Client:

Thorndon Primary School in New Zealand was up for refurbishment and needed an up-to-date audio communication system that would help meet the needs of the school today and for years to come.

Previously at Thorndon Primary School, there was only a fire bell installed which was being used incorrectly as a class-change bell timing system to mark beginning and end times of lessons and break times. This was a basic and outdated form of communication. The bell had to be manually activated and made a harsh intrusive sound; there was also no sound system in place therefore there was no way of making any announcements. So when the opportunity arrived for a new communication system the network audio system from Axis Communications was chosen.

System Requirements: 

In response to the need to modernise the communication system to network audio technology, Thorndon Primary School called upon audio system experts Pure Tech to specify and install a through-school system which would meet their needs for day-to-day public address, as well as providing an emergency communication system to support a Lockdown Procedure.

The Solution:

The audio system consists of internal speakers that are flush mounted into the ceiling, external horn speakers to give coverage to the outdoor playing areas and a programmable microphone system at reception with a centralised console using the browser-based Axis Audio Management software.

Through the Axis Audio Management software pre-recorded announcements/sounds can be scheduled in advance, they can also be modified easily for example if there are time table changes for any reason.

Using the Axis system, announcements can also be made to specific zones (for example to the whole school or to a group of certain classrooms). Another benefit of the system’s zoning capabilities is that the speakers can all be individually managed for their volume level. This has been beneficial to prevent noise pollution into neighbouring properties.

Looking to the future, school lockdown systems are becoming more and more standard. The Axis system works great for these situations as you can select and activate the appropriate signal/messages rapidly and effectively.

The Axis system uses IP network with power and signal over Ethernet, this keeps the maintenance simple as well as making it easy to add/replace speakers when required. Overall the Axis audio system used in Thorndon Primary has been a great success. No longer is the fire bell sound being used for every end and start of lessons and no more manual activation each time the school needs a bell sound! Instead it is all managed through Axis audio management. A simple easy-to-use solution with lots of flexibility and ability to add to in the future if needed.