Barix AG Intercom Devices Tapped By Union Station In Los Angeles

  • Jun 11, 2007

Barix AG recently announced Amtrak is using its Annuncicom 100 IP intercom devices for station-wide announcements at Union Station in Los Angeles. The scalable, cost-efficient platform allows Amtrak to use its existing analog infrastructure to stack and sequence outgoing announcements with Barix IP paging technology instead of replacing it with an entirely new and costlier telephone paging system with priority messaging.

Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc., Security Technology Business Unit, of California procured and integrated the Barix Annuncicom 100 devices into the existing infrastructure, with only basic rewiring needed to accomodate the Barix units.

The simplistic design uses five Barix Annuncicom 100 devices as inputs to receive announcements and one Annuncicom 100 at the output to deliver the announcements over the speaker system. Amtrak operators use traditional microphones to make their announcements, which are then sent over a phone path and into one of the five devices.

The announcements are then converted from analog audio to a digital stream. If the output device is available, the announcement is directly streamed to the output (where it is converted back to analog) with a very small delay. If the output Annuncicom is already busy with another stream or previously recorded message, the Annuncicom 100 stores the message in real time into flash memory, and sends the message as soon as the output is available. The unit is capable of receiving a stream and simultaneously play back a previously recorded message. The five-input Annuncicoms compete for the output device, and the system can easily be expanded to more inputs by adding more Annuncicoms.

“Barix was the perfect choice for this project because they were the only vendor that could so seamelessly implement modern, digital IP intercom technology into an existing analog paging system,” said Bryan Min, president and CEO of Epsilon Systems. “Barix was able to keep the product and integration costs to a minimum for Amtrak while also providing the customized programming that Amtrak required. The Barix devices and the simplicity of the overall system design means that Amtrak can easily and cost-efficiently scale the system to a IP paging and intercom solution to their needs in the future.”

Barix custom-programmed the units with BCL (Barix Control Language) code to meet Amtrak’s requirements of prioritizing multiple announcements as described by Barnett. The Annuncicom 100 devices at Union Station in Los Angeles connect to line converters at the input to accept the analog signals, and to a pre-amp and amplifier system at the output en route to the speaker system.

Featured

  • Security Industry Association Announces the 2026 Security Megatrends

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has identified and forecasted the 2026 Security Megatrends, which form the basis of SIA’s signature annual Security Megatrends report defining the top 10 factors influencing both near- and long-term change in the global security industry. Read Now

  • The Future of Access Control: Cloud-Based Solutions for Safer Workplaces

    Access controls have revolutionized the way we protect our people, assets and operations. Gone are the days of cumbersome keychains and the security liabilities they introduced, but it’s a mistake to think that their evolution has reached its peak. Read Now

  • A Look at AI

    Large language models (LLMs) have taken the world by storm. Within months of OpenAI launching its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, it amassed more than 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Read Now

  • First, Do No Harm: Responsibly Applying Artificial Intelligence

    It was 2022 when early LLMs (Large Language Models) brought the term “AI” into mainstream public consciousness and since then, we’ve seen security corporations and integrators attempt to develop their solutions and sales pitches around the biggest tech boom of the 21st century. However, not all “artificial intelligence” is equally suitable for security applications, and it’s essential for end users to remain vigilant in understanding how their solutions are utilizing AI. Read Now

  • Improve Incident Response With Intelligent Cloud Video Surveillance

    Video surveillance is a vital part of business security, helping institutions protect against everyday threats for increased employee, customer, and student safety. However, many outdated surveillance solutions lack the ability to offer immediate insights into critical incidents. This slows down investigations and limits how effectively teams can respond to situations, creating greater risks for the organization. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”