IP paging, public address and intercom built on Asterisk

Paging without the proprietary hardware

Traditional public-address systems are built around an amplifier rack, a run of speaker cable to every corner of the site, and a controller that only that vendor can program. Extending one means pulling more cable; replacing one means replacing all of it.

An IP paging system uses the structured cabling that already reaches every room. Endpoints are network speakers or SIP devices, zones are software, and the controller is a server running Asterisk — the open-standard telephony platform, not a closed protocol. Adding a zone is a configuration change. Adding a building is a switch port.

What the system does

• Live paging — speak to one zone, several zones, or the whole site from a console, a handset or a microphone station.
• Zones and speaker groups — group endpoints by floor, block, shop floor or shift, and page them independently.
• Scheduled announcements — shift bells, class-change bells, break timings and recurring notices, played automatically from a saved announcement library.
• Emergency alerts — pre-configured alert tones and messages that override background audio and reach every zone at once.
• Background music — stream or local sources routed to selected zones, ducked automatically when a page begins.
• Intercom and SIP — door phones, gate stations and desk handsets on the same platform, with call routing between them.
• Voice and call notifications — automated outbound voice calls when a system somewhere else in the building raises an event.

Who it is for

Schools and colleges use it for class bells, assembly announcements and emergency drills across a campus. Factories and warehouses use it for shift changes, muster calls and safety announcements in areas where a phone is not practical. Hospitals, hotels and office campuses use it for zoned announcements and door intercom on one system rather than three.

How it fits the rest of your systems

Because the controller is software, it can be driven by other software. A safety-zone breach detected by video analytics can trigger an announcement in that zone. A threshold crossed on an IoT sensor can raise a spoken alert and place a call to the person on duty. That kind of cross-system behaviour is the reason we build the whole stack ourselves.

The system is installed on site and owned by you, including the configuration. There is no per-zone licence and no annual renewal that stops the bells ringing.

Platform

Asterisk — open standards, SIP

Cabling

Your existing LAN and structured cabling

Endpoints

IP speakers, SIP handsets, door phones

Management

One web console for zones, schedules and alerts