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Administrator Checklist: Before a Communication Exercise

An administrator's readiness checklist for Allo: verify devices, users, groups, and dashboard monitoring before your exercise begins.

A communication exercise is only as useful as the preparation behind it. If devices are uncharged, users have not paired their phones, or groups are misconfigured, the exercise will test your team's ability to troubleshoot rather than communicate. Work through this checklist in the days and hours before your exercise begins so that every participant can focus on the scenario, not the technology.

Assign a named administrator to monitor the Allo dashboard during the exercise. That person should not be a participant in the exercise scenario — they need to stay focused on the dashboard and be reachable by radio or phone if issues arise.

Readiness checklist​

48 hours before​

  • Confirm the exercise date, start time, duration, and scenario with all participants
  • Verify that all Allo client devices to be used in the exercise are accounted for and in working order
  • Begin charging all devices so they are at 100 % on the morning of the exercise
  • Confirm that all repeaters in the exercise area are powered on and showing a healthy status LED
  • Review the participant list in the dashboard and confirm every participant has an active account (no "pending" invitations)

24 hours before​

  • Verify that every participant has the Allo app installed and has completed pairing with their assigned device
  • Check that every participant appears in the correct group(s) for the exercise scenario
  • Send a test message in each exercise group and confirm it is received by at least two participants
  • Brief the dashboard monitor on what to watch for and how to flag issues during the exercise

Morning of the exercise​

  • Charge all devices to at least 80 % before distribution to participants
  • Confirm that all repeaters are online and the status LEDs show normal operation
  • Ask each participant to open the app and verify their Bluetooth connection to their device before the exercise begins
  • Confirm the dashboard monitor is logged in and the reports/logs view is open

Step-by-step pre-exercise sequence​

1

Audit your device inventory

Open the Allo dashboard and navigate to Devices and Repeaters. Confirm that every device you plan to use appears as provisioned and was last seen recently. If a device does not appear or shows a stale last-seen timestamp, investigate before the exercise day.

2

Charge all hardware overnight

Charge every client device and repeater the evening before the exercise. Client devices charge via USB-C. Aim for a full charge — a fully charged device should last a full operational shift under normal use. Do not rely on partial charges for a multi-hour exercise.

3

Verify user accounts and group membership

In the dashboard, open Users and check that every exercise participant has an active account with no pending actions. Then open Groups and confirm that each group used in the exercise has the correct members. Remove anyone who should not be included and add anyone who is missing.

4

Confirm device pairing for every participant

Ask each participant to confirm — either directly or via a brief check-in message — that their phone is paired to their Allo device and that the app is showing a connected status. Participants who cannot pair their device before the exercise begins should contact you immediately so you can resolve it before the start time.

5

Send a test message in every exercise group

Before the exercise begins, send a short test message in each group that will be active during the exercise. Ask participants to acknowledge receipt. If any acknowledgement is missing, follow up with that participant to diagnose whether the problem is Bluetooth, group membership, or something else.

6

Brief the dashboard monitor

Make sure the person monitoring the dashboard during the exercise knows how to access Reports and Logs, what a normal delivery pattern looks like, and what to do if a participant reports that messages are not being delivered. Give them a direct line to you in case they need to escalate.

7

Distribute devices and confirm readiness

Hand out charged devices to participants. Before the exercise formally begins, do a quick radio check — ask every participant to send a short message to their primary group and confirm it has been received. Only start the exercise once all participants have confirmed connectivity.

What the dashboard monitor should watch for​

During the exercise, the assigned dashboard monitor should keep an eye on the following:

Delivery gaps

If participants in a specific area stop receiving messages, this may indicate a repeater has gone offline or a coverage gap exists. Note the location and time so it can be investigated in the post-exercise review.

Disconnected devices

The dashboard shows device activity. If a device has not transmitted for an unexpectedly long time, the participant's Bluetooth connection may have dropped. The monitor should attempt to contact the participant through another channel.

Group configuration issues

If a participant reports they cannot see a group or are receiving messages from the wrong group, the monitor can check and correct group membership in the dashboard in real time — though it is better to catch these issues before the exercise begins.

Backup communication plan​

Allo operates on a best-effort radio mesh. Delivery is not guaranteed in all conditions — for example in areas with dense building obstruction, significant terrain, or hardware failure. Always have a backup communication method available during exercises. See Emergency-Use Limitations for full details.

Designate a fallback channel — such as a dedicated phone bridge, traditional PMR radio, or in-person relay — and make sure every participant knows how to use it if Allo becomes unavailable during the exercise.