Alert Ready

[Lurker]

Alert Ready, the national emergency alerting service, went live April 1.

How is Rogers implementing this system?  There's nothing on the website about it that I can find.

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[GREGGG]

Does anyone think before they do things at rogers ?  I am probably paying a premium for this feature too.  the only button on the rogers cable box remote that does anything to shut this constant repeated annoying warning buzzer is the power button. 

Maybe   this is better as  a permanent solution  

[john_M]

Us too... except for the TV with the newest HD box.

Probably all the Scientific Atlanta boxes have this problem, not the newer NAVIGATR capable Cisco ones!

Doesn't mean ROGERS will actually fix the problem anytime...

[Nissan1]

@OLDYELLR The Alert Ready system has always been for many types of things, including severe weather (ie: Tornado warnings in this case)
Scroll down to 'What types of alerts are broadcast?'

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/alert-ready#alert-ready-info

[OLDYELLR]

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@Nissan1 wrote:

@OLDYELLR The Alert Ready system has always been for many types of things, including severe weather (ie: Tornado warnings in this case)
Scroll down to 'What types of alerts are broadcast?'

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/alert-ready#alert-ready-info

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Thanks for the link. Because the first ones we saw were for missing kids hundreds of kilometres away and had a red background, we thought they were amber alerts mistakenly posted as red alerts (national emergencies and such) and people were rightly annoyed. It looks like there is still a lot of work to be done on what gets broadcast and in what areas.

[OLDYELLR]

When I turned on the TV this morning at around 8:30 to watch news while having breakfast, I saw a red Amber Alert screen briefly, no sound. I suspect it was for a girl abducted in Mississauga, since found. Anyone else see that?

[b-ry]

Has anyone gotten a message on their Rogers mobile devices about the Alert Ready system starting in April 2018?

[RogersShaun]

Hello @b-ry,

I don't believe we've begun sending messages as of yet, or at least I haven't received one on my personal device. 

For further information about Alert Ready, check out https://www.alertready.ca/

I hope this helps!

RogersShaun

[OLDYELLR]

I just checked the link, wondering if my PayGo phone will be getting these alerts and whether I'll be paying for them. It doesn't look like it. Here is the list.

Current compatible devices (if they are purchased from Rogers and the device software is kept up to date):

• Google devices: Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 Pixel 2XL
• BlackBerry: DTEK50, Priv, KeyOne
• LG: Q6, V30
• Samsung: S7, S7 Edge, S8, S8+, Note 8, Xcover 4, J3, S9, S9+
• Sony: Xperia X Performance
• Huawei: P10, P10 Plus, P10 Lite, Nova Plus, GR5

Additional devices that will be compatible when Alert Ready is launched:

• Apple: iPhone 5s/6/6+/6s/6s+/7/7+/8/8+/X
• LG: G6

To check that your device is compatible, please contact your device manufacturer.

[rookie_2468]

Is this an expansion of that annoying weather warning system in TV that we cannot turn off and makes TV unwatchable in Ottawa because it is snowing in Sarnia. I trust that any mobile alert can be turned off once received so as to not harass everyone every 3 minutes

[dogface]

An excellent reason to dump a subscription phone. What would be pretty useful is a list of phones/services that WILL NOT get these annoying alerts.

I am fed up with an incompetent government intruding on every aspect of my life to provide unwanted "nanny" services.

[dogface]

I wouldn't count on it. If experience is any teacher, this government won't trust you to remember the message for three minutes.

[Pauly]

I think the Alert Ready for Wireless carriers is a GREAT THING.  I am going to sit back and wait for the haters to post how the emergency alert on their cell phone Has INCONVENIENCED THEM,  just like the same people who say the "Amber Alert" on the TV about an abducted boy or girl HAS SERIOUSLY INCONVENIENCED THEM, where they put their needs first before the needs of the public and safety of children.

Let's bring it on,

[OLDYELLR]

I'm sure there will be screw-ups on startup, just like there were with the Amber Alerts when they started, but that's all fixed now.  I only turn on my PayGo phone a few times a week when I leave the house so I hope I won't get deluged with accumulated warnings when I do and that they won't cost me.

[rookie_2468]

Pauly thank you for your input but I think you may have missed the point entirely. A warning every three minutes about extreme weather 500+ Km away is not helpful. Technology exists to target the information to a specific audience where it is the most beneficial. Let me give you an an example using the scenario you mentioned, an Amber Alert. I subscribe to wirelessamberalerts.ca. I have set me region to an area of approximately a 100 km radius. When an alert is issued in my region or it is believed that the abductor is headed to my region I get a text message. I don’t receive messages about children abducted from Toronto and believed to be headed to Guelph. I won’t be of much help.

[Pauly]

you guys are forgetting something.  "A warning every three minutes about extreme weather 500+ Km away is not helpful" yeah it may be annoying, but guess what? it was also NEWLY LAUNCHED IN CANADA, And did not exist before, and the United States had one for decades and had time to properly tweak it. Also guess what?  Mistakes eventually GET FIXED, incase you seem to forget that, and there have been pleanty of announcements on the news that the Alert Ready system has been tweaked. Give them some slack, instead of complaining, try to appreciate something which could save your life.  I am certain the system has been tweakd and the mobile version works on cellular geography so im sure it is better tweaked to serve the community better.

As always I expected some people to bash the system who are uneducated on how it works, how its being fixed and how it is designed. but thats their problem not mine

[dbg2]

The earlier problems with Alert Ready were inconvenient, yes, but user aggravation is not the most important point here.

The authorities have to be extremely careful and selective when and where they trigger an alert.  Otherwise once the system has "cried wolf" a few times it will be ignored.  If it goes off frequently and every time it turns out to be an amber alert from 1000 miles away, people will simply ignore the message.  Then something that seriously affects them will come up and no one will pay attention.  

Also consider what might happen when a screeching tone suddenly happens while you are driving your car.  The distraction from the startling noise could easily cause an accident.  Consider that this might happen simultaneously in every single car on the highway.  It could only take one startled person to cause a serious accident. 

The alert sound should only happen once.  It should respect the phone's audio settings and not force it to full volume.  The notice can of course stay on the screen until the user acknowledges it.  

[b-ry]

@dogface

The lists provided by Rogers (and others) are based on what they sell.

There are many other WEP capable phones -- as long as it's updated and enabled to accept "Emergency Alerts" - you should be good to go.

I've also been browsing around about the AlertReady mobile system and found an interesting bit from EmergencyBC's site which says that the alerts will work on LTE and 4G networks - will be interesting to see if thats the case, if so, thats awesome news!

[b-ry]

@OLDYELLR, it has been said by the CRTC that carriers cannot charge/surcharge for the emergency alerts.

[Terry155]

Alert Ready for iPhone?

Why is it I can’t find anything for Alert Ready for iPhones? All it says in the website is that it will be available on April 6th.

[Lurker]

There's no app to download.

AlertReady uses the phones built in abilities to deliver the alerts. Any LTE capable iPhone should be modern enough to receive alerts.

Ontario has a test scheduled for early May.

[OLDYELLR]

I was watching Elementary I had recorded on Global at 10:00 p.m. last night while it was still recording and was interrupted at least 3 times by a red alert about a tornado warning in Central Ontario (around Peterborough).  Anyone else get this?  I can see that red alerts of abductions can be valid all over Ontario, but how can a weather alert in Central Ontario concern me in Soutwestern Ontario?  I wonder if these can be limited to more specific regions when appropriate?