Paging All Schools: The Benefits of School Intercom Systems
Every school needs the ability to communicate quickly and effectively with their staff and students. From daily announcements to threat responses, intercom systems keep administration, staff and community members connected.
Today, intercom systems are much more than hardwired pagers. Intercoms can integrate into your school’s security and access control systems, enhancing your ability to monitor spaces, respond to emergencies and identify threats. Unfortunately, external and internal threats are realities schools face every day.
Does your school’s building or campus need an intercom upgrade? Keep reading to learn more about the benefits and types of school intercom systems.
HOW SCHOOLS CAN UTILIZE INTERCOMS
Whether it’s for one building or an entire district, intercom systems can keep everyone in the know when it counts—throughout the day-to-day and in the midst of a crisis.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
One of the most common ways to use an intercom system is to keep students and staff updated on events, programs and more through daily announcements. Intercoms effectively send messages to entire buildings or individual classrooms. Many systems even offer mobile accessibility and text-to-speech, so administrators can plan announcements or send out pre-made messages from anywhere.
Intercom systems are also considered a school safety technology. The National Institute of Justice’s 2016 report on school safety technology found that intercoms were useful as a means to respond to threats and emergencies. With an intercom system, personnel can communicate with first responders, perpetrators and potential victims.
CLASSROOM REQUESTS
Teachers cannot leave their classes unattended, so extreme behavior issues and other emergencies can leave them in a pickle. With a duplex or two-way intercom system, teachers can contact administrators from their classrooms at the push of a button to quickly alert them of the issue and ask for assistance.
EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS
Life can throw us curveballs. When families are faced with emergencies, such as accidents or hospital visits, parents need to be able to pick up children quickly. Intercoms can contact teachers and students no matter where they are in the building, alerting individuals faster than an email or a few phone calls.
Gone are the days of remembering intercom codes, too. You can install systems, like the Bogen E7000 Series, with interfaces that visually map out your building, so all you have to do is select the correct classroom or area to connect with teachers and staff.
BELL SCHEDULES
Many intercom systems can manage multiple bell schedules across a campus or district. So go ahead. Create your regular bell schedule, your early release bell schedule, and your late start bell schedule. An intercom system can handle it.
ALARM CODES
School intercom systems can also be used to send messages about natural disasters, intruders and medical emergencies. Through alarm codes, you can alert staff of incidents and keep them posted as situations progress.
PLAY MUSIC
Your intercom speakers don’t have to be all work and no play. Put your speakers to the test. Whether it’s a Friday night football game or a pep rally, your intercom system can blast a power playlist that sets the tone and takes the place of expensive stereo equipment.
TYPES OF INTERCOM SYSTEMS
Every intercom system consists of one or more base stations and several substations. A base station is the central hub, often located in a school’s main office. In a school setting, substations could be classrooms and gathering areas like cafeterias, gymnasiums and libraries.
Though the communication capabilities are often the same, there are different types of intercom systems.
Wired. A traditional hardwired system is the most reliable type of system, and it often requires less maintenance over time. Wired intercom systems work regardless of physical barriers, like concrete walls; however, they may cost more than wireless or IP-based intercom systems.
Wireless. Wireless signals can also connect base stations to substations. Wireless intercom systems may cost less and be easier to install; however, their performance depends upon their distance from the source and the materials around them. Concrete walls and steel can affect the signal.
IP-based. Want to use your current infrastructure? IP-based intercom systems use your school’s current network to function. These systems are cost effective and easy to scale to suit your school’s needs.
Does your school need to invest in an intercom system? Or maybe you need to upgrade your current technology?
Whatever the case, our technicians are here to help you identify and install the system that’s right for your students, campus and community.
Contact Techtree Partners, your telecommunications experts in Springfield, MO, for more information.
