Bosch showcased a powerful evolution in building and campus audio system design at ISC West 2025: the Praesensa platform. In a conversation between Preston Stevenson of Bosch and Tom Fontana of Chesapeake and Midlantic Marketing, the spotlight was on how Praesensa integrates background music, public address, mass notification, and fire evacuation—all on one speaker and cable infrastructure.
A Single System, Multiple Functions
“One of the biggest questions I get is, how can we reduce our installation and infrastructure costs?” Tom began. “You needed speakers for music, speakers for paging, and then for mass notification, more speakers. Can Bosch do that a little bit easier today?”
Preston answered confidently, “Absolutely. And I think that’s one of the great parts with Praesensa. It originally came out as a public address paging system, but now we’ve expanded it with UL 2572 certification for mass notification and UL 864 for fire evacuation.”
This means facilities no longer need separate systems to comply with code requirements to deliver clear, prioritized messages in an emergency. A single infrastructure that is both UL 2572 and UL 864 can now do it all: PREASENSA by Bosch
Smarter Supervision and Redundancy
Preston demonstrated a common scenario: playing background music over the system, then simulating a speaker fault. The Praesensa system didn’t just detect the issue—it reported it to both the fire system and the central PA monitoring interface.
“We’re getting health supervision of both our mass notification and fire evacuation system, as well as our paging system,” he noted. “So, one speaker, one line—fully monitored.”
Tom summed it up well: “Now you’re able to utilize one set of speakers instead of two or three, with less infrastructure.”
Preston added, “I always say, we’re not making Swiss cheese in the ceiling. We’re putting one speaker instead of two.” This reduction also applies to cable runs—facilities can now rely on a standard two-conductor speaker cable, eliminating the need for separate wiring paths for fire and paging.
Seamless Prioritization and Control
When Tom pulled a fire alarm pull station during the demo, a live evacuation message immediately played through the system. Paging and background music were paused and held until the fire event cleared.
“You heard that we were in a fire evacuation mode,” Preston explained. “I didn’t have the ability to do general paging until the system became free. That’s because fire takes priority over everything else.”
This native prioritization eliminates the need for legacy workarounds where the fire panel had to tell the PA system to mute. With Praesensa, all priorities are handled within the system itself.
End-to-End Supervision, No Single Point of Failure
Another standout feature of the Praesensa platform is full-system supervision—from microphone capsule to speaker wire. “If I cut this microphone cable or break the button off, it’s going to report that as a fault,” said Preston. “There’s no single point of failure.”
That level of resiliency gives facility managers and life safety teams confidence that their systems will perform when it matters most—without guesswork or blind spots.
Built for Versatility and Compliance
Praesensa isn’t just a unification of systems—it’s a certified platform ready to meet today’s life safety and communication needs while cutting costs for integrators and end-users alike. With UL 2572 and UL 864 certifications, it’s ready to serve environments where safety, compliance, and clarity are non-negotiable.
Bosch’s Praesensa is more than an audio system—it’s a strategic shift toward convergence, simplicity, and reliability. By combining what used to require multiple systems and independent infrastructures, Praesensa helps reduce installation complexity and cost without compromising performance.
And this innovation isn’t limited to large campuses or new buildings. Whether you're outfitting a healthcare facility, commercial high-rise, government office, or educational institution, The Praesensa all-in-one platform provides scalable, certifiable communication for any environment.
As Preston concluded, “We’re simplifying infrastructure without sacrificing safety—and that’s what integrated life safety systems should be all about.”
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