Public Address and Voice Alarm Systems

A Public Address system is mainly used for announcements and background music, while a Voice Alarm system adds certified safety features to broadcast clear evacuation messages during emergencies, ensuring compliance with global used standards such as EN 54-16 and UL 2572.

Yes, in practice these terms often overlap because they all describe the core function of delivering clear and reliable audio messages across a building or campus.

• Paging is commonly used for day-to-day announcements.
• Mass Notification is widely used in North America to describe safety-critical communication, especially for broadcasting emergency instructions. In Europe and other regions, the term Public Address and Voice Alarm (PA/VA) is more common, particularly in connection with EN 54-16 certification.

Analog Public Address systems use traditional wiring and dedicated amplifiers to connect loudspeakers. Although reliable, these are less flexible, and expanding the system often requires significant new cabling and hardware. IP-based PA systems, by contrast, run over standard IT networks in real estate. This makes them easier to scale, as new zones can be added without rewiring. They can also support remote management, monitoring, and updates, improving efficiency for facility and IT managers. In addition, most IP-based systems can integrate with other building technologies such as fire detection, access control, and security systems making it a more integrated part of a buildings’ security and safety design.

This is not recommended by default. While modern PA/VA solutions such as Bosch’s PRAESENSA are IP-based and can technically run on an available IT network, our default advice is not to use the existing corporate IT infrastructure, but to set-up a separate network for the PA/VA system. Reuse should only be considered if that network demonstrably meets the strict requirements for security, availability, redundancy and bandwidth needed by a life-safety system.

PA/VA systems are used wherever people need clear announcements for daily operations and reliable instructions in case of an emergency. Common examples include: airports, cruise ships, train stations, shopping centers, office buildings, hotels, schools, hospitals, factories, and energy plants. In many regions, a certified Voice Alarm system is required by law in larger or high-risk environments. For example, facilities with high occupancy, high-rise buildings, passenger ships, or transport hubs.