Clear-Com expands FreeSpeak family with FreeSpeak Edge base station

New from Clear-Com is the FreeSpeak Edge base station, an IP base station that supports the full range of FreeSpeak digital wireless intercom solutions, including 1.9GHz (including both E1 and IP transceivers), 2.4GHz and 5GHz, as well as third-party Dante devices.

The FreeSpeak Edge base station provides a standalone solution for FreeSpeak Edge 5GHz systems, as well as support for FreeSpeak 1.9GHz IP transceivers via AES67 connections, previously only available through Eclipse digital matrix systems with an E-IPA card. The single 1RU device supports up to 16 total beltpacks and six IP transceivers, (10 E1 transceivers), with the flexibility to mix and match bands, as well as up to eight ports of IP interoperability with third-party Dante connections. With a mixture of IP, 2-wire and 4-wire audio ports, the base station can integrate a variety of systems, including Clear-Com Encore partyline and even two-way radio systems with an intelligent GPIO interface.

FreeSpeak Edge base station is configured through Clear-Com’s browser-based CCM software which has been redesigned from the ground up to improve the configuration experience through intuitive menus and functions.

Designed to be quick to deploy, users are said to be up and running with a transceiver and two beltpacks in less than five minutes. Other features include a default system set-up right out of the box, the ability to add transceivers on the fly right from the front panel and the ability to add beltpacks via USB.

The 1RU station features two full-colour high-resolution touchscreen displays with four rotary encoders allowing four talk and listen channels, enabling the station operator to be able to communicate with the wireless beltpacks.

“While many of our customers choose an integrated solution with wired and wireless elements all within one system, a large group are still looking for a dedicated wireless operation, often to link to other pre-existing systems,” commented Stephen Sandford, senior product manager for Clear-Com.

“While we have offered this kind of customer the existing FreeSpeak II Base II up to now, the requirement for an IP-based solution of this type has become increasingly apparent and the FreeSpeak Edge Base meets that need with its IP-based transceiver architecture as well as links to external systems over the most popular IP protocols in the industry.”