Switching from Visicom
Visicom signaled your team with lights outside each operatory. AltoSignal replaces those lights with native apps on the devices you already own, clear who · what · where messages, history, and read receipts, so nobody has to decode a color again.
Visicom's visual paging used color-coded lights to signal patient status and page staff to operatories, one of a family of wired systems (alongside Porter, The Communicator, and Comlite) that defined dental-office signaling for decades. The idea was sound; the hardware is the problem. Lights have to be wired and mounted, they only convey a color, and changing what a signal means often means a service call.
AltoSignal keeps the speed of a one-tap signal and adds the one thing a light can't: the actual message.
| AltoSignal | Visicom | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A software app (works in any browser) | Wired light-based visual paging |
| Runs on | Native apps for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Amazon Fire, Windows, Mac, and Linux, plus a browser version for any computer. | Mounted lights and control units |
| Installation | Minutes, no wiring | Wiring and mounting per operatory |
| What the team sees | Full text, "Dr. Smith · Needed · Exam 1" | A color / light pattern to interpret |
| History & acknowledgment | Every message logged, with read receipts | None |
| Change buttons or rooms | Edit it yourself, anytime | Service call / rewire |
| Channels | Unlimited, plus a built-in Emergency channel | Fixed by the wiring |
| If the internet is down | Keeps signaling on your office network | Wired, keeps working |
| Cost | $25 / month for 5 devices · 10 devices $45 · 20 devices $75 · two months free billed yearly · 30-day free trial, no card | Hardware + installation |
| Updates | Automatic, over the air | Hardware swaps |
Comparison reflects the typical characteristics of legacy wired light-paging systems as of July 2026. Visicom is a trademark of its respective owner; AltoSignal is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Check the vendor for current product details.
Use the iPads, tablets, and computers already in your operatories and at the front desk. Nothing to mount, nothing to run through the walls.
New staff don't have to memorize what green-blink means. Every signal is spelled out: who's needed, what for, and where.
See what was sent, when, and whether it was acknowledged, useful for busy days and for training.
Yes. AltoSignal replaces light-based visual paging with an app that signals your team who is needed, what is happening, and where, with message history and read receipts, on the devices you already own.
No. AltoSignal has native apps for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Amazon Fire, Windows, Mac, and Linux, plus a browser version for any computer. There are no lights to mount and no wiring to run.
AltoSignal is priced per device, and the rate drops as you add devices. $25 a month covers your first 5 devices; devices 6–10 are $4 each, 11–20 are $3, 21–100 are $2, 101–200 are $1.50, and 201–500 are $1.25. Each band prices only the devices inside it, so a 12-device practice pays $51 a month. Pay yearly and you get two months free. Staff seats are unlimited: you pay for the screens that receive signals, not for people. Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial, no credit card. Past 500 devices, email sales@altosignal.com.
Yes, inside the office. Devices running the AltoSignal app on the same network hand signals straight to each other at the same time as the cloud, so your team keeps signaling with nothing to switch on. Changing button labels, adding a channel, or reaching a second location waits until the connection is back. The browser version does not take part in local delivery. See how local delivery works.
See it working: Walkthrough · Guides
Set it up in under ten minutes on the devices you already have. Cancel anytime, no phone call.
Start 30-day free trial