An alarm unit answers one question: did it trip. A monitored reading shows the trend before the limit, and the history after it.
An alarm unit is a good answer to one question, and it keeps working when the site link does not. It answers nothing else.
A dialler on its own SIM still calls when the site internet is down. Many sites keep it for exactly that.
A chart shows the level falling. A dialler only says it reached the bottom.
Alerts reach email, push notifications and the in-app inbox. Whoever is on shift needs a data connection.
The left column is the practice, not one vendor's product, so no row carries a source link. The right column is checked in the product.
| SMS alarm unit | Logable | |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboards | No dashboard. A lamp, a siren and a text message. | Yes. A drag and drop dashboard builder. 50 dashboards on every plan. |
| Alert rules | One or two set points, wired or dialled into the unit on site. | Yes. Trigger rules with ready-made presets, deadband, confirmation samples and dwell. No per-plan limit on the number of rules. |
| Escalation and quiet hours | A call list held on the unit. The list is changed at the unit, not from a phone. | Yes. Escalation policies with stages and quiet hours. Alerts reach email, push and the in-app inbox. |
| Reports | No report. The call log on the SIM is the record. | Yes. A report builder on Growth and above. Saved and scheduled reports on Business and above. |
| Mobile app | A text message. No app, and no reading to open. | Partial. An iOS and Android app for dashboards, devices and alerts, with push alerts on Growth and above. The public store listings are not open yet. |
| Hosted for you | Nothing hosted. The unit and its SIM are the whole system. | Yes. Hosted by Logable. Nothing to install. |
| How it is priced | Bought once, plus airtime on the SIM. | A flat price per plan, sized by device count. Monthly or annual, where annual pays for ten months. |
| Entry price | One unit and one SIM per site, with no subscription. | Starter is R399 a month for 8 devices, or USD 25. A 14 day trial covers 5 devices and asks for no card. |
| Data retention | No history. The unit reports the trip, not the trend. | Raw readings for 60 days. Hourly and daily summaries are kept after that. |
Checked on 12 September 2026.
If a row here is wrong, tell us and we will correct it. Report a correction.
Four situations where a dialler answers the question and nothing else is needed.
Five things a dialler cannot do, however it is wired.
The trend before the trip, not only the trip.
An alarm unit answers one question after the fact. A monitored reading shows the three days that led to it.
Logable does not send SMS. Alerts reach email, push notifications and the in-app inbox, so whoever is on shift needs a data connection rather than only a GSM signal. The alarm unit does not have to be removed: many sites keep the dialler for the one critical trip and add Logable for the reading, the trend and the history. The sensor usually stays where it is and feeds a gateway alongside the unit.
Ready-made rules for the equipment you run, each one showing the device and the limit it watches.

Transfer Pump 1 reads 5.9 bar, above the 5.4 bar limit. The push names the pump and the pressure, and the chart behind it shows the climb.

No. Alerts reach email, push notifications on the mobile app, the in-app inbox and outgoing webhooks. There is no SMS channel and no voice call. If whoever is on shift has no data connection, an alarm unit is the honest answer for that one alarm.
No. Many sites keep the dialler for the one critical trip, because it runs on its own SIM and keeps working when the site link is down, and add Logable for the reading, the trend and the history. The two watch the same vessel without interfering.
A sensor, power at the sensor, and one path out of the site: a fixed line, a 4G router or a link to a building that has one. The gateway makes one outbound connection over MQTT or HTTPS, so no inbound port has to be opened.
Open the live demo, or talk to us about the alarm you run on site today.