How to select the speakers and the number required in your school
IP paging speaker placement and sound volume settings are key to providing clear sound in the school. Whether there is a general announcement or an emergency message, it’s important that the instructions can be heard and understood by everyone.
Network attached IP speakers are easy to install, but they must be placed in the right location, and the sound volume must be correct so that all locations are covered with clear sound.
This article provides guidelines for selecting the right IP paging speakers for your school. The article also helps you determine the number of speakers you need, and the amplification required.
This article compares central analog amplifiers to distributed digital network attached amplifiers.
The latest IP paging systems utilize the Ethernet network to distribute sound over your organization. This is quite different than the classic systems that used a large central amplifier with wires to all the speakers. How good is this new approach to paging?
The following article compares the traditional approach that utilizes one large amplifier to the latest PA over IP systems.
The classic method of providing a paging system was to connect many speakers to a central very large amplifier. The latest IP amplifier method is much more flexible. It connects a few speakers to many small network attached amplifiers that are distributed around the organization. You can attach several speakers to one small IP amplifier or attach one CAT5 ready IP speaker directly to the network. Here’s a comparison the two types of systems.
This article was updated on 10/15/2019 to include new IP paging systems.
There’s more to security than door access control, intrusion alarms, and video surveillance. It is also important to tell people what to do in an emergency. Emergency public notification is one of the important applications for IP paging and intercoms. There are also many other new applications possible with the latest IP paging and intercom systems.
Remember the old days of 500-watt amplifiers with hundreds of speakers attached. It was almost impossible to provide multiple buildings, public address systems. The great thing about network-attached paging systems is that everywhere you have a network, you can install a small network-attached amplifier.
Whether it’s an emergency announcement or page in a school, how do you determine the speaker and amplifier required for a specific location? IP paging systems can provide exactly the right sound level to exactly the right location, but what is the right sound level?
How loud does the emergency paging system need to be? How much sound is needed to hear an announcement in a classroom or in a sports field where there is a lot of background noise?
This article provides the technical background and practical information needed to help you determine the right power and speakers required.
