How to physically setup loudspeaker paging

[mitelrocks]

Hi. I have a client who asked me to install a loudspeaker page for their 3300 Mxe II. I have little to no experience in this! (newbie!!) They have a large area that they want covered (its like a small cafeteria actually). There is no paging system already except for a few page groups that I created for them before (a mix and match
of a few IP phones in their tech area and operator area). 

OK. First thing I was thinking to do was to purchase a 5485 IP paging unit. I know that this device acts like a regular IP device (is it POE?) in so much that you program it as a 5010 or something like that -- so you can just put it anywhere, right?   Is the 5485 a speaker too?  Or do I have to also hook up the 5485 to an amplifier and then to a speaker?

More to the point, anyone have a working loudspeaker paging system on a Mxe?  If so, can you help me in recommending components  needed in the paging system?    I know that the MXE II also has a built in E&M paging port -- I am not that familiar with how that works. I assume that you can just connect those leads to an amp and then to a set of speakers?

Would it be better to try to setup loudspeaker paging using the E&M port (the RJ12 page port) or go with the 5485 IP Paging unit?  Thanks!

[Southwell]

It depends what else you need to page.  We have a 5485 IP Paging unit and I disconnected it.  The only useful purpose for the 5485 is if you are trying to page to an area that does not have the physical copper pairs needed to connect to the amplifier and page over the IP network OR if you want to be able to page other IP phones in a page group at the same time as the PA system.  There is no option to page groups and overhead paging simultaneously.  If you do not need to page other IP phones and just use it for PA paging I would recommend programming the E&M module through the RJ-12 port.  It is much easier in my opinion.

For some strange reason Mitel has a 25 pair amphenol connector coming off the 5485 paging unit so you can use up a 66 block and space on your backboard, punch down 25 pairs in order to easily utilize 6 pinouts.  My only guess it is like this is to swap out a DMP unit.

The 5485 does not have a speaker and has an external power supply.  It is not PoE capable, must use external power supply.
In order to page to this unit you must program “direct page” and if desired add to a page group.  When paging this device the access codes can be quite lengthy and the user must wait 5 seconds after paging a page group.  I could be wrong but haven’t figured out a way around this.

2 scenarios:
EX 1 – Direct page unit by programmed ext number.  Press programmed direct page button + EXT or FAC + EXT.  So if you don’t have a direct page button you are dialing 6+ digits depending on config.
EX 2 – Page group in a group by itself or with other IP phones.  Press programmed direct page button + page group number.  So say you only have 1 page group (group no 1).  Press direct page or FAC then 1... wait… 5 seconds… then ok now you can talk.  I imagine it waits so long to make sure you are not paging a group above 1 digit(ex group 12).  Or if you are paging from telephone that is setup in a default page group of the same group number then you can press direct page or dial FAC + # key.  Still have to wait 5 seconds though.

Table 46: 5485 IP Paging Unit Pinout
Pin Color Code Signal
9 BR/R Audio output, Positive
34 R/BR Audio output, Negative
36 BK/BL Relay Closure (normally closed)
37 BK/O Relay Closure (normally open)
11 BL/BK Page Control input
12 O/BK

Or you can you use the embedded method going  into an amplifier and use a FAC to activate loudspeaker paging.  No wait and it is instantly connected to the pager.  We have a tone generator (Valcom V-2001a) before the amp because the Mitel tone is so short and almost nonexistent it cannot be heard before the announcement.

Table 26: Analog Main Board/Analog Option
Board Pinouts (continued)
Port Pin Number Function

3 Paging signal
4 Paging signal
6 Not used
2 Paging relay common
5 Paging relay NO (normally open)
1 Paging relay NC (normally closed

[x-man]

Valcom units via the E&M paging is good for this kind of scenario and fairly simple to set up.

