AV Security: 5 Ways to Prevent Unwanted Amplifier Tampering
When it’s time to select AV gear for any install project, one critical factor that should always be considered is AV security. This is especially true for systems being installed into venues such as corporate spaces, government buildings, crowded transportation hubs, educational institutions, or really any high traffic, public area. These systems need to operate securely to protect against breaches that could potentially affect safety alarm systems and other public security measures.
At LEA, we have always taken security seriously and feel that it is our responsibility to design and produce products that take extra measures to keep systems safe. That’s why we created our CONNECTSERIES amplifiers with five important security features that will give system integrators a little peace of mind, knowing that they have installed a secure system
Let’s dive into the details!
Bye-bye Buttons & Knobs
AV Security: 5 Ways to Prevent Unwanted Amplifier
When thinking of ways to prevent unwanted tampering on our CONNECTSERIES amplifiers, one of the most obvious solutions was to ditch any front panel controls. No buttons and no knobs mean no immediate or obvious way to physically change amp settings. Not only does this create a barrier for malicious intent, but it also eliminates any accidental bumps or brushes from making unwanted changes. Plus, it creates a pretty sleek looking amplifier if we do say so ourselves. 
Instead of buttons and knobs, we thought it made more sense to opt for a nearly completely digital control experience. That’s why our CONNECTSERIES is controlled locally through a Web UI or remotely through the Cloud.
*While the front panel is completely free of controls, the back panel does actually have a minimal amount of control options. All of our amplifiers have three buttons on the back: a power button, a Wi-Fi button**, and a factory reset***. However, each of these buttons has it’s own security measure as well (keep reading to find out more). Also, our 350 Watt and 700 Watt models do have attenuation knobs on the rear panel that can manually adjust the levels of the channel inputs. As added protection, we are currently working on a future firmware update that will allow users to disable the rear attenuators. You’ll be able to simply set them, then disable them within our Web UI.
**The Wi-Fi button is used to activate AP Mode. However, once AP Mode is activated, you can access our Web UI and password protect the AP Mode for that amp, preventing any unwanted tampering.
***The Factory Reset Button is very small and difficult to find (especially in a dark rack room). It is also recessed for extra protection and requires a very small object to activate it.
Press It Then Pluck It
AV Security: 5 Ways to Prevent Unwanted Amplifier
Another way to deal with buttons on the unit is to make them removable. While the front panel of our CONNECTSERIES amps have no buttons or knobs, we did want to leave a minimal amount of controllability on the back panel. One thing we left was the power button. However, we did design the button so that once you’ve pressed it and the unit is running, you can simply grab the button with a pair of pliers and pull it right out. This is just another security measure that helps minimize the chances of any unwanted power downs.
Power On Lock Down
AV Security: 5 Ways to Prevent Unwanted Amplifier
As an extra security measure against unwanted power downs, we designed our IEC Power Inlet jack to accept lockable IEC cables. While we don’t ship lockable cables with our product, the option is available for AV Integrators and installers to purchase their own lockable IEC cords and use them with our products as an added line of defense for their systems.
Digital Defenses
AV Security: 5 Ways to Prevent Unwanted Amplifier
With physical controls intentionally left off the amplifier, installers will have to turn to their digital devices to configure their units. Going digital raises completely different security concerns. But no worries, we thought of that too!
With our local Web UI, installers can access the amplifier controls from any web browser. Once in the Web UI, we’ve given you the ability to set a user-definable password for each amplifier. If you choose to set a password, it will prevent anyone without that password from making any changes to the amp settings. They could still access the Web UI to view amp settings and monitor performance, but they won’t be able to change anything at all.
Cloud Coverage
AV Security: 5 Ways to Prevent Unwanted Amplifier
Our amps are unique within our industry. They offer the only remote control and monitoring solution that comes built directly into the unit. This allows our amps to constantly send and receive data via the Cloud. Obviously, with data coming and going all the time, security has to be tight. That’s why we chose to use Amazon Web Services (AWS) as our cloud provider. AWS has built an unmatched reputation for security. By utilizing and AWS IoT core within our amps, all of our data is protected by encrypted 256bit SSL security from the amp to the cloud and from your personal devices to the cloud. That way you can have your head in the clouds while your feet are safely on the ground.
So, there you have it. Five simple security measures that provide you with the confidence you need when working on some the most safety critical install projects. And all of these features make up just a small part of the many benefits of working with our CONNECTSERIES amplifiers.
If you have any question or feedback about AV security or how our CONNECTSERIES amps keep your installed systems secure, feel free to leave them in the comments below or reach out to us on our social media channels.
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