Bosch’s new Praesensa software release 1.50 is available for download. Praesensa is a IP-based public address and voice alarm. The version 1.50 offers, the developers say, enhanced connectivity, especially for large installations requiring multiple controllers and subsystems, and with more options for system redundancy.
System designers have the company says more flexibility designing large system networks. It is now possible to directly assign multiple controllers in large networks with subnets, which is very often indispensable in typical projects like airports or oil and gas industrial applications. Up to 3,000 networked devices and 10,000 audio zones can be managed by a total of up to 20 system controllers, while both master controllers and subsystem controllers can be optionally used for controller redundancy.
This EN 54 certified networked solution allows priority calls from firefighter microphones to any zone or group on the Praesensa system, giving fall-back options. In case of a connection failure of a subsystem controller to the master controller, the subsystem controllers will continue to operate as an independent, self-sufficient system.
Due to extended options to work with multi-controller systems, Bosch has made a new licensing system. A user now only needs to acquire one license per subsystem, with no extra hardware purchases required. The software allows the user to activate push-to-talk (PTT) messages more quickly when the call station is in idle mode, with a single push of a button. This is especially convenient when no extension keypad is connected and a handheld microphone is being used.
As for hardware, Praesensa network components have EN 54-16 certification, including the Cisco IE 5000 industrial Ethernet switch, which can be used as a backbone switch in larger installations. Both switches, Praesensa PRA-ES8P2S and Cisco IE 5000, can be supervised via SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) for direct fault reporting, and daisy-chained for greater flexibility in network designs. Overall network performance has been improved by the OMN-ARNIE and OMN-ARNIS audio routing interfaces from Bosch, contributing to EN 54-16 certified Dante audio routing for multiple subnets.
