School panic button systems, compared.

From each vendor’s own pages, checked October 2026. Published by NocTel, which makes NocTel Now.

Start with what you have.

Many schools already have a way to call for help: a panic key on the classroom phone, a button that rings the office, an app. Oregon’s law asks the board to weigh it against three parts.

Oregon’s 2026 rule exempts public school boards whose schools already have an emergency alert system. A board without one records its discussion in the minutes. In Washington, each district’s emergency response system must include at least one of six options, and panic buttons tied to emergency responders are one.

ORS 339.408 · OAR 581-022-2225 · RCW 28A.320.126 · Oregon’s law, explained

The six systems.

Side by side, from each vendor’s own pages. Select a name to compare it in detail.

SystemWhat staff carryHow 911 is reachedLocationIf Wi-Fi or cell is downWhat else respondsCost model
CENTEGIX CrisisAlertA badge. Beacons and strobes go in every room.Optional, through RapidSOS or RapidDeployRoom and floorIts own network, separate from Wi-Fi and cellDoor locks, strobes, intercom, PA, screens, desktops, camerasPer site, per year. Centegix owns the hardware. Florida: $3,750–$5,365 a year plus $3,000 install.
CrisisGoECHO badge, app, mounted button or smartwatchCalls chosen staff first. One presses 1 to connect to 911.Room, within about 9 feetKeeps working, per CrisisGo, on its own LoRaWAN networkDoor locks, sirens, strobes, PA, intercoms, screens, desktops, phones, texts, email, cameras, other systems by APINo published price
InformaCastBadge, app, desk phone keys or mounted buttonsOptional K–12 add-onRoom and floorBadges use Bluetooth and LoRaWAN. Behavior in an outage not stated.Door locks, strobes, IP and analog paging, intercoms, screens, desktops, phones, texts, email, other systems by APINo published price. Sold through partners.
NocTel NowBadge, or four- and six-button wall panelsTo 911 dispatch, set up with each local 911 center. Also calls, texts and emails chosen staff.The person or place each button is assigned toButtons use their own 900 MHz radio, not Wi-Fi or cell. The gateway needs a way out.Door locks, sirens, strobes, paging, screens, phones, texts, email, fax, other systems by APIHardware bought by the school, plus a monitoring service
RaptorBadge Alert, or the Raptor Alert appThrough RapidSOSBadge: the floor. App: the phone’s location.Keeps working, per Raptor, on its own LoRa networkDoor locks, sirens, strobes, PA, intercoms, screens, desktops, phones, texts, emailNo published price. Fully managed by Raptor.
Rave Panic ButtonAn app on the phone. A wearable is also sold.The phone calls 911. Smart911 centers also see floor plans.App: the campus. Wearable: room and floor.App: needs Wi-Fi or cell data. Wearable: LoRaWAN, outage behavior not stated.Access control, sirens, lights, screens, cameras, texts, email, other systems by CAP feedNo published price

Compare two.

Pick the two you’re weighing. Every system gets the same rows, from its own pages.

CENTEGIX CrisisAlert

CENTEGIX

A badge-first system on a network Centegix installs and monitors, with a strobe and a beacon in every room and a gateway in each building. Three presses calls the response team to the wearer. Eight presses starts a campus-wide lockdown.

911An optional configuration. Alerts reach 911 through RapidSOS or RapidDeploy, where the local 911 center uses them.
If Wi-Fi or cell is downIts own network, separate from Wi-Fi and cell
LocationRoom and floor
InstalledWireless strobes in every room, plus location devices and gateways.
Training and drillsOn-site responder training in Florida’s quote. Drill and test alert types.
What else respondsDoor locks, strobes, intercom, PA, screens, desktops, cameras
CostPer site, per year. Centegix owns the hardware. Florida: $3,750–$5,365 a year plus $3,000 install.
BuyingA yearly subscription per site with a three-year minimum. Its 2022 bid to a Texas education service center listed $7,000 to $10,000 per site per year district-wide, plus installation.

SourcesCrisisAlert product page · 2022 ESC Region 13 bid · RapidDeploy partnership · Integrations · Clay County quote, Florida contract 21-953 · Company overview

CrisisGo

CrisisGo

One platform for panic alerts, drills, reunification, threat assessment and visitor management. On the ECHO badge, three clicks asks for staff assistance and seven clicks starts a lockdown.

911By default, CrisisGo calls the school’s chosen emergency contacts. The first to answer presses 1 and is connected to 911, which receives the alert type, school name and address. A fully automatic call exists, but CrisisGo notes that most 911 centers do not allow it.
If Wi-Fi or cell is downKeeps working, per CrisisGo, on its own LoRaWAN network
LocationRoom, within about 9 feet
InstalledLoRaWAN gateways, and Bluetooth beacons for room location.
Training and drillsDrill and training modes. Training offered.
What else respondsDoor locks, sirens, strobes, PA, intercoms, screens, desktops, phones, texts, email, cameras, other systems by API
CostNo published price
BuyingNo published price. Sold through cooperative contracts including TIPS and Sourcewell.

SourcesECHO product page · Direct911 help article · Safety iResponse · Integrations · Open API

InformaCast

Singlewire Software

A notification system that already runs paging, phones and bells in many schools, with panic alerts on the same speakers and screens. On the badge, three presses for a local incident and six for a school-wide emergency.

