IP AUDIO ZONES
Getting in the zone with IP audio David Needham, Axis Communications, explains how defining network audio zones can be a powerful feature to help industries operate with improved security, safety and efficiency. As the migration from analogue to digital (IP) audio increases, forward-thinking AV professionals are beginning to understand the many benefits that modern IPenabled solutions present. Simple IoT connectivity, smooth and streamlined operation and the ability to integrate digital audio products with existing audio and video systems results in a robust system with implications for improving security and enhancing business operations across a range of industries. Indeed, IP audio can help to keep workers and the public safer, while delivering a more customised and personalised experience. Specifying and setting audio zones is just one powerful function of such a solution. This functionality allows security alerts, messages or music to be played within designated areas, imparting important information or encouraging desired behaviours. The ability to select pre-recorded audio, or to record instant messages and allocate them to certain
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speakers within certain areas is simple yet effective with IP audio technology. This represents a key advantage that such solutions have over their analogue predecessors, while addressing a major pain point across a variety of sectors. Improving site security Within airports or other critical national infrastructure sites with large perimeters to protect, employing a network audio system is the ideal complement to a video-based security solution because of its ability to target real-time messages to specific zones, dramatically improving security measures. Consider a scenario where an intruder attempts to climb the perimeter fence. Here a network camera within a certain zone detects activity and sounds an automatic warning via a digital speaker. This type of warning may be sufficient, preventing the need for further security
measures. However, an escalation in criminal activity can trigger an automatic alert to security personnel, an alarm receiving centre (ARC) and the Police. Zone-specific audio activity also means that audio is effectively contained within a specified area or multiple areas. In the event of a situation such as the one described occurring at a busy airport, passengers will be unaware of such alerts, which are only targeted at the trespasser. Only when an event necessitates cooperation or action from the public, such as the emergency evacuation of a site or outbreak of fire, then zone configurations can be quickly altered to deliver instructions to those who need them. Public address to broadcast key messages Connecting an IP audio solution to a network is a much more efficient means of targeting relevant messages to those who need them most.
