IP PA Architecture, Redefined.
WAVMerlaud is not an analogue system with an IP wrapper. It is a ground-up IP-native Public Address platform — every component, every protocol, every design decision made for the demands of modern networked infrastructure.
Three Layers. One Unified Platform.
The WAVMerlaud architecture separates concerns cleanly across three integrated layers — management, distribution, and output — each engineered to operate independently and fail gracefully.
The WAVHub management layer provides centralised control, monitoring, and configuration of the entire PA estate.
Built for Scale. Designed for Reliability.
Zone Scalability
A single WAVMerlaud deployment can manage from a small 10-zone building to a national estate of 10,000+ zones.
Audio Latency
End-to-end audio latency under 10 milliseconds across the IP network, ensuring synchronised announcements across all zones simultaneously.
Failover Time
Automatic path failover in under one second. Dual-path redundancy ensures the system switches to a backup route before any announcement is audibly interrupted.
Audio Channels
Up to 256 simultaneous independent audio channels, enabling complex multi-zone, multi-source broadcast scenarios across large estates.
Engineered to the Highest Safety Standards.
WAVMerlaud is designed from the ground up to meet the most demanding life safety and public address standards.
Voice Alarm Control & Indicating Equipment
The WAVMerlaud management platform meets EN 54-16 requirements for voice alarm control equipment, including fault monitoring, priority override, and mandatory announcement routing.
Loudspeakers for Voice Alarm Systems
Merlaud loudspeaker endpoints are certified to EN 54-24, ensuring intelligibility, coverage, and reliability in fire and emergency evacuation scenarios.
Voice Alarm Systems for Buildings
System design and installation follows BS 5839-8 guidance for voice alarm systems, including zoning strategy, coverage calculations, and commissioning requirements.
Sound Systems for Emergency Purposes
The platform architecture satisfies IEC 60849 requirements for sound systems used in emergency situations, including redundancy, monitoring, and priority signalling.
Works With Every System in Your Building.
WAVMerlaud is engineered to sit at the centre of your building's technology ecosystem — not in isolation. The WAVHub open API and hardware relay interfaces connect natively to the full range of life safety, environmental, security, and building automation systems found in modern commercial and industrial facilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from specifiers, M&E consultants, and integrators about the WAVMerlaud IP PA platform.
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