911An optional K–12 feature, set up with Singlewire. In Singlewire’s words, “standard InformaCast notifications do not reach 911 dispatchers.”
If Wi-Fi or cell is downBadges use Bluetooth and LoRaWAN. Behavior in an outage not stated.
LocationRoom and floor
InstalledLocation beacons and badge charging stations.
Training and drillsNot stated
What else respondsDoor locks, strobes, IP and analog paging, intercoms, screens, desktops, phones, texts, email, other systems by API
CostNo published price. Sold through partners.
BuyingSold through partners. No published price.

SourcesInformaCast for K–12 · 911 alerting · Wearable panic button overview · Access control

NocTel Now

NocTel

Panic buttons that run inside NocTel Desk, the same system that runs the school’s phones, overhead paging and screens. Press and hold; the school sets what each button does in the action editor, including whether each alarm is public or private.

911A press can go to 911 dispatch. NocTel sets up how it’s sent with each local 911 center, since each center accepts alerts differently. The same press calls, texts and emails the people the school chooses, and escalates until one of them takes it.
If Wi-Fi or cell is downButtons use their own 900 MHz radio, not Wi-Fi or cell. The gateway needs a way out.
LocationThe person or place each button is assigned to
InstalledWall panels where the school wants them, and a gateway on site. No device in every room is required.
Training and drillsNot stated
What else respondsDoor locks, sirens, strobes, paging, screens, phones, texts, email, fax, other systems by API
CostHardware bought by the school, plus a monitoring service
BuyingQuoted per school.

SourcesNocTel Now · How a panic button setup is built

Raptor

Raptor Technologies

Two ways in: Badge Alert, a wearable, and the Raptor Alert app on staff phones and computers. Both sit inside Raptor’s emergency management platform with drills and reunification.

911Through RapidSOS, with priority routing for active-assailant alerts.
If Wi-Fi or cell is downKeeps working, per Raptor, on its own LoRa network
LocationBadge: the floor. App: the phone’s location.
InstalledBadges, beacons and gateways, monitored by Raptor.
Training and drillsDrills run in Raptor Drill Manager, part of its emergency management platform.
What else respondsDoor locks, sirens, strobes, PA, intercoms, screens, desktops, phones, texts, email
CostNo published price. Fully managed by Raptor.
BuyingNo published price. Raptor lists BuyBoard, TIPS and other cooperative contracts.

SourcesBadge Alert · Badge Alert brochure · Pricing and purchasing · Emergency management

Rave Panic Button

Motorola Solutions

An app on staff phones with buttons for fire, police, medical, other 911 emergencies and active assailant. A separate staff assist alert reaches people on site without calling 911.

911The phone calls 911. Where the 911 center uses Smart911, the call taker also sees the emergency type, location and floor plans. Motorola describes its wearable as alerting designated responders, not calling 911.
If Wi-Fi or cell is downApp: needs Wi-Fi or cell data. Wearable: LoRaWAN, outage behavior not stated.
LocationApp: the campus. Wearable: room and floor.
InstalledApp: nothing. Wearable: Bluetooth beacons throughout the building.
Training and drillsBuilt-in drill management and a practice mode.
What else respondsAccess control, sirens, lights, screens, cameras, texts, email, other systems by CAP feed
CostNo published price
BuyingNo published price.

SourcesRave Panic Button · Wearable Panic Button · Purdue Fort Wayne customer FAQ · Access control and CAP · Fact sheet · App Store listing

For the board.

Five questions to ask any vendor, and what Oregon’s law says.

  1. 01How does a press reach 911, and does our local 911 center accept that path?
  2. 02Does it keep working when the Wi-Fi, the internet or cell service is down?
  3. 03What gets installed in each room and building, who owns it, and what does it cost each year after the first?
  4. 04What else moves on the same press, and can our own staff change it?
  5. 05How are staff trained, how do we run drills, and how are false alarms handled?
“…the governing body for a school shall consider the installation of a panic alarm system…”
ORS 339.408(3), from HB 3083 (2025), in effect January 1, 2026 · Read the statute

$2,000Per school building, at most, reimbursed to districts by the state’s 2023–25 grant. Work had to be finished by June 30, 2025. The state hasn’t funded another.

This page is for general information. It summarizes what each company says in its own public materials and in public contract documents, as of October 2026, with a link to every source. Products, prices, contracts and 911 options change and vary by district and by local 911 center, so confirm details with each vendor and your 911 center before you buy. Prices shown are examples from public contracts, not quotes. NocTel publishes this page and makes NocTel Now, one of the systems listed. Something out of date or wrong? Tell us and we’ll correct it.

CENTEGIX, CrisisAlert, CrisisGo, ECHO, InformaCast, Singlewire, Raptor, Raptor Alert, Badge Alert, Rave, Rave Panic Button, Smart911, Motorola Solutions, RapidSOS, RapidDeploy, LoRa and LoRaWAN, and other product and company names, are trademarks of their respective owners. They are used here only to identify those products. NocTel is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any of them.

One press. The whole building moves.

A silent press rings the front office, pages the halls and changes every screen.

Talk to us See NocTel Now

The school sets the response.

Staff choose what each button does in the action editor, and whether each alarm is public or private. A change takes effect on the next press.

  • One system: the same NocTel Desk runs the school’s phones, paging and screens.
  • A press can reach 911 dispatch, set up with your local 911 center.
  • If nobody answers, it calls the next person on the school’s list.
NocTel B1 wearable panic buttonB1Worn on a lanyard.NocTel B4 four-button panic panelB4Four buttons, on a classroom wall.NocTel B6 six-button panic panelB6Six buttons, at the front desk.