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Audio-only support for third-party PoE network speakers

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Alarm.com now supports audio for third-party PoE network speakers, providing a crisp, clear, and loud two-way audio through the Alarm.com for business unified platform. Standalone third-party PoE network speakers can be installed alongside Alarm.com and third-party cameras to provide layered security and two-way audio indoors and outdoors.

Compatibility requirements

Important: Because these devices learn in as third-party devices, each speaker/horn counts as one video device on the service package.

  • One of the following service package options:
    • Commercial Video
    • Commercial Video Plus
    • Commercial Video 4/8/16 (legacy)
  • A supported third-party PoE speaker/horn connected to a compatible Alarm.com Stream Video Recorder.
Communication Protocol Onvif Profile S or VAPIX user enabled
IP Protocol DHCP (static IPs cannot be used)
Compression H.264
Camera Communication Type Ethernet (Wired)
Note: Third-party devices are compatible with the ADC-SVR210 and the 20XXP and 21XXP pro series CSVRs.

Key features

  • Compatible with the same ONVIF and VAPIX communication protocols as third-party cameras
  • Crisp, clear, and loud two-way audio
  • PoE network speakers are currently only accessible on the Alarm.com customer website
  • Devices are flagged as Audio Only on the Live Video tab of the Alarm.com customer website
  • One optimally-placed audio device can work in tandem with many nearby cameras
  • Remote Video Monitoring (RVM) console support for Two-Way Talkdown through speakers

Pre-installation 

  1. Verify that all third-party PoE speakers to be installed function properly on their own and have a compatible configuration. 
    • Make note of each PoE speaker's MAC address, existing name, username, and password.
       
      Important: If the speaker requires that you set a custom password, do this before attempting to enroll the device to a customer account.
        
    • If a speaker supports more than one communication protocol, verify that an Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF) profile is enabled and make note of the ONVIF profile credentials.
    • Ensure the speaker is set to use H.264.
    • Ensure the speaker is set to use DHCP (not a static IP address).
  2. Verify that the customer account has a Commercial Video service package with the Third-Party Cameras add-on selected. 
  3. Verify that a compatible Alarm.com Stream Video Recorder is enrolled on the Alarm.com account. For more information about enrolling a Stream Video Recorder, see the installation guide for the model:

Installation and enrollment

Physical installation
  1. Follow the third-party PoE speaker's provided installation instructions or contact the device's manufacturer for assistance with the physical installation process.
  2. Connect each PoE speaker to the Stream Video Recorder using an Ethernet cable directly where applicable, or to the Stream Video Recorder's local network using an unmanaged switch.
Go to the Discover Third-Party Cameras page
Enroll the third-party PoE speakers to the account
  1. On the Discover Third-Party Cameras page, click to select the desired PoE speakers.
  2. Read Third-Party Camera Terms of Use, and then choose Agree to continue.
  3. Review features supported for third-party PoE devices, and then click Next.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to unlock and install the PoE speakers. You may be prompted to enter the PoE speakers' credentials if the speakers cannot be unlocked using manufacturer defaults.
  5. After the unlocking and installation processes are complete, verify that all of the desired PoE speakers are installed.
  6. Name each speaker. To get more details about a specific speaker, click its thumbnail image to open a detailed view.
  7. Click Next to complete the installation.

Using the PoE network speaker

PoE speakers can be accessed from the Live Video tab using the Alarm.com customer website.

  1. Log in to the Alarm.com customer website.
  2. Click Video.
  3. Click Live Video.
  4. Mouse over the desired feed.
    • Click sound-mute.svg or Sound to enable or disable the PoE speaker's audio in the Live View feed. Mouse over the icon and adjust the slider to configure the volume level as desired. 
    • Click Microphone to activate the PoE speaker's two-way audio capabilities. The icon will change to microphone with sound coming out when audio is detected.
      • If the microphone icon appears as muted microphone, the microphone's access is blocked. Click the icon to enable the microphone.
         
