Talkaphone
Talkaphone manufactures emergency communication and mass notification systems — including blue light phones, WEBS mass notification towers, and Area of Refuge solutions — for U.S. educational campuses, healthcare, government, transit, and corporate facilities, distributed through system integrators and wholesale partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1935
- HeadquartersNiles, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Talkaphone does
Talk-A-Phone, LLC, operating as Talkaphone, is a Niles, Illinois-based manufacturer of emergency communication and mass notification systems founded in 1935. The company designs and builds ADA-compliant blue light emergency phones, Wide-Area Emergency Broadcast System (WEBS) mass notification towers and wall mounts, Access Control & Communication (VIA Series) hardware, Area of Refuge two-way communication systems, and ADA-compliant elevator phones. Its products serve educational campuses, healthcare facilities, government and municipal sites, mass transit and transportation hubs, corporate facilities, parking structures, and parks/trails across the United States, with end-user customers accessed primarily through security system integrators and a network of manufacturer representatives and wholesale distributors.
The technology stack spans analog (ETP-500/ETP-520 with 316 marine-grade stainless steel faceplates, IP66 rating) and IP-based (VOIP-500/VOIP-600 with SIP, PoE, scheduled self-diagnostics, and 90dB/100dB audio) call stations, with native integrations into Singlewire InformaCast, Cisco UCM (Cisco Compatible certified), Avaya IP Office, Mitel, Digium Asterisk, Rave Mobile Safety, exacqVision, Splunk, and Axis IP cameras via dedicated ports. Notable platform extensions include the Emergency Phone + Autonomous Drone Integration (Sunflower Labs Bee drone, Hive base station, 600-meter coverage, <5-second deployment) with LandSkyAI-supplied remote piloting, the VoLTE Retrofit Kit for legacy POTS upgrades, Honeywell-licensed NFPA 72/UL 2525 Area of Refuge solutions, and solar-powered ECO TOWER configurations for remote sites.
Talkaphone monetizes primarily through hardware sales routed via channel partners (system integrators, Badger Reps in the Western U.S., and wholesale distributors ADI Global and WESCO for the Honeywell line), supplemented by professional services for repair, firmware updates, warranty, and technical support. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with sales cycles driven by project specifications and code-compliance requirements (IBC, NFPA 72, ADA, UL 2525). The company is private, founder/management-owned, and operates with 51–100 employees from a single Illinois headquarters.
Talkaphone firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Talkaphone
- Legal name
- Talk-A-Phone, LLC
- Website
- https://talkaphone.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1935
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Talkaphone manufactures emergency communication and mass notification systems — including blue light phones, WEBS mass notification towers, and Area of Refuge solutions — for U.S. educational campuses, healthcare, government, transit, and corporate facilities, distributed through system integrators and wholesale partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Talkaphone industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Emergency Communication Systems
- NAICS
- Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing (334210), Security Systems Services (56162)
- SIC
- Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus (3661), Communications Equipment, Nec (3669)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Two-Way Voice Emergency Communication Devices & Services (HSAHAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Audible-Visual Alarms & Notification Devices (Sounders, horns, siren/strobe combos for industrial use) (IMAGAIAF), Ancillary Fire Safety Devices & Integration (Audible/Visual Alarms, Strobes, Sirens) (HSAHAFAL), Emergency Communications, Alerting & Public Warning Systems (HLAJAGAF)
Keywords
Where Talkaphone is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Niles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Talkaphone business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales - Emergency Communication Devices: Sale of blue light phones, towers, wall mounts, call stations, mass notification systems, Area of Refuge solutions, and accessories. Products are sold through system integrators and channel partners for installation in various facilities.
- Access Control & Communication Systems: Sale of access control hardware including card readers, keypads, and integrated communication solutions for securing facilities and parking areas.
- Autonomous Drone Integration Systems: Integrated emergency phone and drone solution combining Talkaphone hardware with Sunflower Labs drone technology for enhanced security monitoring and rapid response capabilities.
