Blackline Safety launches world’s first direct-to-cloud Area Gas Monitor with 4G
ATEX certified and shipping to clients throughout Europe, G7 EXO marks a new era for area gas monitoring with drop-and-go setup and seamless connectivity
Blackline Safety Corp is a global leader in gas detection and cloud-connected safety solutions. They are now shipping its ATEX-certified G7 EXO area gas monitor throughout Europe. North American and international intrinsic safety certification is currently underway and shipments will commence in the coming weeks.
G7 EXO is the industry’s first direct-to-cloud area gas monitor that integrates 4G cellular connectivity with global coverage in over 100 countries and on more than 350 mobile networks. Eliminating the need for mesh networks and Wi-Fi that may not be available at every facility or location, G7 EXO seamlessly connects worksites during shutdowns, turnarounds and construction projects, and monitors tank farms, drilling rigs, confined spaces, site perimeters and more. With an industry-leading 100-day battery life, rugged design and drop-and-go deployment, G7 EXO streamlines operations, saving time through easy setup and simplified maintenance compared to competitor offerings.
“Area gas monitoring has traditionally been time-consuming to set up and maintain, making sure that each monitor is communicating with others on the network,” said Gavin Boorman, Managing Director of Blackline Safety Europe. “G7 EXO is the world’s first direct-to-cloud area gas monitor with 4G connectivity that enables businesses to deploy a cohesive network in seconds. With a 100-day battery life and direct connectivity to the Blackline Safety Cloud, G7 EXO is a next-generation area monitor that supports clients’ Industry 4.0 programmes.”
Competitors’ mesh networks are limited by the allowable distance between devices, the maximum number of devices on the network and their message hopping limit — often two to five hops. If an alert doesn’t reach another device or a gateway before the maximum number of hops is reached, the network will delete the message and a team member may be unaware of the environmental hazard.
Alternatively, some competitors’ area monitoring systems use Wi-Fi for connectivity, requiring network provisioning and to be within range of an access point. Wi-Fi networks are not universally available across sites and facilities, plus with the increased focus on security, IT teams often hesitate to add additional devices to their industrial Wi-Fi networks.
Global 4G with multi-carrier coverage in most countries
In contrast to traditional connectivity, G7 EXO connects directly to the Blackline Safety Cloud using integrated 4G cellular connectivity, not requiring any other infrastructure. In most countries throughout Europe, the United States and Canada, G7 EXO is supported by a super-network of coverage comprised of multiple carriers. This redundancy in wireless networks provides additional coverage compared to any one of the individual wireless networks.
Advanced GNSS location technology
G7 EXO is also the first area monitor to pinpoint the location of gas exposures using the European Space Agency’s Galileo satellite network. G7 EXO features a 72-channel multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that supports Galileo, GPS and Blackline’s proprietary location beacons for greater location accuracy and confidence than area monitors that use GPS alone.
Built for the real world
With a cast aluminium frame, durable rubber bumpers and IP65 ingress protection rating, G7 EXO has undergone aggressive validation tests to ensure that it can withstand whatever Mother Nature and industrial teams can throw at it while delivering superior environmental monitoring and enhanced safety in every scenario. To verify that it’s ready for the harshest environmental conditions, G7 EXO withstood over 160 kph (100 mph) winds, frigid temperatures of below -20 degrees C and freezing rain and snow at Ontario’s Tech University ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel.
World-leading gas sensor portfolio
Blackline’s growing sensor portfolio currently includes over 20 individual sensors with others in development. G7 EXO uses the same convenient plug-and-play gas sensor cartridges as Blackline’s other G7 products, allowing it to be configured with a new gas sensor configuration in seconds.
Supporting collaboration in the field
G7 EXO features an affordable push-to-talk voice collaboration service that works like a walkie-talkie, providing seamless communication for teams in different locations. Compatible with Blackline’s G7c wearable gas monitors, G7 EXO push-to-talk enables workers to collaborate with any team across 100 channels — even if they are other sites or locations. G7 EXO features built-in microphone and dedicated speaker for clear push-to-talk voice calling.
Real-time emergency response and evacuation management
G7 EXO is part of Blackline’s comprehensive emergency response system. Devices are integrated into the Blackline Live monitoring portal where businesses can manage their own safety and gas detection alerts or leave it up to Blackline’s Five Diamond-certified Safety Operations Centre to manage. Both G7 EXO and G7 wearables support Blackline’s mass notification system that triggers proactive evacuation management, ensuring that every worker safely and efficiently leaves the area and arrives at a designated muster point.
Exclusive 24/7 live monitoring
Clients have the option to take advantage of 24/7 live monitoring through Stanley Security, Blackline’s Alarm Receiving Centre partner in Europe or through Blackline’s in-house Safety Operations Centre (SOC) located in Calgary, Canada. With Blackline responding to alerts in under 60 seconds 99% of the time, clients can be confident that the safety of their teams is in good hands. No competitor currently offers option of live monitoring services.
Blackline safety cloud
With over a dozen years in direct-to-cloud safety innovation, G7 EXO works alongside G7 connected safety wearables, streaming gas readings and safety alerts to the Blackline Safety Cloud. Businesses can manage G7 EXO area monitors from their Blackline Live cloud-hosted account that includes user access controls, team grouping and streamlined configuration management for wireless G7 EXO updates over-the-air. To support a world-leading gas detection programme, all G7 EXO data is available alongside that of G7 wearables, powering Blackline Analytics for automated reporting and data visualisation.
Coming area gas monitoring innovations
Blackline will launch the world’s first integrated satellite communications capability for area gas monitors in November 2020, delivering true global coverage via the Iridium satellite network. The G7 EXO satellite module will be available both for new orders and as a retrofit kit. Additionally, Blackline will launch a four-channel pump module in early 2021 to support remote sampling of four areas simultaneously — another industry first. Like the satellite module, the G7 EXO four-channel pump module will be available for new orders and as a retrofit kit.
Growing suite of capabilities
Just like the safety industry seeks continuous improvement, Blackline’s portfolio of G7 EXO area monitors and cloud-connected wearables also improves over time. With over-the-air firmware updates, G7 EXO features and capabilities will grow as new features are deployed, strengthening businesses’ investment into the latest in direct-to-cloud area gas monitoring and connected safety technology.
