The term 'VoIP' or Voice-over-IP is a well used technology in the telecoms world as more
and more traffic is routed over IP networks. But now VoIP technology, and the emerging
A-O-I-P, are being increasingly applied to non-telecom applications in the market.
HowToAV's system expert, Andy Short, joins us to explain more..
Andy, thanks for joining us again today to talk VoIP and AoIP and to explain how these
two similar technologies are being applied into the AV market.
Perhaps you could kick us off, by explaining the technology behind VoIP, and how it's currently
being applied in the telecoms market? Well, Chris, V.O.I.P. or Voice over IP, was developed
about 20 years ago. The problem with 20 years ago is the technology
was in it's infancy and the quality of service was very poor, you know, it was quite a poor connection.
Over the years that's been developed and improved
and is actually a very effective telephony system. A lot of the IP network, that view
IP traffic's actually been sent over dedicated networks, although services like Skype still
use the internet, because for personal use, that's fine. But you really need something
a little bit more stable for business. And now, not only are external calls being
made across the internet, but internal telephone systems are actually using VOIP now, as a
technology, so you are taking away your internal telephone system, your, perhaps, analogue system,
and you're actually replacing it with a VoIP system.
Also, as well, your old analogue telephone lines can go. So you're cutting down on things like,
line rental charges, things like that. Also, as well, with it being part of your data network,
being an IP signal, you can actually get rid of the telephone handset.
We can actually use Sofon applications on computers, so you can use a headset on your
computer to make your telephone call. And also, smartphone apps, you know you could
come into the office with your mobile telephone, open your smartphone app and that's actually
now your telephone extension. So in essence, your extension could be anywhere, you don't
have to worry that you've got to be sitting at your desk, anymore.
But now we're also seeing Voice-over-IP technology being applied to non-telecoms applications
such as intercom systems and door access, maybe..?
Yes, you're quite right, Chris, Door Access systems and Intercom systems are actually
increasingly using VoIP technology, again because one of the benefits is you can share
your cabling, with your data network, and also as well, you don't actually need expensive
dedicated door phones anymore. You can press a button on the intercom and
it can ring your extension. You can have things like video phones integrated with it so, you
press a button, and an image can actually flash up, either a video or a still image,
actually on a telephone somewhere, so you can see who's at the door.
And of course you also have the ability to integrate with other IP systems.
Things like automation systems, so when you turn up at the gate, press a button, it can
open the door, open the gate, turn a light on, send an email with your picture on.
And also, even, turn the heating on if you wish.
And I also believe that even some public address systems are now also adopting VOIP technologies?
Yes, they certainly are. Older technologies, analogue technologies, are not very easy to implement if you've got large sites or multi-sites
spread over large distances. You know, it can be very expensive, even cost prohibitive,
to actually do something like that. With a VoIP system, you can take your paging call
and you can feed it into a little box like this, so imagine you're in a bank,
in your head office, you can make a paging call and that can go to all your branch offices,
just purely using an IP network. So what's that product there doing, Andy?
What this product here is actually doing is actually taking an audio signal, it's converting
it to an IP data signal, so you can actually send that out, over the internet, you have
another box, exactly the same as this, at the opposite end, receiving the signal, you're
feeding that into your public address amplifier. This is only voice telephone quality though.
So therefore, I guess this leads us onto the emerging application of A.O.I.P. or Audio-over-IP.
So what's the difference between V.O.I.P. and A.O.I.P, and why do we need both?
Well, as I explained earlier, VoIP, through one of these devices, is only speech quality.
AoIP, Audio-over-IP, has been designed to give you a better audio quality. So, not only can you
send your paging call over your network, you can also send background music,
foreground music, voice reinforcement. Of course, it does use more bandwidth.
Another development, on the AoIP, is an AoE network. The idea behind an AoE network is you actually
have a dedicated IP network, for audio. It uses very little or, low compression,
and it actually gives you a very very much higher quality of audio.
It's normally used for stadium applications, music venues, things like that.
Finally Andy, using VOIP and Audio-over-IP for PA and background music is somewhat different, compared to conventional 100v line
and low impedance systems. So what are the key benefits of using a network
distributed audio system? Well, Chris, one of the key benefits of a
network distributed system, is distance. Your mic can be in one building, your amplification
can be in another building, your speakers can be in another building.
In a large site with multiple buildings, we can actually do away with the large PA central
rack system & put those amplification and speakers actually within that building itself.
In some situations, in some systems, you can actually get rid of the amplifiers.
Because there is an AoIP receiver actually built within the receiver, in the speaker itself.
So you can press a button on the microphone and it can actually go and page directly to that speaker.
Also, as well, sound sources can go. You know,
the days of the CD player, the MP3 player, the digital message store, where it was all
an individual item or an individual component, we can actually store that actually on a computer now.
With it being a data network, an IP network, the control is normally done via a computer.
So, we can use things like Windows Media Player, put all our music within there, and we can
actually then send that music out to the individual speakers or amplifiers.
And ofcourse that's all achieved using a data network.
So as a small part of the ever increasing 'Internet of Things', bringing Audio Systems and Intercoms into the network-connected world,
is set to be the future, of commercial AV. Andy, thanks for joining us again
and we hope that you'll join us again soon, as we bring you even more knowledge from our
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