- Technical Support & Maintenance Services: Product support including repair services, firmware updates, warranty coverage, and technical support for installation and maintenance of emergency communication systems.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Talkaphone product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Talkaphone designs, manufactures, and sells emergency communication hardware and integrated solutions, including ADA-compliant blue light emergency phones (tower, wall mount, surface mount, pedestal, and call station configurations), the proprietary WEBS Wide-Area Emergency Broadcast System for mass notification, Area of Refuge two-way communication systems (including a Honeywell-licensed line), elevator phones, VIA Series access control and communication systems, and an Emergency Phone plus Autonomous Drone Integration with Sunflower Labs. Products are sold primarily through system integrators, manufacturer's representatives, and wholesale distributors to enterprise and institutional buyers.
Product overview
Talkaphone offers an integrated emergency communication product portfolio centered on Blue Light Phones, with supporting product lines including Mass Notification (WEBS), Access Control & Communication (VIA Series), Area of Refuge Systems, and Elevator Phones. The Blue Light Phones serve as the core platform, available in tower, wall mount, and surface mount configurations with various accessories including cellular interfaces, cameras, AED compartments, and solar options. Call stations include both analog (ETP-500/ETP-520 Series) and IP-based (VOIP-500/VOIP-600 Series) variants with SIP and InformaCast integration. Notable innovations include the Emergency Phone + Autonomous Drone Integration pairing blue light phones with Sunflower Labs autonomous drones, and the VoLTE Retrofit Kit for upgrading legacy POTS-based systems to 4G LTE. The Honeywell-licensed Area of Refuge line extends the portfolio into fire/life safety compliant two-way communication systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WEBS (Wide-Area Emergency Broadcast System): Emergency mass notification towers and wall mounts with wide-area broadcast speakers for outdoor emergency alerts
- ECO TOWER
- Emergency Phone + Autonomous Drone Integration
- VoLTE Retrofit Kit
Products and services
- Blue Light Phones Emergency call stations with prominent blue LED lighting providing direct voice communication to emergency services, available in tower, wall mount, pedestal, and surface mount configurations for outdoor campus, parking, and facility applications.
- Mass Notification (WEBS) Wide-Area Emergency Broadcast System (WEBS) for outdoor mass notification. WEBS towers provide 360-degree audio coverage with separate volume controls per direction; wall mounts provide 180-degree coverage. Integrates with InformaCast and other mass notification platforms.
- Access Control and Communication (VIA Series) Integrated access control and communication solutions including configured systems, surface mounts, pedestals, call stations, and attendant stations for securing facilities and parking areas.
- Area of Refuge Systems Two-way, hands-free emergency communication systems for elevator landings and stairways, compliant with NFPA 72, IBC, ADAAG, and ICC A117.1 Ch. 7. Available in configurations supporting up to 10, 11-32, and over 32 stations.
- Honeywell Area of Refuge Solutions Licensed Honeywell Area of Refuge products providing NFPA 72 compliant, UL 2525 Listed two-way communication with built-in UPS for power backup. Distributed exclusively through wholesale partners ADI and WESCO.
- Elevator Phones ADA-compliant, hands-free call stations for elevator communication, enabling passengers to communicate with emergency or building personnel during entrapments.
- VOIP-500 Series IP Call Station Outdoor-rated, ADA-compliant hands-free Voice over IP call station with 90dB conversation and 100dB paging audio, Power over Ethernet, SIP support, scheduled self-diagnostics, and integrations with InformaCast, Cisco UCM, and other platforms.
- VOIP-600 Series IP Call Station Enhanced VoIP call station series with high audio clarity, PoE power, SIP compliance, and mass notification and security platform integrations. Available with built-in Axis P1265 IP camera (VOIP-600E3AX, VOIP-600EI3AX variants).
- ETP-500 and ETP-520 Series Analog Call Station Outdoor-rated, ADA-compliant hands-free analog call stations with 316 marine grade stainless steel faceplate, IP66 water resistance, phone-line power, auto-answer capability, and auxiliary inputs/outputs for CCTV and Blue Light integration.
