Reference · Plain language
Every term the radio-replacement conversation throws at you — answered directly, in two or three sentences, no vendor fog.
What is push-to-talk?
Push-to-talk is instant, one-press voice communication: press a button, speak, and everyone on the channel hears you immediately — no dialing, no ringing. Modern PTT runs as an app on smartphones instead of dedicated radios; see the PushCom product page for what ships around the voice.
What is push-to-talk over cellular (PoC)?
PoC is push-to-talk carried over mobile data networks (2G–5G) and Wi-Fi instead of private radio frequencies. Range becomes unlimited — anywhere with data coverage is on the channel — and no repeaters, towers or spectrum licenses are needed. That's what makes plug-in-play deployment possible.
Is a PTT app better than a two-way radio?
For most operations, yes: a PTT app has unlimited range (network coverage vs repeater radius), adds GPS, dispatch, recording and SOS features radios lack, and onboards users in seconds. Traditional radio's remaining advantage is spectrum independence — which satellite fallback increasingly neutralizes.
What is a two-way radio?
A handheld transceiver that sends and receives voice directly over radio frequencies, typically within a few kilometers or via repeater infrastructure. It's the category businesses are steadily replacing with network-based PTT apps — the migration is usually an operations decision, not an IT one.
What is DMR?
DMR is a digital two-way radio standard (ETSI) used by commercial radio systems. It improves audio and capacity over analog but still requires owned infrastructure — licensed frequencies, repeaters and programmed handsets — which plug-in-play PoC eliminates entirely.
What is TETRA?
TETRA is a trunked digital radio standard built for public safety and utilities, known for resilience and group calling. TETRA networks are expensive to build and maintain, so many organizations reserve them for niche uses while moving daily operations to network PTT — see how emergency response teams run on ENLIL.
What is LMR?
LMR is the umbrella term for traditional professional radio systems — analog and digital, from simple walkie-talkies to trunked TETRA/P25 networks. “LMR interoperability” means bridging those legacy radios to modern PoC platforms via gateways during a migration.
What is floor control in PTT?
Floor control is the arbitration that decides who speaks on a PTT channel at any moment: press the button, the server grants you “the floor”, and everyone else listens until you release. Good floor control grants the floor in tens of milliseconds — the engineering behind it is in this field note.
What is a channel or talkgroup?
A channel (talkgroup in radio terminology) is a named group where one transmission reaches every member at once — “Gate 14”, “Night security”, “Dispatch”. On network PTT, channels are software: created in seconds, unlimited in range, and permissioned per user.
What is a dispatch console?
A dispatch console is the coordinator's view of the operation: every channel, every user's live GPS position, and tools to talk, re-team crews, broadcast priority messages and manage incidents from one screen. See it working in the product tour.
What does end-to-end encryption mean for PTT?
E2EE means voice and data are encrypted on the sender's device and only decrypted on recipients' devices — no readable copy exists in transit. ENLIL uses AES-256 E2EE on every transmission, with FIPS 140-2 options for government-adjacent operations; details on the PushCom page.
What is lone-worker protection?
Safety functions for people working alone: scheduled check-in timers, automatic escalation when a check-in is missed, man-down detection, and one-press SOS that broadcasts identity and GPS position to responders. How to build a real program: beyond the checkbox.
What is satellite push-to-talk?
PTT that fails over to satellite links when crews move beyond cellular coverage — remote strips, open water, deep rural routes. Messages queue offline and sync on reconnect, so the channel never “ends” at the edge of the map. See Remote Sat-Integration.
What is a BLE mesh in communication?
A Bluetooth Low Energy network where devices relay traffic hop-by-hop between each other, extending coverage where cellular can't reach — underground mines, tank farms, dense process plants. Traffic hops device-to-device to a gateway with LTE or satellite backhaul; the full architecture is on the mine & refinery page.
What accessories work with a PTT app?
Bluetooth earpieces with PTT buttons, remote speaker microphones, wired PTT buttons, vehicle kits and body-worn cameras — the ergonomics crews kept from the radio era. ENLIL pairs with them directly so a smartphone drives like a radio; browse the accessories catalog.
Ready when you press
Twenty minutes on a live channel teaches more than any glossary — bring your terminology questions to a demo.