Columbus State University has teamed up with Piper Networks to create another campus safety tool for students. The partners have deployed a network of wireless Bluetooth beacons across campus that can help students feel safer and more connected.

By utilizing Piper’s beacon technology and the free-to-download Piper app (available for iOS and Android devices), CSU students can now easily access University Police should they have a safety concern or want to report suspicious behavior. The app allows anyone to call campus police directly or text the police with their accurate location data based on the nearest iBeacon’s number.

“The Safe Campus program provides an easy way for officials to accurately and quickly dispatch assistance to the student, even if the student is not sure of their exact location,” said Mark Lott, interim chief of University Police. “This technology is another layer that we can add onto the many things we undertake on a daily basis to help our students and employees feel safe.”

Piper, a San Diego-based proximity and IoT solution provider, deployed more than 100 beacons at key locations across the main and RiverPark campus, and their coordinates are integrated into the University Police offices. Additional beacons are located on main campus that help keep students connected to campus happenings, sporting events and dining specials.

CSU joins the city of Columbus’ Safe City program, which uses a similar public safety solution from Piper. Columbus recently became the world’s most fully deployed iBeacon city with over 1,250 beacons and 85+ businesses and organizations using the Piper app to share messages that include simple text notifications, Piper-only specials, photos, videos, links to websites or social media, and even Apple Passes.

“The city of Columbus, GA and CSU campuses have so much to offer students, visitors and citizens,” said Robert Hanczor, Piper’s CEO. “Piper allows them to not only have a safer and more enhanced experience in real-time throughout the city, but the ‘History’ feature of the app means they can relive their experience at the end of the day by seeing what all they came into contact with and what they didn’t realize they missed.”