- Emergency Phone plus Autonomous Drone Integration Integration of Talkaphone blue light emergency phones with Sunflower Labs autonomous drone technology. Pressing the emergency button triggers autonomous drone deployment within seconds, providing real-time aerial visibility and situational awareness for responders, with LandSkyAI providing AI-driven remote piloting and 24/7 monitoring.
- VoLTE Retrofit Kit Conversion kit enabling legacy Blue Light Phones using POTS lines to upgrade to 4G LTE cellular service, addressing obsolescence of traditional copper phone lines.
Quantifiable outcome
- Drone deployment within 5 seconds of emergency call activation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Talkaphone
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Talkaphone technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
Talkaphone partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered regional, core and minor.
- Badger RepsregionalManufacturer's representative partnership for Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii. Badger Reps brings industry-leading emergency communication and life safety technologies to security professionals and integrators across the western United States, backed by technical expertise and customer-centered business model.
- LandSkyAIcoreCollaboration for autonomous drone operations and remote piloting services. LandSkyAI provides real-time AI-driven insights and licensed operators for continuous monitoring. The integration enables drone deployment triggered by Talkaphone blue light phone button press, with live video feed delivered to security teams via RTSP or ONVIF protocols for VMS integration.
- Sunflower LabscorePioneering partnership integrating Talkaphone's blue light emergency phones with Sunflower Labs' AI-powered autonomous drone technology. When the emergency call button is pressed, the Bee drone deploys to surveil the area while help is on the way. A single Bee drone can support a network of emergency phones covering up to a 600-meter radius from the Hive docking station over 250 acres.
- Honeywell (Licensed Area of Refuge Products)coreAuthorized licensee of Honeywell Area of Refuge products. Talkaphone manufactures and distributes NFPA 72 compliant and UL 2525 Listed Area of Refuge systems under the Honeywell brand. Products are available through wholesale distribution partners ADI and WESCO. Qualifying purchases can be applied to Honeywell Fire's IGNITE Program accounts.
- Security Innovation HubminorTalkaphone's Emergency Phone + Autonomous Drone Integration has been installed at the Security Innovation Hub in Chicago, a collaborative center for physical security professionals offering live labs, co-working, programming, events, and technology testing facilities.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Talkaphone competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Talkaphone social profiles
Digital presenceTalkaphone compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Talkaphone financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Talkaphone leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Talkaphone subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Talkaphone funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Talkaphone M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Talkaphone
What does Talkaphone do?
Talkaphone designs, manufactures, and sells emergency communication hardware and integrated solutions, including ADA-compliant blue light emergency phones (tower, wall mount, surface mount, pedestal, and call station configurations), the proprietary WEBS Wide-Area Emergency Broadcast System for mass notification, Area of Refuge two-way communication systems (including a Honeywell-licensed line), elevator phones, VIA Series access control and communication systems, and an Emergency Phone plus Autonomous Drone Integration with Sunflower Labs. Products are sold primarily through system integrators, manufacturer's representatives, and wholesale distributors to enterprise and institutional buyers.
Is Talkaphone a public or private company?
Talkaphone is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Talkaphone founded?
Talkaphone was founded in 1935. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Talkaphone based?
Talkaphone is headquartered in Niles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Talkaphone make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales - Emergency Communication Devices are the primary driver. The others are access Control & Communication Systems, autonomous Drone Integration Systems and technical Support & Maintenance Services.
Does Talkaphone have an API?
No public API is recorded for Talkaphone.
What industry is Talkaphone in?
Talkaphone's product category is Emergency Communication Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAHAHAF, Two-Way Voice Emergency Communication Devices & Services, with a secondary code of IMAGAIAF, Audible-Visual Alarms & Notification Devices (Sounders, horns, siren/strobe combos for industrial use). Its NAICS code is 334210 and its SIC code is 3661.