What is a school safety retrofit?
A school safety retrofit upgrades the communication infrastructure your buildings already have, PA speakers, bells, clocks, and message boards, into a modern lockdown and emergency-alert system, without ripping anything out. Fixed panic switches are added where staff need them, and one press triggers a campus-wide response through the endpoints you already own.
See the mechanics in detail: how one press triggers PA, bells and boards together in a single programmed response.
What You Keep
Your existing equipment becomes the alert system.
Most schools replace infrastructure they don’t need to replace. A retrofit keeps what works and adds what’s missing:
- PA & paging speakers, reused for pre-recorded lockdown and evacuation audio, building-wide or zoned
- Bells & tone generators, emergency tones distinct from schedule bells
- Clocks & displays, synchronized time keeps running; alert messaging overrides during an event
- LED message boards, instant LOCKDOWN / EVACUATE / ALL-CLEAR visual instructions
- Your budget, no construction, no recabling occupied classrooms, no subscription fees
Retrofit vs. Replace
The honest comparison.
| Retrofit with Innovation Wireless | Full system replacement | |
|---|---|---|
| Existing infrastructure | Kept and upgraded, speakers, bells, clocks & boards all stay in service | Ripped out and discarded, working or not |
| Disruption | Most campuses install over a school break; no construction | Cabling runs, construction, and downtime in occupied buildings |
| Cost model | One-time purchase from $18,500, you own the equipment, $0 subscriptions | Capital replacement plus recurring software and service contracts |
| Coverage | Whole campus via licensed 467 MHz UHF radio + PoE, reaches buildings Wi-Fi can’t | Varies; often network-dependent |
| Panic buttons | Fixed PoE switches added where staff actually need them, always in the same place | Replacement systems may reuse little of your existing alerting hardware |
If part of your infrastructure genuinely can’t be reused, we’ll say so in the walkthrough, before you spend anything.
The Process
Four steps, one school break.
Walkthrough
We inventory your existing speakers, bells, clocks and boards, and confirm what can be reused. Free, typically within one business day of your request.
Design & firm quote
A coverage plan for your buildings with a fixed price. Whole-campus retrofit bundles start at $18,500; single-building kits from $4,900.
Installation
Panic switches and control hardware are added; existing endpoints are connected. Most campuses complete installation over a school break.
Commission & drill
We test every endpoint, train your staff, and run a full lockdown drill so the first real press isn’t the first press anyone has seen.
Free Walkthrough & Quote
Request a retrofit walkthrough.
Tell us about your buildings and we’ll return a reuse assessment, coverage plan and firm quote, typically within one business day.
Retrofit bundles starting at $18,500 ◆ No subscription fees
FAQ