One way to optimise the work of security personnel, making their tasks simpler, faster and more effective, is by centralising all the technologies used to protect our facilities on a single platform. In this way, having video, intrusion detection, fire detection, and even access control in a single platform that not only unites, but interrelates these different systems, can make our facilities better protected and can provide us with additional functionalities that we had not considered until now.
Another technology that forms part of security systems and that is sometimes greatly overlooked is audio. The intercom and the public address system, if incorporated into the centralisation system, offer new possibilities to increase the security not only of our facilities, for example, by indicating to the intruder through the speakers that he is being watched and that the police are on their way, but also that of the personnel who may be working in our facilities. For example, if the integration system has a signal from a fire detector, or a toxic gas level meter in an area, from this same centralised system, a generalised audio could be played indicating to the operators that it is necessary to vacate the facilities.
For this reason, at SGSE we have worked on the integration of the GRANDSTREAM UCM6510 IP PBX in Milestone, so that both intercoms, IP telephony as well as the basic functions of the public address system working under the SIP protocol are also integrated into Milestone as a centralisation platform, regardless of the manufacturer of the IP speakers, videophones or video intercoms.
Management of previously recorded messages and live talk in groups of speakers and/or intercoms
The functionalities that the plugin incorporates are:
- Direct connection between Milestone and the GrandStream UCM6510 IP PBX device.
- Simple configuration of the control panel.
- Automatic import into Milestone of the groups and extensions configured in the switchboard.
- Display of grouped lists of public address groups («Pre-recorded message groups» and «Live message groups»).
- Playback of pre-recorded messages and live talk from the list of pre-recorded message groups, from the map and from the «Pre-recorded messages and live talk» tab.
- Conduct «live talk» from an extension.
- Configuration of the default calling extension in the GrandStream UCM6510 IP PBX.
- Configuration of extension types (SIP phone, Softphone, intercom or speaker).
- User event settings.
- Viewing the events.
- Extension status monitoring.
- Generation of «Unavailable» events.
GrandStream UCM6510 Configuration
For the plugin to work as intended, it is necessary to correctly configure each of the GrandStream UCM6510 devices that will be integrated into Milestone. One of the necessary points is the one shown on the following screen:
The previous screen describes an example of a simulated configuration, that is, it will be necessary to adjust these settings in each environment. It also allows the creation of groups of playbacks of pre-recorded messages and/or live talk.
The adjustments to be made correspond to:
- The name of the group.
- Type: Select the Intercom-2 Ways option
- Extension associated with the group.
- The maximum duration of the call:
- Pre-recorded message group: Indicate the duration of the audio.
- Group of live talk: Indicate 0.
- Notification of the IVR:
- Pre-recorded message group: Indicate the audio file with the pre-recorded message.
- Live talk group: N/A.
- Member assignment (select the extensions that make up the group).
Each “paging group“ configured in the IP PBX, corresponds within Milestone, with a public address group for the broadcast of pre-recorded messages and/or live talk.
The following screen shows an example of setting up a pre-recorded message group.
The following screen shows an example of setting up a live talk group.
Assign an extension
The plugin allows the assignment of a default extension. This extension number (for example, in the previous screen the field «Call Issuer Extension (default)» takes the value of 1005) will be used by the different events as the default when there is no caller extension associated with a Paging Group extension.
Configuring an extension
The plugin allows the configuration of each extension in order to assign a type of device. Currently, the available options are:
SIP Phone
Softphone
Intercom
Speaker
Each of them has a representative icon on the «Smart Client» map.
- SIP Phone
- SoftPhone
- Intercom
- Speaker
Setting up an event
The plugin allows you to register the different devices of GrandStream UCM6510 in the «Smart Client» interface of Milestone that allows interaction with users, enabling the display of events and alarms, as well as on the device from which it has occurred.
On the other hand, the creation of new events integrated with the existing ones and forming a structural part of the Milestone environment allows us to take full advantage of the potential offered by this manufacturer through its XProtect platform.
Thanks to the specific events that the plugin incorporates in Milestone (PlayAudio), we can integrate the statuses of intercom devices, public address systems and IP phones under the SIP protocol into the XProtect rules and alarms logic.
Rule creation
The following is the «PlayAudio» event that is preconfigured in the GrandStream UCM6510 plugin and allows playback of pre-recorded messages as live talk:
Configuring User Events
After pressing the «Test Event» button, in this case, a live broadcast will be triggered and will have its display from «Smart Client».
Thus, from the «Smart Client» itself, we can access the functionality of playing pre-recorded messages as well as conducting live talk. In both cases, it’s possible to perform the actions described from:
- The tree located at the bottom left.
- The icon of the group, through a menu that is displayed with right-click and selecting option «Play Audio».
- The «Pre-recorded messages and live talk» tab.
The next screen shows the tab «Pre-recorded messages and live talk» with two trees that enable the display of the groups depending on their configuration. On the left are the pre-recorded message playback groups and on the right are the live talk groups.
The design of this functionality as a hierarchical tree-like organisation is fully integrated into the Milestone environment. So, for example, you allow the change of the graphic line, as shown on the following two screens:
Live talk from an extension
Thus, from the «Smart Client» itself, we can access the functionality that allows live talk from a certain extension. It is possible to perform the described action from:
- The extension icon, through a menu that is displayed with right-click and select the option «Call extension».
Monitoring extension statuses
From the «Smart Client» itself it is possible to display the status changes in the extensions depending on the type of extension that is configured. The statuses are:
| Statuses | |||||
| Extension type | Available | In use | Busy | Calling | Unavailable |
| SIP Phone |  |  |  |  |  |
| SoftPhone |  |  |  |  |  |
| Intercom |  |  |  |  |  |
| Speaker |  |  |  |  |  |
Currently, the status check of each of the extensions in the GrandStream UCM6510 IP PBX is performed every five seconds.
Generation of "Unavailable" events
The following «Smart Client» screenshots show the “Unavailable» status of the extensions and the «Extension Offline” event log. This event occurs in any extension as soon as its initial status is «Available», «in Use», «Busy» or «Calling» and should be changed to “Unavailable».
Demo video
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