Audio Gateway Walkthrough

Topics included in this article:

• Console Usage
  • Enable Audio Listening and Recording
  • Assign Enterprise License
  • Timeline
  • Device Settings & Details
  • Changing Audio Settings
    • Acoustic Echo Cancelling (AEC)
    • Noise Suppression
    • Audio Equalizer
    • Change Associated Cameras
  • Listening in to the Device
  • Speaking Through the Device
  • Playing Audio Through the Device
• Mobile App
• Policies
  • Loud Sound
  • Tamper Alerts
  • Glass Break (Beta), Smoke Alarm (Beta), Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Beta)
• External Inputs
• Unregistering
• Helpful Links
• Contact Support or Sales

Console Usage

Enable Audio Listening and Recording

After registering the audio gateway the first action to take within the console is to enable audio listening and recording. 

1. Log in to the Rhombus Console, navigate to "Settings," and click "Account."

2. In the "Account" page, scroll down to "Preferences," and click the toggle to "Allow Audio Listening & Recording."

Assign Enterprise License

An enterprise license must be applied to an audio gateway to utilize cloud archiving and record audio. 

1. Navigate to "Settings," and click "Manage" below "Licenses & Features."

2. Click the "Audio Gateways" tab along the top of your screen.

3. Click "Manage" beside the audio gateway, click checkbox below "Assigned," click the "Device Features" tab, enable the "Audio AI Analytics," and click "Save."

Note: If you do not see enterprise licenses in your account, contact your Rhombus sales representative or our Support Team.

Timeline

Captured audio synced with associated camera footage can be heard on an audio gateway's device page. Audio events can be viewed by clicking on seek points along the timeline.

Device Settings & Details

Settings & Details can be found at the bottom of an audio gateway's device page. In this section, you can change details for the device such as its location, name, alert policy, and enabled features. Click the icons beside each setting to adjust them.

Changing Audio Settings

The "Audio Controls" button, found to the left of the associated camera view, will display adjustable audio settings. 

Note: If external hardware is connected to your audio gateway (i.e., TOA horns, separate microphones, etc.), set your mic and/or speaker sources to "External" within this modal.

Acoustic Echo Cancelling (AEC)

AEC is a filter based on an adaptive algorithm that changes to model the acoustic path. The filter's output is then removed from the acoustic path signal to create a “clean” signal output. Any echoes in the calling environment are released.

Note: AEC only works with internal mic and speaker.

Noise Suppression

Noise Suppression removes as much noise as possible while causing minimum distortion to the speech of interest. Works best with a single foreground human speaker.

Audio Equalizer

After clicking the "Show Audio Equalizer" button, you can adjust the low shelf, three separate peaking levels, and the high shelf. All of these can be changed from +15db to -15db.

Note: We recommend making these adjustments while listening in to get immediate feedback regarding the impact of your selections.

• "Low Shelf" frequencies typically refer to the range of frequencies below a certain point that is boosted or cut using a low-shelf EQ filter. Examples of this could be reducing the booming of a room by cutting frequencies below 150 Hz or adding more sound to a person's voice by boosting frequencies below 120 Hz. Low Shelf: center freq 150 Hz.
• The three "Peaking" filters allow all frequencies through and add a boost (or attenuation) to a range of frequencies. The first has 2000 Hz as the center frequency, with the other two at 4000 Hz and 8000 Hz as their respective center frequencies. Peaking (1): center freq 2000 Hz, Peaking (2): center freq 4000 Hz, Peaking (3): center freq 8000 Hz
• "High Shelf" frequencies typically refer to the range of frequencies above a certain point that is boosted or cut using a high-shelf EQ filter. Examples of reducing the hiss and noise in a recording are by cutting frequencies above 16 kHz. High Shelf: center freq 16000 Hz

Change Associated Cameras

1. To change cameras associated with an audio gateway, scroll to the bottom of an audio gateway's device page and click the "Associated Cameras" dropdown menu. 

2. In this menu, select cameras to associate with the audio gateway. Selecting a camera will display footage from the selected device(s) on the audio gateway's device page and include audio from the gateway on the corresponding camera's device page.

Listening in to the Device

To listen to audio from a gateway, adjust the volume slider found in the upper left corner of an audio gateway's device page. If disabled, clicking the speaker icon will set the volume to max.

Note: Ensure your computer audio is turned up before adjusting the volume slider.

Speaking Through the Device

Click and hold the microphone button to speak through the audio gateway. Ensure the internal speaker volume is up so people around the Audio Gateway can hear what is said.

Note: To speak through an audio gateway, the video feed must be set to "Live Realtime" and not "Live Buffered."

Playing Audio Through the Device

Click the "Play Audio" button to display a dropdown menu of audio files which can be played through the audio gateway speaker. Click the play button on the left of an audio file to play it.

Mobile App

To view an audio gateway in the mobile app, tap "Audio Gateways" within the "Devices" tab and select a gateway. 

When viewing an audio gateway in the mobile app, you listen to the gateway by tapping the "Muted" button in the upper left, you can speak through the gateway by pressing and holding the "Press and Hold to Talk" button, and you can edit cameras assigned to the gateway. Tap seek points on the timeline to hear audio events captured by the gateway.

Policies

To create an alert policy for an audio gateway, navigate to "Settings," click "Manage" below "Alert Policies," then select the "Audio Gateways" tab along the top of your screen. For more information on policy creation, see our article on Creating and Assigning Alert Policies.

Loud Sound

Alert policies can be programmed to generate alerts when an audio gateway detects a loud sound.

Note: LUFS are a standard loudness measurement unit for broadcasting, radio, TV, etc. The acronym stands for Loudness Units relative to Full Scale.

Tamper Alerts

The A100 is equipped with an onboard accelerometer which allows for tamper alert notifications.

Glass Break (Beta), Smoke Alarm (Beta), Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Beta)

With our A100, the Rhombus Console can generate Glass Break, Smoke Alarm, and Carbon Monoxide Alarm alerts whenever the device hears an associated noise. For optimal performance, we recommend facing the A100 sideways and pointed toward the glass window or corresponding alarm areas, and be within 6-20ft.

Note: These feature are in beta. Contact Rhombus Support if you receive any false positives during your experience.

External Inputs

The A100 includes the following inputs:

• External Speaker
• External Microphone
• PoE

Unregistering

1. To unregister an audio gateway, navigate to its device page, and click the "Unregister Audio Gateway" within the "Settings & Details" section.

2. In the pop-up window, type "DELETE" in the text field, and click "Unregister." 

Helpful Links

• Creating and Assigning Alert Policies
• A100 Audio Gateway Setup
• Broadcast with A100
• Audio File Management
• Console Features & Licensing

Contact Support or Sales

Have more questions? Contact Rhombus Support at +1 (877) 746-6797 option 2 or support@rhombus.com.

Interested in learning more? Contact Rhombus Sales at +1 (877) 746-6797 option 1 or sales@rhombus.com.