Bosch Security Systems: A technology for all reasons

No single installation is ever the same. While in many cases there may be similarities, and always, of course, the key requirement of having a voice and being heard, different sites and different customers have different needs.

This is particularly true of the conference sector, where the customer base can be diverse, matched only by the diversity of the product requirements of the technology installed. A historic, Grade II-listed building will have particular challenges around access to power, and the requirement not to interfere with the fabric of the infrastructure. It might also, however, have issues around ceiling heights and hard, reflective surfaces that it shares with modern, glass-structured office complexes favoured by present-day architects.

This is where breadth and range of product solutions comes into its own, and the requirement for flexibility, both in systems configuration but also in physical product design, becomes imperative.

How do I overcome the issue of power in heritage applications?

Heritage sites present several challenges. High ceilings, wooden floors and other hard, reflective surfaces such as stone and glass cause many issues. Sound reverberates, and false ceilings and carpeted floors are not an option. Power, too, is often a problem, either because there are limited power outlets, or there is, similarly, limited access to cables.

In these scenarios, portability really comes into its own. Wireless technologies, for example, are the preferred option, since no cables are required, and they have their own power source. The introduction of new Lithium Ion technology, as used in modern power tools, provides a battery life for certain conference products of up to 18 hours. They are also less prone to degradation, and can be charged repeatedly for longer life.

Wireless systems installed in the historic Town Hall building in Leicester are a case in point. Some 85 wireless units are being used in the council chamber, but on occasions when they are not being used, they can be redeployed to other rooms throughout the three-storey building. They are even used in the room where marriages take place, and the same conference system that is used to ensure the congregation hears the vows also doubles as a speaker to play the Wedding March.

In heritage sites where power is not an issue, such as Oxford University, the need is still one around portability/flexibility. ‘Line-powered’ systems are more cost-effective than wireless, but there is always a trade-off with cabling if or when systems are not permanently installed.

How do I address the challenge of the more modern buildings?

Modern buildings share many common issues with heritage sites. Aesthetics are often important, and the technology must not in any way detract from its surroundings. Modern buildings often favour large ceilings and atriums, and materials used in their construction – especially glass and concrete – are not usually conducive to good audio.

From an aesthetics point of view, the ability for a manufacturer to be able to engineer its products and provide bespoke finishes is clearly important. Interior designers today may veer towards a brushed aluminium finish to reflect the modernity of the building; ‘traditional’ boardroom scenarios may require an Oakwood finish with gold trim. The system may have to replace a previous installation, even to the point of aligning existing screw holes, so flexibility in manufacture and build is paramount.

When it comes to acoustic challenges in modern buildings, a popular choice to use conference units with flip-up speakers because these provide viable directional audio.

How do I use conference systems in auditoriums?

Sites that are designed around an auditorium/theatre set-up again have their own challenges. Many of us will be used to the idea of listening to a speaker, and then a hand microphone being passed around the audience and back again when a question is asked from the floor. The difficulty
has often been one of limited space to install a suitable system.

One solution is to install the conference system in the seats. This is a route particularly favoured
 by modern companies – the likes of investment banks, pharmaceutical manufacturers and institutional bodies – where ‘aesthetics’ is a key concern.

An example is one pharma business that has a ‘press and speak’ button and a microphone installed, flush-mounted, into the arm of the seat, and a speaker installed in the back of the headrest in front. That way the delegate is able to hear and be heard with consummate ease. The use of modular technology – where the system can be installed horizontally, vertically, or into any existing hole or platform – takes the ease of installation to another level.

How do I ensure my system complies with the DDA?

Many of the larger sites – town halls, corporate buildings etc – will have loops installed for the hard of hearing. In such cases, it is usually a straightforward exercise for the conference technology to integrate with the existing loop. When no such loop exists, temporary neck loops are a viable alternative.

Both the Devon & Cornwall Police and the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service are good examples. Both use wireless technology, and for good reason. They wanted systems that they could use not only in their own facilities, but also to use externally, as part of their commitment to ‘talking to the people’.

In the example in Merseyside, a super loop induction solution provides a facility for the hearing impaired, which provides clear, crisp sound. Outside of the facility, neck loops are issued to those who need them so that they can take part in the discussion, and the Fire service meets its DDA obligations. The neck loops are very simple, very portable and very effective.

What if I need to record what is being said?

The need to record important meetings or conferences is a growing requirement – from local councils obliged to maintain records of major planning applications through to the law enforcement agencies recording minutes of critical meetings concerning national security.

With modern conferencing technology, recording meetings is now commonplace. Many have built in SD cards, for example, that enable speech to be recorded onto MP3. Such systems will also often be able to take audio straight from the manufacturer’s device into a proprietary recording device (eg a PC or MP3 recorder).

Typically there is still the need for a transcript of these meetings and again this is where modern conferencing technology can assist, with software specifically designed to enable archivists to find what was said, by whom, and at what time – effectively providing a detailed ‘log’ for each speaker and ensure an accurate record is maintained.

It is also possible to use new technology to display to an audience which way a vote has gone. The concept of an electronic ‘show of hands’ removes the possibility of contention, since there is a clear record of how each member has voted. What also helps is the idea of ‘flexible seating’, whereby an individual inserts a personal identification card into the conferencing device. This means that speakers can be ‘found’ wherever they may be seated in the chamber. Such technology is used to good effect, in for example, the Scottish Parliament.

How do I overcome issues with feedback?

Feedback is a common problem. Typically it can be prevented from happening (or at least limited) by intelligent design and installation. But there are scenarios where installers are obliged to work with legacy systems.

One such case in point is again the historic Queen Anne-style Town Hall in Leicester, which has columns within its council chamber. Attached to these columns are speakers that have been installed to support sound reinforcement but which add to the problem of feedback. Dedicated feedback suppression technology (Bosch has its own patented Digital Acoustic Feedback Suppression or ‘DAFS’ technology) now included in the latest conference systems dramatically reduces the ‘whistling’ noises that were previously created, and prevents reverberation.

Email: security.systems@uk.bosch.com

Tel: 01895 878095

www.boschsecurity.co.uk