (0.5% washing up liquid) solution or by using an alcohol or baby wipe. Avoid
getting any liquid into the micro-USB connector.
Remove the base of the monitor as shown on page 13. Also please notice the polarity marked into the case
(Figure. 9) when replacing the 2x AAA batteries.
After changing the battery’s, the monitor MUST be turned on again by pressing the recessed TEST button and
waiting for the 60 second test mode to nish.
Figure 10Figure 9

Connect-iT Function 15
Turning the Connect-iT on
Pairing
Clearing the Memory
The Connect-iT is shipped in a low power state to stop the batteries draining during shipment.
Press the “Pair” button to wake the unit up. The green “Power” LED will turn on if plugged into the mains.
The Connect-iT will be pre-paired to the Companion mini before shipment. These instructions can be used to pair
additional Alert-iT radio monitors to the Connect-iT.
To pair the Connect-iT with an Alert-iT radio monitor you can either use the “Pair” button on the front of the unit OR
connect the unit to a PC via a micro USB cable (Not provided).
Using the “Pair” button;
`Ensure that the required Alert-iT monitor is within 2 meters of the Connect-iT.
`Using a pen shaped implement, press and hold the “Pair” button on the front of the Connect-iT. The “Monitor”
LED will begin to ash green rapidly.
`Force the Alert-iT monitor to transmit by ‘tapping’ its reset button or by triggering an alarm.
`If successful, the “Monitor” LED will stop ashing and turn solid green, you can now release the “Pair” button.
To clear ALL paired monitors from the Connect-iT’s memory, press and hold the “Pair” and “Clear” buttons
together for 8 seconds. All three LED’s will ash together three times as conrmation.

Function 16
Front panel Lights
Wired Output
Resetting an Alarm (Excluding the Companion mini)
The green “Power” LED indicates the current power state of the device;
`Solid green = Running on Mains power.
`Flashing green every 4 seconds = Running on battery backup.
`Flashing green every second = Battery backup getting low.
The red “Alarm” LED indicates that the wired output has been triggered. Whilst the “Alarm” continues to ash red,
the wired output will trigger every two minutes.
The “Monitor” LED indicates the current state of the paired radio monitors. (See page 17 for more details).
If you have paired the Connect-iT to a Safelink enabled device such as Alert-iT’s EP-iT range, the green “Monitor”
LED will blink each time the 8 second heartbeat signal is received.
When triggered by a fault or alarm signal, the wired output will activate for 2 seconds then clear. If the alarm
remains active, it will re-trigger every 2 minutes until the alarm is cleared.
Alarms are reset via the paired monitors “Reset” button. However, if a paired monitor is no longer accessible (e.g
left in an alarm state, then taken off the premises), you can press and hold the “Clear” button for 5 seconds to clear
any alarm condition on the Connect-iT.
PLEASE NOTE:
For standard use, the alarm must be cancelled at
the monitor otherwise the Connect-iT will re-alarm
as the monitor will continue to send out alarm
signals. However; for telecare, our monitors are
typically congured as selfresetting.
For details or concerns on how your system
is reset, please contact your telecare or
nursecall provider.

Alarm Conditions 17
Normal Alarms
Common Fault Conditions
When a paired monitor sends out an alarm call, the Connect-iT’s “Monitor” LED will turn solid red. The “Alarm”
LED will ash every second. The wired output will activate every 2 minutes until the monitors alarm condition has
been cleared. See page 16 for resetting an alarm.
Radio Fail Alarm:
If the Connect-iT has been paired to a device with “Safelink” enabled (Type code over 128) it will expect to see the
heartbeat signal from the monitor every 8 seconds. If it does not see any heartbeat signals for 2 minutes it will raise
a Radio Failure alarm. In this condition the wired output will activate, the “Monitor” LED will blink every 2 seconds
and the “Alarm” LED will blink every 2 seconds.
Monitor Battery Low / Very Low:
When a paired monitors internal battery gets ‘low’, the “Monitor” led will begin to blink red every second.
When a paired monitors internal battery gets ‘very low’, the “Monitor” LED will blink every second, the “Alarm”
LED will start to blink every 2 seconds and the wired output will activate.
Connect-iT Backup Battery Low / Very Low:
When running on the battery backup, the “Power” LED will turn from solid green to blinking green every 4 seconds.
When the backup battery begins to get low the “Power” LED will start to blink every second.
When the backup battery gets ‘very low’ the wired output will activate, the “Monitor” LED will begin to blink every
second and the “Alarm” LED will ash.

