Education
Discover Algo IP Endpoints for K-12 and higher education communication. With a variety of IP Endpoints, from speakers to visual alerters to intercoms, Algo offers VoIP solutions for schools to build an ecosystem for voice paging, emergency notification, visual alerting, and secure door entry. With Algo endpoints, creating a reliable and versatile IP communication in education is simple and straightforward.
Table of contents
IP Endpoints for
Education
Algo VoIP solutions for schools are critical infrastructure for audible and visual communication in education environments. Day-to-day announcements and emergency alerts can be effectively broadcast throughout entire schools and campuses using a mix of Algo IP Endpoints. Acting as a single system, a blend of Algo products from speakers, visual alerters, and paging adapters can be used to create a complete communication system to enhance premise-based communication in education.
Algo endpoints are 3rd-party, SIP-compliant devices that seamlessly integrate into most leading UC, Collaboration, and Mass Notification systems (see here for Algo’s list of proven compatibility). Algo devices are PoE or PoE+ powered for easy network connectivity and are multicast capable, expanding the reach of communication within any size building or campus. Common central provisioning protocols are supported, as well as TLS and SRTP.
Algo’s solution for school paging, emergency notification, and admin applications includes a range of IP endpoints that feature two-way talkback, bell scheduling, emergency announcements and notifications, and secure door or gate control with the touch of a button.
K12 schools, colleges, and universities require open standard network-based technology for building and campus communications to integrate with hosted / cloud or premise-based VoIP telephone systems. Leveraging the UC environment allows maximum flexibility for any telephone or device to efficiently meet common application requirements.
- Public address (PA)
- Bell scheduling
- Safety / security / emergency notification alerting
- Entrance communication at secure entrance doors, gates and other access points
- Playing music
Integrated Deployment
The Algo suite of endpoints include a wide range of SIP devices that seamlessly integrate into most leading UC Platforms. From IP Speakers, IP Paging Adapters, IP Displays, IP Visual Alerters, and IP Supervision tools, Algo’s IP Endpoints bring visual and audible alerting for a holistic premise-based communication system. Delivering voice paging, emergency notification, secure door entry, and even background music, together, Algo endpoints fulfil the communication requirements of most education facilities.
While each Algo endpoint category can bring unique services and features, when deployed as one system, Algo endpoints can create a holistic communication system to meet various communication needs. When Algo endpoint categories are deployed together, a single unified system is created to ensure the needs are met for voice paging, emergency alerting, secure door entry, background music, ring detection, among many other functions.
The image below brings together eight (8) different endpoints to showcase how Algo endpoints can be used to cover all communication requirements in an education environment. This image shows how schools, whether large or small, can use multiple Algo IP Endpoints to build a strong communication system.
IP Endpoints for Education
Deploying Algo endpoints together is an efficient way to broadcast across every classroom, lecture hall, building, or campus. With the press of a few buttons, education facilities can deliver effective voice paging, emergency alerts, or general communication in seconds.
Click the products below and learn more.
Classroom
Algo IP Endpoints are integrated VoIP solutions for schools that ensure voice paging and emergency alerting are effectively delivered in classroom environments. With a deployment of a single or multiple Algo endpoints, classrooms can easily receive notifications from day-to-day announcements, pre-recorded notifications, and bell tone alerts.
Algo devices are designed to offer speech intelligible audio output to ensure voice paging is heard throughout every corner of a classroom. Algo line array speakers ensure sound distribution is carried evenly whether someone is standing next to a speaker or across the room. The 8190 IP Speaker – Clock is commonly deployed in classrooms to establish communication, both from broadcasting announcements and through initiation via the backlit call button. The clock feature ensures students and teachers stay on schedule and can be used as a teaching tool to help students learn to tell time.
The Algo 8410 IP Display Speaker delivers communication in audible and visual formats. While an announcement is broadcasted through the speakers, the wide-angle LCD screen offers various display configurations, such as reminders, announcements, clock faces, and scrolling text.
