# SMS alarm unit or a monitored reading (https://logable.app/compare/sms-alarm-units)

An SMS alarm unit against a monitored reading with history and escalation, compared row by row on 12 September 2026, including where the unit wins.

An alarm unit answers one question: did it trip. A monitored reading shows the trend before the limit, and the history after it.

## The short answer
An alarm unit is a good answer to one question, and it keeps working when the site link does not. It answers nothing else.
- **Keep the unit for one critical trip** A dialler on its own SIM still calls when the site internet is down. Many sites keep it for exactly that.
- **Add a reading when you want the three days before the trip** A chart shows the level falling. A dialler only says it reached the bottom.
- **Logable does not send SMS** Alerts reach email, push notifications and the in-app inbox. Whoever is on shift needs a data connection.

## An alarm unit, against Logable
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. https://logable.app/contact?subject=other&page=%2Fcompare%2Fsms-alarm-units

## Where an alarm unit is enough
Four situations where a dialler answers the question and nothing else is needed.
- **One alarm, one number** If the only question is whether it tripped, a dialler answers it and costs less than a subscription.
- **A GSM signal and no internet** Logable needs an IP path out of the site. An alarm unit needs a SIM and nothing else.
- **A budget below a gateway and a subscription** A unit is bought once. There is no monthly cost beyond the airtime.
- **An alarm that must survive the site link going down** A dialler on its own SIM keeps working when the site internet does not.

## Where a monitored reading is worth the cost
Five things a dialler cannot do, however it is wired.
- **The trend before the limit** The chart shows the level falling for three days, not only the moment it crossed the line.
- **Escalation to a second person** If the first person does not acknowledge, the next name on the list is told, on a schedule you set.
- **The history behind the alarm** Readings are kept for 60 days, so the question the morning after has an answer on a chart.
- **Many sites on one screen** One dashboard covers the fleet, instead of one unit per site with its own call list.
- **A rule you change without going to site** The limit, the dwell time and the recipients are edited in the browser or on the phone.

> 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.

## What changes, and what does not
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.

## The rules, in a list you can change
Ready-made rules for the equipment you run, each one showing the device and the limit it watches.

## The pump climbs past its limit at 03:40
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.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can Logable send me a text message?
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.

### Do I have to remove the alarm unit?
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.

### What does the site need for a reading to arrive?
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.

## Related
- [Manual checks](https://logable.app/compare/manual-inspection): The same table for a clipboard and a spreadsheet.
- [Remote monitoring](https://logable.app/solutions/remote-monitoring): Watching equipment on a site nobody visits daily.
- [Pump monitoring](https://logable.app/solutions/pump-monitoring): Watch discharge pressure, flow and power on every pump, and hear before a closed valve costs a seal.

## See the trend, not only the trip
Open the live demo, or talk to us about the alarm you run on site today.