Alertus’ text-to-speech (TTS) module is a smart peripheral that connects to the Alert Beacon® via an RS-232 serial port. When issuing an alert notification, dispatchers may choose to use spoken output in addition to the standard activation options such as strobes and sirens. The Alert Beacon then passes the message text to the TTS module, and the spoken message plays automatically through the connected audio speakers. When utilized, stand alone speakers are typically at select locations.