Installation 18
Mounting the unit to a wall
Removing the Connect-iT from Service
This Connect-iT is sealed to a IP53 rating (not waterproof) and should be used indoors in a dry area of between
5°C to 35°C and a maximum of 90% Relative Humidity.
The unit should be permanently tted to a wall near a mains plug and near to the desired nurse call point. A suitable
P145 nurse call cable* should be plugged into the wired output and into the desired nurse call point. (The red end
of the P145 cable should be plugged into the wired output).
A wall mounting kit has been provided to attach the device to a wall. The back plate is removed by lifting the tab
underneath. This is xed to the wall using the wall mounting kit and the unit is then clipped back onto the plate.
The power and nurse call cable can then be plugged in. Ensure these cables are routed to avoid the risk of trips,
entanglement or ligature.
*See page 19 for further information on nurse call cables.
If the Nurse Call Receiver is no longer needed and needs to be removed from service, the back plate can be
unscrewed from the wall and clipped back onto the unit. The Nurse Call Receiver can then be turned off by press
and holding the “Clear/Wake” button for 10 seconds. The relay will activate for 2 seconds upon shutdown.
The backup batteries should still be tested when returning the unit to service to ensure the battery backup performs
as desired. See page 24 for details.
Please ensure only rechargeable batteries are used;
Batteries: 2x AA Ni-MH (HR6) Re-chargeable 2500mAh.

Nurse Call Cables/Leads 19
Leads available from Alert-iT
Wired Output Specification
Our wide selection of nurse call leads has grown over many years so it is very likely that we will already have a
suitable lead available to connect the Nurse Call Receiver to your nurse call system.
Please browse our website or contact our sales team to help you nd the correct lead;
Call: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Visit: www.alert-it.co.uk/product-category/accessories/
If we don’t currently have one suitable for you, please send us your connection details and we will add it to our
catalogue for you.
If you wish to make your own lead, the connection into the Connect-iT can be wired as follows:
Connector: RJ11 / RJ12 (Gold contacts visible on top, clip underneath)
PIN 1 Normally Closed
PIN 2 12V Out
PIN 3 Normally Open
PIN 4 Common
PIN 5 0v
PIN 6 No Connection
1
6

Advanced Options 20
There are some additional conguration options that can be changed using the Alert-iT Prole Editor. Once the
device has been connected to a computer running the software (Available via our website) using a micro-USB cable
(not provided), the following options can be changed;
Latched Relay Output [Default = Disabled]. The wired output is pulsed for 2 seconds every 2 minutes by default,
enabling this option latches the relay permanently until the alarm is cleared. Note: This will signicantly reduce the
backup battery life if the wired output is left active for long periods of time and the mains power is off.
Fault Code Warnings [Default = Enabled]. By default all fault codes received from paired monitors will trigger the
wired output. Disabling this feature will mean fault codes do not trigger the wired output. It is not recommended to
disable this feature.
Sounds [Default = Enabled]. There is an internal piezo sounder that will alert the user to various fault conditions.
Hidden Lights [Default = Disabled]. The LED’s on the front of the unit can be unwanted by users, especially at
night if the unit is tted in a bedroom. Enabling this option will hide the LED’s after 1 minute. Briey pressing the
“Wake/Clear” button on the bottom of the unit will wake up the LED’s for 1 minute.
A “Discreet Mode” can be activated by holding the “Wake/Clear” button on power up. To do this, unplug
the mains adapter and remove one of the batteries. Press and hold the “Wake/Clear” button, insert the
battery, then release the button. All the LED’s will now be hidden until the “Wake” button is tapped again, at
which point the LED’s will then ‘wake-up’ for 1 minute. In this mode sounds are also disabled. To revert to
defaults, unplug the power jack, then remove and reinsert the batteries.
Alternatively for repeat orders or regular customers please let us know if you would like any of these features
enabled and we can congure the unit for you before shipment.