Page 15 - Security Today, March/April 2023

IP Networked Communications
Think about how we hear, how we are heard and are understood. From a young age, we learn to respond to a voice or sound. We all instinctively turn our heads towards a loud sound. Sound and voice add information to any situation, to help
us determine if the situation is dangerous, or if everything is OK.
In a security situation, the benefits of audio are numerous. Audio can detect noises that are not within direct view of a video camera and thus can prevent dan- gerous situations from happening. Some- one waving at you as you walk into a room could be misconstrued as them simply saying hello and being excited to see you. Only their voice and the words that they say and that you hear can help you to understand that what they really mean is “Stop! There’s danger ahead!”
Signs or other visual cues are effective, but people could easily become confused about them, especially in an emergency. Only audio can add “ears” to your “eyes” in any situation.
Specifically, audio via IP network com- munications allows a security team to cap- ture sounds (and information) that video alone cannot provide. What can your se- curity team hear, to help them to make a better-informed decision and response?
1. Names and other identifying information
2. A spoken language
3. Mood, emotions or levels of aggression
4. Sounds of a security breach, such as an
alarm or a door opening
5. Notification that first responders have
arrived on the scene
What are some of the benefits of allow-
ing your security team to hear and to be heard? With intelligent communications as a security technology, they can:
1. Capture accurate information from a
variety of audio and video sources.
2. Listen in to an area to determine the na-
ture of the event more quickly.
3. Make informed decisions regarding the
appropriate level of response.
4. Maintain communication with all par-
ties throughout an event.
5. Enable detailed post-event scene analy-
sis and evidence collection.
6. Have complete situational data for
training and re-training security staff.
A Peace of Mind
Another benefit of IP communication solutions is peace of mind for employees who may be working alone in a building. Solutions that have voice activity detec-
tion, also known as speech activity detec- tion, can detect the presence of a voice. The feature samples the peak amplitude detected at a microphone, every 30 mil- liseconds (ms) and converts it to decibels (dB). If the sampled amplitude is continu- ously above a trigger amplitude for a set duration, then the intercom can give im- mediate contact with 10 of the most fre- quently used numbers or functions.
Even more, a silent alarm or scream alarm feature can be used in a facility to handle persons that can become threaten- ing. An office can be equipped with an in- tercom station, plus an alarm button and when an alarm button is pressed, a special tone signal is heard in neighboring offices. The intercoms stations will then display the alarm sender’s location, and those col- leagues can activate a listen-in function to determine what is happening and contact security, if needed.
Overall, with IP communication solu- tions, your security guards can hear what their security cameras see. Employees and visitors can be heard, and assistance can be provided to them faster than before. Clear communications can extend your security perimeter away from a door, en- trance, or fence-line and allow your team to safely mitigate risks from a distance.
Extensive Use
In what specific areas in a facility can IP network communications be used? In manufacturing plants, high-definition au- dio solutions ensure that plant operators can communicate to the entire plant or to selected zones. Employees alerted effi- ciently, when an alarm triggers.
In buildings and facilities, audio and intelligent communication solutions pro- vide instant communication in an elevator, at loading docks, at the reception desk, and in parking garages, to help employees, visitors or vendors who need it.
In hospitals, audio and intelligent com- munication solutions allow access and crystal-clear communication to restricted areas, cleanrooms, and isolation rooms. They also allow quarantined patients in isolation rooms to communicate with staff without the risk of infecting others.
In a warehouse, delivery drivers can re-
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