[mitelrocks]

Thanks Southwell and x-man for the info!   I looked around and realized that my contractor wired the building for POE only. There is no copper (25 pair, 50 pair or anything)  between the cafeteria area and the frame room.  Oh, and the frame room is in the other building.  We have FX between the buildings. There are a few 5312 phones in the cafeteria, (mounted near the door, near the register, at security desk and also near the TV area).   Client wants just to do overhead speaker page to the cafeteria area and not to the other IP phones.  The idea is that person at the register or security desk can page overhead to everyone in the area (great idea).   This will be a direct page like you indicated.   In this case, I am sorta stuck using the 5485 IP unit??   So if using 5485, I still need an Amplifier and speakers yes, or can I just go with Valcom "wall speakers"?    I am still confused how to connect IP paging unit to an Amplifier or to Valcom speakers.  Sorry!  It is just as simple as punching down a few pairs to the 66-block (from 5485 unit)or something?   Thanks!

[LoopyLou]

The 5485 is only an interface to a paging system. You still need amp speakers etc. The MXe has a paging interface itself that can be connected to paging systems but again you need amp and speakers. E&M interface is only good if you have a system with a per node otherwise an MXe has no E&M interface. One other option I was thinking of was that a Mitel partner called Benbria has IP speakers as part of its Blazecast product. Wonder if you could just buy the speakers?

[mitelrocks]

Hey everyone.  Good news and bad news.  Good news is that the client decided to go ahead with overhead paging in the cafeteria/vending area.  Bad news is that is doesn't work!  I bought a set of nice speakers, a cool Bosch amp and got it all wired and ready to go. Went ahead and connect my IP 5485 to the local Ethernet switch, got it plugged into a 24V outlet, got my Amphenol cable connected and wired back to the Bosh amp and... and ....nothing.  Nada.   The Mitel 3300 doesn't see the 5485.   If you do a "STAT" command for the plid where the 5485 should be at (based on a LOCATE EXTENSION command), the MXE shows the device not in service.  I already did some Internet searching around and seems there is some problems with getting the 5485's talking.   Under User&Device Config, I gave a DN and MAC address to the 5485, and assigned it to be type IP 5010.    The box just sits there blinking at me, and I never see it get a DHCP IP address from the 3300.  I wiresharked the darn thing and it is just stuck in a loop asking for options 1, 3, 6, 44(I think) and 128-131.   Under DHCP I added in options 128-131 and still the 5485 doesn't get and IP address.    I kept DHCP option 125 in for the rest of the Mitel phones that we have.    Very embarrassing in front of the client as this all looked like it was easy to setup - and it an't.   Why in the world is the darn 5485 not working?   I thought this was a easy setup, and right now its not.  I am not all that happy with Mitel now, and the documentation that came with the 5485 was practically non existent.   Luckily I have the weekend to try to figure this out, but any help would be appreciated!   Client has 3300 MXEII running MCD 4.1.   

[Mattmayn]

Valcom also makes IP (SIP) speakers that my rep claims can be installed and accessed just like any other SIP endpoint and you can connect non-IP speakers to them as well. That may work for your application.

[johnp]

Are you using a vlan for the phones? The paging unit doesn't support lldp IIRC

[mitelrocks]

Thanks for the info about the speakers and LLDP.  Its too late to change speakers, as they are already installed!   Anyways - I figured it out.  After much internet crawling, I stumbled upon some posts that indicated that the 5485 needed an EXTERNAL DHCP server to get it literally jumpstarted. After the external DHCP server assigned it an IP address you can move it over to your Mitel IP network.   I tried this using OpenDHCP server. I have options 1,3,6,128-131  and...and..VOILA!  IP address was assigned to the 5485. I then moved the cable over to the phone IP network and the Mitel MXE immediately saw it.  If you do a STAT [PLID] the 5485 shows up as as 5010 IP and "in service"!   I was then able to make page calls -- very cool.   I turned the 5485 off and back on, making sure it got an IP from the Mitel Box, and it did this time!  So over the weekend I kept it up and running, and kept options 125, as well as 128-131 in the DHCP options on the Mitel.  I am not sure why the 5485 behaves this way for the 1st time out of the box.  I wonder if Mitel can explain this or answer if they ever tested the device in the 3300 environment.  In short, it works - so the client will be happy.   

[marcos velasquez]

hola y como se configura el paguin 5485 en la mitel

[Dogbreath]

you can press direct page or dial FAC + # key.  Still have to wait 5 seconds though.

If you're using the FAC you can terminate it with #, eg I programmed a CDE speedcall key with *371# to page group 1, the # makes it happen immediately.