Barix Annuncicom IP Intercom Technology Modernizes Security System at Century City in South Africa
EnglishAudiovisual integration company Audiotech supplies scalable, low-cost IP-based system to improve security at entrance points and communication with main control room
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, August 1, 2007 — Barix AG, a pioneer in IP-based audio, intercom and control/monitoring, today announced that Century City, a large business precinct in Cape Town, South Africa, is using Barix Annuncicom IP intercom and Barionet IP automation technology for its new state-of-the-art security system. Audiotech, the sole distributor of Barix products in Africa, engineered, built and supplied the intercom solution for Century City, which consists of a shopping center, theme park and a series of corporate buildings. Systems integration company Basix Technologies installed the solution.
The Century City Property Owners Association (CCPOA) initiated the security upgrade project, which included CCTV cameras and intercom stations connected to a central control room via a high speed, high capacity wireless network backbone. The intercom specification called for a master station in the security control room capable of selectively communicating with eight “outstations”, with the capacity to expand to 20 sites. The Audiotech solution uses Barix Annuncicom addressable IP modules combined with standard, commercial intercom stations connected to an AIPHONE NEM10 intercom master station.
“This project provides the Century City staff with the familiarity and functionality of a traditional intercom system while harnessing the power, ease of installation and flexibility of an IP based system,” said Lawrence Bricknell, partner and co-owner of Audiotech. “Century City has a number of controlled entrance points, linking the public roadways to the internal road network, and the security guards at these outstations rely on clear voice communication between these sites and the main control room. The security guards previously used 2-way radios to contact the control room, but these suffered from misuse, damage and flat batteries. The Barix Annuncicom solution is a major improvement, and the permanent installation design means they are always on and operating.”
Audiotech removed the internal electronics from the AIPHONE NEM10 master station in the central control room and installed Annuncicom modules that connect to the microphone and loudspeaker. The station selection buttons connect to a Barix Barionet automation controller, which instructs the Annuncicom to connect to a specific outstation. At the outstations, the Annuncicom modules connect to a COMMAX doorstation, which provide a robust microphone-loudspeaker-pushbutton combination.
“The overall installation was very simple and finalized within a week,” said Bricknell. “The network contractor provided network points at each intercom location, where the intercom stations were plugged in for immediate operation. The engineer who wrote the specifications requested IP intercoms not only due to ease of installation, but also to drastically lower costs. Some of the outstations are nearly a kilometer from the control room, so digging up roads to lay cables would have been prohibitively expensive.
Barix Annuncicom devices are ideal for deployment over standard IP or Ethernet connections to multiple locations and can connect directly to a PC, or function autonomously with other Barix products for a PC-FREE solution. Professional applications include live voice over IP (paging, telephone, or automated announcements), intercom functionality, music transmission/distribution, radio broadcasting/EAS applications, access control, campus/building security, and general alarming.
Barix recently announced plans to expand the Annuncicom product range, including the Annuncicom 1000, designed for integration into complex intercom and paging environments with complex system architectures; and new SIP-compatible Annuncicom product firmware for seamless integration of high-quality audio over IP application with standard voice over IP (VoIP) systems. Both systems are especially ideal for building/campus security and military training applications.
About Audiotech (www.audiotech.co.za)
Audiotech is a specialized audiovisual integration company that
differentiates itself by constantly remaining in touch with the latest
technology in the field. Three years ago, their quest to develop
audio-over-IP solutions put them in touch with Barix, a leader in this
field. This was the start of an association that has seen Audiotech
become the sole distributor of Barix products in Africa. The group is
managed by brothers Lawrence and Stephen Bricknell, who together have
over 50 years experience in the audio and AV industry. With branches in
every major centre in South Africa, Audiotech has the resources to
service key clients wherever their business operates in Southern Africa.
About Barix AG (www.barix.com)
Barix AG, headquartered in Zurich Switzerland, specializes in research
and development of state of the art IP based communication and control
technology. Barix products are stand-alone and able to remotely connect
worldwide over standard networks/Internet offering new and improved
solutions to the professional audio distribution, communication and
automation industry. Barix products provide solutions in audio over IP
(audio distribution and monitoring, communication, security) and
automation (remote controlling, monitoring and maintenance).