Algo also offers various configuration settings and devices to enhance emergency alerting systems to create a robust communication system. The 8190S IP Speaker – Clock & Visual Alerter contains an additional element compared to its counterpart, the 8190. With the addition of strobe lights lining either side of the device, the 8190S brings high visibility alerts to classrooms when additional alerting is required.
The 8410 also has a row of LED flashers that can be configured to work in tandem with the speakers and display screen when an emergency alert is broadcast. In addition, where ceiling speakers are used in classrooms, Algo offers visual alerters, the Algo 8128 IP Visual Alerter and 8138 IP Color Visual Alerter, to complement audible alerting. While both the 8190 and 8190S contain embedded call buttons, for environments where ceiling speakers are deployed, the 1203 Call Switch offers teachers a quick button to press to quickly initiate communication with administrators or broadcast emergency alerts.
As ambient noise levels continuously increase or decrease based on student activity, Algo’s speakers, which are equipped with ambient noise detection tools, can automatically adjust to produce the ideal volume output that is appropriate for the background noise. During school events, Algo speakers may also play background music to engage students in school activities.
Hallways / Cafeterias / Common Spaces
A combination of Algo IP Endpoints can be effectively deployed along the hallways and corridors of schools and within school cafeterias.
A mix of speakers, displays, and visual alerters can bring high noticeability to any type of communication while teachers and students navigate through the flow of traffic in a school hallway or hear over the many conversations in a cafeteria.
Schools can opt for a selection of different speakers to meet the voice paging needs of hallways and cafeterias in their environments. The Algo 8420 IP Dual-Sided Display Speaker offers a comprehensive communication solution for voice paging, providing audible and visual notifications via a combination of speakers and the wide-angle LCD screen. Being dual-sided, audiences from either direction of the device can observe updates, notifications, and daily reminders from the display speaker.
The 8188 IP Ceiling Speaker and 8198 IP PoE+ Ceiling Speaker plus the correlating 1198 Satellite Speakers offer clear, wideband audio communication for hallways, corridors, and open spaces. The PoE+ speaker can power and monitor up to three satellite speakers, offering a financially viable solution as the combination requires a single cable drop as well as a single registration. Some large open spaces may require the use of the 8186 IP Horn Speaker to provide incredibly loud audio alerts for environments where even more noticeability and audio output is required.
Where emergency notifications need to be received, Algo speakers can broadcast pre-recorded emergency announcements or tones while visual alerters can be used to enhance visual awareness, alerting teachers and students of an emergency event. Buttons can also be deployed, such as 1202 or 1203, along hallways and in cafeterias to initiate instant alerts for emergencies. While the 1203 offers a seamless design, the 1202 is encased in a bright shell with a large button to be clearly identified as an emergency button.
Gymnasium
Algo offers a selection of speakers to meet the various demands of a gymnasium, such as reverberation, variable background noise levels, and high ceilings. Algo IP Speakers all offer wideband audio and contain an embedded mic to adjust audio output based on ambient noise levels.
Algo horn speakers can effectively deliver voice paging in loud environments, ensuring communication broadcasted is clearly heard through the various activities in a gymnasium, such as a band performance, a basketball game, or a school dance. The Algo 8186 IP Horn Speaker and the Algo 8196 IP PoE+ Horn Speaker, along with the correlating 1196 Satellite Speakers, are built with a rugged, durable design. In a gymnasium, the speakers produce loud audio output based on ambient noise levels and can withstand an accidental hit from a basketball or other sports equipment.
Where additional notice is required for emergency alerting, Algo IP Visual Alerters can be deployed with Algo IP Speakers to ensure gym occupants are made aware of an emergency notification or alert.
Door Access Point
Algo brings a mix of communication devices and security to school entry points with a combination of speakers and intercoms. Algo horn speakers are wet weather rated and can withstand rain and storms as well as impact from windblown piece of debris or from the toss of a ball or object. Algo horn speakers deliver loud, intelligible audio to ensure notifications, voice pages, and alerts are heard effectively in outdoor areas.