        Note: You may be prompted to enable microphone access in your web browser settings after clicking the icon. Complete the required steps within your web browser to enable microphone access.

Troubleshooting

The PoE speaker's two-way audio is not working

If the speaker is enrolled on the customer account and appears as a device, but two-way audio is not working as expected, go through the following troubleshooting steps in order:

Verify the speaker is able to produce sound on its own

Log in to the device's internal webpage and verify audio plays from the speaker. If you are unable to play audio from this page, contact the device manufacturer for further assistance.

Verify the microphone and speaker are enabled in the Live View feed
  1. Log in to the Alarm.com customer website.
  2. Click Video.
  3. Click Live Video.
  4. Mouse over the desired feed.
    1. Verify the speaker audio icon displays as enabled (i.e., Sound).
      • If the audio icon appears as sound-mute.svg, the device's speaker is disabled. Click the icon and/or adjust the audio slider to enable the speaker and set its volume to the desired level.
         
        PoE speaker audio disabled     PoE speaker audio enabled
         
    2. Verify the microphone icon displays as enabled (i.e., Microphone).
      • If the microphone icon appears as muted microphone, the microphone's access is blocked. Click the icon to enable the microphone.
         
        Note: You may be prompted to enable microphone access in your web browser settings after clicking the icon. Complete the required steps within your web browser to enable microphone access.
Verify the Microphone, Speaker, and Talk Mode settings are correct in Advanced Setup
  1. Log in to the Alarm.com customer website.
  2. Click Video.
  3. Click Settings.
  4. Select the desired speaker.
  5. In Settings, Click General.
  6. Click Advanced Setup.
  7. In Device Capabilities:
    • Verify the the Microphone and Speaker toggle switches are enabled.
    • Verify the Talk Mode setting is configured optimally for the speaker. Push to Talk Mode is recommended for half-duplex devices, and Continuous Talk Mode is recommended for full-duplex devices.
  8. Click Save if changes were made.
Verify the Microphone and Speaker are enabled in Audio Settings

Note: If you are navigating from the Advanced Setup page in the previous steps, you can use the device's settings dropdown menu to select Audio Settings.

  1. Log in to the Alarm.com customer website.
  2. Click Video.
  3. Click Settings.
  4. Select the desired speaker.
  5. In Settings, Click Audio.
  6. Verify the Microphone/Speaker toggle switch is enabled.
  7. Click Save if changes were made.
The PoE speaker's audio is choppy or inconsistent

If the speaker is providing audio, but the audio quality is choppy or inconsistent, go through the following troubleshooting steps in order:

Verify the Talk Mode setting is configured correctly

Push to Talk Mode is recommended for half-duplex devices, and Continuous Talk Mode is recommended for full-duplex devices. Using the incorrect mode (i.e., Continuous Talk Mode for a half-duplex device) can lead to choppy or inconsistent audio.

  1. Log in to the Alarm.com customer website.
  2. Click Video.
  3. Click Settings.
  4. Select the desired speaker.
  5. In Settings, Click General.
  6. Click Advanced Setup.
  7. In Device Capabilities, verify the Talk Mode setting is configured optimally for the speaker.
    • Push to Talk Mode is recommended for half-duplex devices.
    • Continuous Talk Mode is recommended for full-duplex devices.
  8. Click Save if changes were made.
Verify microphone inputs on the device's internal settings page

Log in to the device's internal settings webpage and verify that any microphone inputs are set to use 711µ.

The PoE speaker's Live View feed is not fully loading
Verify Microphone and Speaker settings are enabled in Advanced Setup
  1. Log in to the Alarm.com customer website.
  2. Click Video.
  3. Click Settings.
  4. Select the desired speaker.
  5. In Settings, Click General.
  6. Click Advanced Setup.
  7. In Device Capabilities, verify the the Microphone and Speaker toggle switches are enabled.
  8. Click Save if changes were made.

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