Single-Purpose Detection vs Comprehensive Protection
Schools evaluating AI-powered security face a fundamental choice between specialized tools and integrated platforms. Some solutions focus entirely on one threat type. Others address the full spectrum of campus safety challenges.
Omnilert and VOLT AI represent these different approaches. Understanding what each delivers helps administrators match solutions to their actual security needs rather than addressing only the most dramatic scenarios.
Visit our comprehensive AI security solution comparison.
Core Technology Approaches
Omnilert built its platform around a single mission: identifying firearms in video feeds. The company traces its technology to DoD and DARPA research, emphasizing a data-centric AI approach specifically trained on weapon identification.
VOLT AI takes a broader view of campus security. The platform monitors for multiple threat types simultaneously, recognizing that schools face diverse safety challenges throughout every school day. Weapon detection is one capability among many.
Aspect | VOLT AI | Omnilert |
Primary Focus | Comprehensive campus safety | Gun detection |
Detection Types | Multiple (weapons, medical, fights, access) | Guns only |
Technology Roots | Silicon Valley tech, security innovation | DoD/DARPA research |
DHS SAFETY Act | In process | Designated |
Detection Capabilities That Matter Daily
Detection capabilities define what your security system actually monitors. This comparison reveals significant differences in daily utility between single-purpose and comprehensive platforms.
Detection Type | VOLT AI | Omnilert |
Gun Detection | ✓ | ✓ |
Knife/Blade Detection | ✓ | — |
Medical Emergency (Person Down) | ✓ | — |
Fight Detection | ✓ | — |
Unauthorized Access | ✓ | — |
Loitering Detection | ✓ | — |
Crowd Formation | ✓ | — |
After-Hours Monitoring | ✓ | — |
The Daily Reality of Campus Security
Gun detection addresses the scenario administrators fear most. However, school security teams respond to diverse situations throughout each day. Medical emergencies happen regularly. Fights require immediate intervention. Unauthorized access attempts occur more frequently than firearm incidents.
A school using Omnilert gains protection against visible firearms. The same school using VOLT AI gains that protection plus responses to the incidents that actually happen every week.
At Prescott High School, VOLT AI detected a student suffering an asthma attack in an empty hallway. The school nurse responded within 15 seconds. This type of detection falls outside Omnilert's capabilities entirely.
Real-Time Response and Tracking
Response capabilities determine how effectively your team can act on detections. Both platforms include human verification, but their tracking and spatial awareness differ significantly.
VOLT AI Response Features
VOLT AI maintains continuous tracking of individuals even after a weapon is concealed. The 3D facility mapping provides spatial context for every alert, showing security teams exactly where incidents occur and tracking movement throughout the facility.
Alerts pass through the Video Security Operations Center (VSOC) for human verification before reaching campus security. This approach eliminates false alarm fatigue while ensuring genuine threats receive immediate attention.
The platform enables coordinated response by showing responder locations relative to incidents. Security teams can converge efficiently rather than searching based solely on camera names.
Omnilert Response Features
Omnilert routes detections through UL Certified Central Station operators who verify alerts before escalation. The company emphasizes human verification as central to preventing false alarms.
Alerts include the camera location and detected threat image. Multi-channel notifications reach designated recipients through various communication methods. The platform integrates with mass notification systems for broader emergency communication.
Omnilert does not maintain tracking after initial detection. If a weapon is concealed, the system relies on new detections rather than continuous subject monitoring.
Privacy Considerations
Privacy matters in educational environments. Both platforms approach monitoring in ways that respect student privacy, though through different mechanisms.
VOLT AI Privacy Approach
VOLT AI does not use facial recognition technology. The system tracks behaviors and clothing descriptions rather than individual identities. This design addresses privacy regulations while meeting parental expectations about student monitoring.
The platform maintains SOC 2 Type 2 certification and encrypts data in transit and at rest.
Omnilert Privacy Approach
Omnilert focuses detection specifically on weapons rather than individuals. The company emphasizes that its AI identifies firearms, not faces or identities. This limited scope inherently constrains the personal data the system processes.
Implementation and Integration
Both platforms work with existing IP camera infrastructure, which simplifies deployment compared to hardware-dependent solutions.
VOLT AI Implementation
VOLT AI deployment typically completes in days to weeks. The platform creates a 3D digital representation of your facility during onboarding. Security teams configure detection rules and escalation policies through an intuitive portal.
The system offers both cloud and on-premises deployment options, accommodating different IT requirements and data residency preferences.
Omnilert Implementation
Omnilert integrates with existing cameras through appliances that process video feeds locally. The Gun Detect Appliance connects to your camera infrastructure without requiring camera replacement.
The company offers rapid deployment timelines, emphasizing quick implementation to address urgent security needs.
Cost Comparison
Pricing structures differ between these platforms, reflecting their different scope and capabilities.
VOLT AI Pricing
VOLT AI uses transparent per-camera subscription pricing published on our website. The software-only approach eliminates hardware investment requirements. Schools avoid capital expenditure while gaining comprehensive monitoring capabilities.
Many schools find VOLT AI costs less than hiring a single additional security staff member while providing 24/7 coverage across their entire camera network.
Omnilert Pricing
Omnilert positions its Gun Detect Appliance at approximately $1,500, significantly lower than some competing gun detection solutions. The company advertises that a complete system for a small facility can cost under $10,000.
Sarasota County Schools reportedly invested approximately $917,000 for first-year deployment across all middle and high schools, though specific per-school costs vary by camera count and configuration.
Omnilert also offers a Secure Schools Grant Program providing three-year free licenses to qualifying schools.
When Each Solution Makes Sense
Different schools have different needs based on their existing systems, security challenges, and budget constraints.
Omnilert May Fit Better If You:
- Need gun detection specifically and already have other systems handling medical emergencies, fights, and access control
- Want to add firearm detection to an existing comprehensive security platform
- Qualify for the Secure Schools Grant Program
- Have limited budget for a narrow but critical capability
VOLT AI May Fit Better If You:
- Need a comprehensive platform that addresses multiple daily security challenges
- Want weapon detection plus medical emergency response, fight detection, and access monitoring in one system
- Value 3D facility mapping for coordinated incident response
- Prefer continuous tracking that follows subjects even after weapons are concealed
- Want to consolidate security capabilities rather than managing multiple point solutions
What Schools Say About VOLT AI
Schools implementing VOLT AI report comprehensive improvements in their security operations. These outcomes reflect the value of addressing multiple threat types through an integrated platform.
"In all my time as a principal, assistant principal, and even as a teacher I felt like we were constantly chasing our tails. Everything we did with regard to student safety was reactive. Using VOLT AI was the first time I really have been able to get out ahead of things that are happening proactively."
Adam Neely, Principal, Prescott High School
"VOLT does what no one else is doing. The company, and the software, take security to a level far above what any other tool on the market provides."
Demetrius Anderson, Technical and Intelligence Officer, University of Illinois Chicago
See Comprehensive Campus Protection in Action
VOLT AI delivers the weapon detection schools need alongside the medical emergency response, fight detection, and access monitoring that addresses daily security challenges. The platform transforms existing cameras into intelligent guardians that protect students throughout every school day.
Ready to see how VOLT AI compares for your specific campus needs?
Discover why schools across the country are choosing comprehensive protection over single-purpose detection.