Algo intercoms offer a measure of security as they allow admin staff to oversee the comings and goings of the school. Admin staff can easily communicate with visitors and grant access with the press of a key from a telephone.
Applications for
Education
Voice Paging
Algo endpoints deliver effective VoIP solutions for schools, from small education facilities to large colleges. Algo paging adapters are efficient in bringing IP paging to any size school or campus, whereas Algo speakers can be utilized in any area of an education building, inside or outside, to deliver clear, intelligible voice paging.
With several speaker selections, the different Algo speakers can be chosen for use in different areas of a school, such as applying horn speakers in a gymnasium or installing ceiling speakers across a long hallway or corridor. Algo’s suite of IP endpoints can be used to extend the reach of voice paging and deliver clear communication across both indoor and outdoor spaces of an entire school or campus facility.
There are two main methods of deploying voice paging in an education environment:
- IP Enabling Legacy Paging Infrastructure. Deploy Algo IP Paging Adapters to enable communication through legacy infrastructure within a school or campus.
- Deploying Teams-Compatible IP Speakers. Deploy a suite of Algo IP Endpoints to provide an educational facility with a full IP-based communication system.
Emergency Notification
Algo IP Endpoints offer high visibility visual alerting and very loud audible alerting devices to provide effective emergency notification in schools and on campuses. The combination of Algo IP Speakers and Visual Alerters enable education facilities to deploy clear emergency communication, such as lockdown events, severe weather warnings, or evacuation notices.
Algo speakers deliver loud, distinct alerts that can be heard in any room of a school or campus, including gymnasiums and playgrounds, while Algo visual alerters and displays are highly visible and bring immediate attention to emergency events. Algo produces call buttons and other accessories that can be deployed with IP endpoints to enhance the swift delivery of emergency communication within schools and colleges.
Visual Alerting
While audible alerting is sufficient in providing loud, attention-grabbing alerts, visual alerting is an effective solution in school environments that are noisy or noise sensitive. Algo IP Visual Alerters are bright, highly visible, and long-lasting LEDs easily noticeable by an audience no matter where they are standing in a room.
With several solutions for visual alerting, such as stand-alone strobe lights, strobe lights as part of speakers, or visual display screens, Algo’s endpoints for visual notification ensure messages are effectively received.
Algo’s visual alerting endpoints are commonly used in schools and on campuses for a variety of incidences, including:
- Announcement in progress
- Lockdown
- Severe weather warning
Secure Door Entry
Algo IP Endpoints make it easy to monitor visitors coming and going from school or campus entrances. Algo IP Intercoms offer secure door entry for educational facilities to ensure the safety and security of students, teachers, staff, and visitors.
Visitors can easily be engaged in two-way talk with admin staff or school security officers at any access point with an Algo intercom. With several selections for both indoor and outdoor use, Algo intercoms provide VoIP solutions for schools that include features such as two-part systems, interactive touch screens, and video surveillance.
Algo intercoms may be deployed to secure doors for teachers and staff entry only areas or to monitor visitors who come and go from the facility or environment. Algo intercoms can be deployed on doors or gates and provide secure access control.
Algo intercoms are used for:
- Visitor communication and access control
- Emergency and non-emergency access points
- Office or room secure areas
Algo intercoms are outdoor-rated and come with vandal-resistant solutions to prevent tampering for schools and universities located in higher-risk areas.
Algo Products for Education
Algo has a wide range of IP endpoints that are certified for compatibility with over 60 UC platforms. Algo IP Endpoints offer seamless connectivity and functionality for use in education facilities. Functioning harmoniously together, Algo devices can provide an easy means for customizing schools and college campuses.
Explore all Algo IP Endpoints for Education here.
Collaboration
Algo IP Endpoints are highly effective for delivering emergency alerting throughout schools and campuses. However, for a more robust emergency notification system that incorporates the use of SMS text, Email, Social, multi-SIP functionality, and various other communication tools, Algo IP Endpoints can be used as part of advanced emergency notification software to make messaging easy and ensure emergency communication is received instantly by all audiences.
