Setting Up Video Visits at Ottawa County: Register, Choose Onsite or Offsite, and What to Expect

At Ottawa County Detention Facility, video visits replace traditional face-to-face visits. The person in custody stays in their housing unit, and you choose how to connect: onsite at the facility or offsite from somewhere else. This setup can actually simplify things, since the visit doesn't depend on a housing move or a contact visiting area.

Before you can video visit, you need to register. The good news: registration is free. Ottawa County uses ICSolutions for video visitation, and you can create your account at icsolutions.com. If multiple family members plan to visit, make sure each person registers individually before anyone tries to schedule.

For an onsite video visit, you'll use the video terminals in the facility's visitation center. You're still visiting by video, but you're doing it on the jail's equipment while your loved one stays in their housing area. A lot of families prefer onsite visits because the connection is reliable. You're not depending on your home internet or your phone's signal to keep the call going.

Offsite visits let you connect without traveling to the facility. Ottawa County's system supports offsite video visits on iOS devices through the free "ICS Mobile" app (search "ICSolutions" in the Apple App Store). You can also connect from a computer through the ICSolutions website, which doubles as your hub for scheduling and funding.

• ✓ Download and test the visitation application on your Windows computer, Android device, or iOS device before you try to schedule an offsite visit.

Offsite visits are fee-based at this facility, and pricing varies. One thing to know: internet connectivity problems during an offsite visit are not refunded. If your connection tends to be spotty, test everything ahead of time and pick the most stable setup you have. Or consider an onsite kiosk visit instead.

The best choice usually comes down to convenience, cost, and how much technical risk you're willing to accept. Offsite visits are the easier option logistically since you can connect from your own iOS device through the ICS Mobile app. But they're fee-based, and connection issues won't be refunded. Onsite visits use the facility's video terminals in the visitation center, which can feel more straightforward. You're not relying on your own internet or device to carry the visit.

For most video visit problems, start with your ICSolutions account. That's where you register, add funds, schedule, and connect to offsite visits from a computer. Worth noting: ICSolutions also handles other communication services at Ottawa County, including scanning received mail into its system before Ottawa County Sheriff's Office staff review and approve or reject it. That context is helpful if you're troubleshooting multiple services tied to the same provider.