Auri Security Agility

Good and faithful Listen blog followers are well in the know about Bluetooth® LE, Auracast™, and the wonderful wonderfulness that is Auri™ — the world’s first complete assistive listening system utilizing Auracast™ broadcast audio.  

So, we know the many benefits and advantages Auracast™ offers and Auri™, in turn, provides an accessible, reliable, cost-effective ALS solution that’s easy to install and even easier to use.  For venues acquiring their first assistive listening system, Auri™ may well be the best choice.  Venues with an existing ALS, though will most likely want to add Auri™ to run in tandem, allowing their users time to migrate to the Auracast™ platform.  And that is the very reason that, according to the Bluetooth SIG, “the future of assistive listening is coexistence”.

Well, you say, this has all been laid out in a previous post, how Auri™ is compatible with all existing ALS platforms and can operate alongside any other assistive listening system(s) in place.  And you would be correct, sir!  Or ma’am!  Auri™ can indeed operate concurrently with any and all existing IR, RF, WiFi, two-way, and hearing loop assistive listening systems with no concern of cross interference.

But there is more to compatibility than simultaneous operation.  I’d like to address a very specific and meaningful aspect of ALS compatibility – privacy and security.  Or the lack thereof.

Beyond audio performance and compliance, the primary consideration when choosing an assistive listening system is just who should, or should not, be able to access the audio.  Some ALS environments are best served providing the signal to anyone and everyone within signal range, referred to as an open system.  Other applications need to limit access to those meeting certain criteria, thus a closed or private system.  Still other scenarios require restricted access and encrypted audio for a truly secure system.   So, in this article we’ll consider ALS user access as open/public, closed/private, or secure.  

A few common examples…

Radio Frequency (RF) systems function much like a radio station, capable of broadcasting a good distance and even penetrating walls and other structural boundaries.  This is an example of an open signal – anyone, with the appropriate receiver, can listen.  RF systems are extremely common and typically found in worship, education, and outdoor applications.

Infrared (IR) systems operate much like an RF system, but rather than transmitting as radio waves, IR transmits via light.  That signal, then, is restricted within a physical space as IR light does not reach beyond the boundaries (walls, floors, ceilings, etc.) of a room, and only IR receivers within the room can receive the audio.  Thus, IR systems, by design, provide a closed signal, requiring listeners to be in the same physical space as the IR signal.  That room-limited privacy is commonly used for courtroom, medical, and government applications.

Hearing, or Induction, Loop systems consist of one or multiple wires embedded in, and around, a room walls, floor, or even ceiling.  Only users with a telecoil-equipped hearing device (e.g. hearing aid, cochlear implant, t-coil receiver) within the actual loop, are able to receive the audio.  A Loop system is another example of a physically closed system.  Typically provided to benefit hearing aid users, hearing loops are often found in theatres, houses of worship, and healthcare environments.

Wi-Fi assistive listening systems are a recent addition to the ALS landscape, commonly providing one or more audio channels via Wi-Fi wherever that particular Wi-Fi network is available.  Our ListenWIFI platform allows the use of personal iOS or Android devices (with our free ListenWIFI app), or our dedicated Wi-Fi receivers, to access the audio and listen via wired or Bluetooth® earphones.  Sounds like an open system, right?

Well yes, but with ListenWIFI our software manager allows each audio channel access to be customized.  So, one or more channels can be set to open, while other channels may be set to private requiring a password/PIN for access.  Channels can even be hidden, accessible only to those with specific credentials.  Physically private channels are also possible as receivers can be triggered by a local ListenWIFI beacon or QR code scan.  Oh, and ListenWIFI audio is secured with TLS 1.2 encryption, so any level of access can be satisfied.  Our audio over Wi-Fi systems are popular in higher education, fitness, assembly, and hospitality environments. 

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled Auri™ compatibility assignment… 

We’ve seen that Auracast™ broadcast audio in public settings would generally have no need for privacy, as the audio itself is public and publicly available – think travel announcements in airport p.a. systems, TV audio in gyms and bars, Pocket Fisherman demos at the county fair.  On the other hand, there are many scenarios where the broadcast audio should be private, for intended listeners only – this could be legal or medical proceedings, corporate meetings, paying customers at an event, or even your home TV.

Well aware of the public and private capabilities of Auracast™, the smart folks at Listen Technologies and Ampetronic made sure to facilitate security agility in the Auri™ Manager software.  So, indeed, the access level for each and every Auri™ broadcast stream can be independently configured as Open or Closed. Open, or public, channels allow anyone with a compatible Auracast™ receiver to listen, whereas the Closed, or private, mode delivers an encrypted signal and requires a 4-16-character password to access the audio.  That password (“Broadcast Code” in Auracast™-speak) could be made available through signage, a QR code, or on a napkin scribbled with disappearing ink.  It could also be changed as needed and made available only to those cleared for access.

And for those keeping score at home, Auracast™ employs AES-128 encryption… as does the NSA, our military, and your cloud storage service.  

So, yes, Auri™ is compatible with other ALS platforms, but it can also provide the open, closed, or secure performance of your existing assistive listening system if you desire.

We agree with the Bluetooth SIG regarding the need for Auracast™ coexistence with existing assistive listening technologies.   But Auri™ takes it a step further, making sure to coexist and complement other ALS platforms.