Together with emergency systems, such as Singlewire InformaCast, Intrado Revolution, and Layered Solutions, Algo IP Endpoints deliver reliable and effective communication allowing schools and universities to manage critical events and develop effective safety plans.
Benefits of Deploying Algo in Education
Scheduling
Algo’s 8301 IP Paging Adapter comes equipped with an embedded calendaring feature that allows the pre-scheduling and automated delivery of tones, bells, and announcements to be played over a speaker system. With advanced calendaring functionality, schools can effectively pre-schedule voice messages, announcements, and tones throughout the day.
For every calendar event, a message may be scheduled to play in a specific zone. This allows for scheduled announcements to be delivered to a part, or all, of an organization depending on its requirements.
The announcements and tones for each event are fully customizable and can be uploaded in a WAV or MP3 file format for up to 1 GB of storage space.
The calendaring feature works in network time protocol (NTP) for real-time display in the appropriate time zone. NTP also accounts for daylight savings time and will automatically change time, eliminating the need to be physically adjusted for each time change.
Multicast
Algo IP Endpoints are multicast-capable, allowing a single broadcast within an educational institution to be delivered to multiple endpoints configured to listen to that stream.
RTP Multicast, generally referred to as multicasting, allows data or information to be sent simultaneously to numerous IP endpoints through an IP multicast stream. Algo IP endpoints can be preprogrammed to be either a multicast sender or receiver. Multicast senders can initiate a multicast message and broadcast it to the network. Multicast receivers are programmed to listen for multicast messages, and upon receiving a multicast message, the device is activated to play a tone, flash an alert, or initiate a pre-recorded audio file.
Wideband
Algo IP Speakers are wideband-capable, supporting G.722 HD voice codec, and are designed to deliver clear and crisp audio. Consequently, Algo IP Speakers provide high speech intelligibility in education settings, ensuring optimal audio clarity for various applications within a school or campus facility, including paging, background music, alerting, and emergency notifications.
Embedded Microphone
All Algo IP Speakers are equipped with an embedded microphone which serves two main purposes:
- Establishing two-way talk between teachers and office administrators or between visitors and administrators.
- Enables ambient noise detection, adjusting the sound output automatically as background noise levels change.
Two-way talk allows administrative staff to be informed of all situations and enables them to share relevant information with the appropriate parties. The 8190 and 8190S are often deployed in classrooms and include a button that allows teachers to establish two-way talk quickly and easily with admin staff. This function is useful for event reminders or emergency situations.
The microphone can also detect ambient noise. In a classroom where noise levels may shift with different student activity, such as from excited engagement to calm and studious, ambient noise response technology enables a microphone to pick up the sound and adjust the speaker’s output level accordingly.
Device Management / Supervision
Algo provides user-friendly management tools to configure and monitor IP Endpoints. Devices can be managed individually through a web-based interface or in groups when integrated into the Algo Device Management Platform (ADMP). This simplifies installation, configuration, and ongoing maintenance. The ADMP allows integrators to oversee multiple schools in a district or buildings on a campus all from a single location. As a virtual device monitoring tool, the ADMP enables integrators to monitor and manage devices on the registered network from any location.
Regulatory Compliance
Algo endpoints offer effective audible and visual communication solutions that are helpful in achieving compliance with various regulations, such as Alyssa’s law, Kari’s law, and ADA. Learn more about Algo’s regulatory compliances here.
Professional Design Services
Creating a successful IP communication system for your K-12 schools or higher education facilities involves considering many factors. With Algo’s design service, you will have the support of the team to ensure your project runs smoothly for optimal performance. As part of the service, Algo will help you analyze your space, make notes of materials, and provide recommendations for optimum endpoint placement.
To assist with your setup, please check the following guides:
For more comprehensive support, check out Algo’s professional design services – Feel free to contact us to explore your options and enhance your project.