Barix Speeds and Simplifies IP Speaker Installations with New Remote Configuration Toolset

IP audio innovator Barix has added a powerful new remote configuration toolset in its award-winning IP Former analog-to-IP speaker upgrade solution that makes multi-unit installation faster and easier. Built into each IP Former device and accessible through a web browser, the new toolset enables efficient, centralized configuration of all IP Former units on the same network.
The IP Former hardware transforms analog loudspeakers into feature-rich, networked IP speakers. The cost-efficient device provides an IP network interface, audio stream decoder, and amplifier front-end for a two- to eight-ohm speaker, with power supplied over PoE to minimize cabling requirements. Current analog speaker installations can be retrofitted by simply swapping their transformers with IP Former units, maximizing the lifespan of customers’ existing investments.
The new toolset enables installers to efficiently configure any number of IP Former devices – from two to hundreds of units – at once from a single, intuitive dashboard. A grid view displays all IP Former devices on the network, their settings, and the active stream on each unit for easy visualization and validation of the deployment.
Installers can quickly assign devices to grouped zones and specify multiple, prioritized source streams for each unit – for example, an incoming Secure SIP call can override background music playback – as well as the relative volume of each stream. Settings can be copied from one IP Former device to multiple others simultaneously to significantly speed up multi-unit configuration. Finally, an interface button next to each device in the list triggers audible playback of a test sound on the corresponding unit – a simple yet valuable feature when installers are configuring many speakers at the same time and need to verify which one is which.
“With IP Former, we created new opportunities for systems integrators to offer their customers an upgrade to IP-based audio without discarding their current speakers,” said Davide Nossa, Product Manager, Barix. “With the new installer toolset, we’ve made it even faster and easier for them to implement IP Former deployments, saving both themselves and their clients time and money. The remote configuration capabilities also make it easy for end-customer AV or IT managers to update the devices’ settings in the future as their IP audio needs evolve.”
The new remote installation toolset will be included standard in all new IP Former devices and is available immediately as a firmware upgrade for existing units. To learn more about IP Former, please visit barix.com/ip-former.
Barix: We Move Audio (www.barix.com)
Barix supplies simple and reliable solutions and components to systems integrators and end users worldwide. We move high-quality audio across IP networks, adding value to customer solutions for nearly two decades with hundreds of thousands of devices installed worldwide. Background music distribution with dynamic advertising insertion for retail shops, bars and hotels; public address solutions for schools and public spaces; and intercom and entry systems for facility surveillance, protection and security are among the many applications of Barix solutions. Barix also supports OEM projects for a number of Global 500 listed companies serving many industries worldwide.