Why Infra Red?

Infra Red was developed to help in those situations where RF solutions are difficult, if not impossible to implement.

Perhaps the best example of this can be seen in the US school market. The US has, almost ten years ago, passed the "Americans With Disabilities Act" that, among other things, mandates that students with hearing impairments be accommodated by providing audio systems in the classroom (it turns out that even the students that hear well are helped and learn faster by hearing better).

Schools of just average size can have more than 50 rooms that all need audio but there is no UHF or VHF system that will allow that many different channels to operate at the same time within the school. That's where Infra red shines. Each classroom can be fitted with a system without the problem of RF interference.

Since IR doesn't travel through walls, each room is a "captive" environment and the school can have an unlimited number of systems working at the same time. Additionally, teachers that travel around the school can walk into any room in the school and be "on the air" with the right frequency. When the teacher leaves the room, the sound stops meaning no embarrassing moments or overheard conversations. And, systems can be added later without the worry of RF interference.

There are thousands of school rooms and students that today depend on Infra red. Imagine trying to get the "16 UHF" channels working in 50 classrooms at the same time.

As can be seen below, the following benefits apply:-

1. Never needs any license - anywhere
2. Never leaves the room - this means instant security for sensitive information. IR cannot be "scanned" from outside the room.
3. Works well in normally lighted rooms - something that older IR systems can't do.
4. Works everyplace (not outside) without the worry of RF interference.
5. Is perfectly safe - the radiated power is as low as the remote control you use for your TV.
6. Does not interfere with infrared stereo headphones (we use a different set of frequencies).


In short, Infra Red is best used in any room, anyplace, any time - without RF problems. It is intended for spoken word intelligibility. An unlimited number of systems can be implemented in a multi-room environment without interference. Venues such as schools, churches, office conference rooms and business training centres can all benefit from Infra Red

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