Today, we're thrilled to announce Verkada Sound Systems, one of our newest additions to the Verkada platform. Sound Systems is a cloud-managed audio solution that enables organizations to manage ambient music and announcements from a single platform, replacing the fragmented vendors and hardware that enterprise audio has traditionally required.
A typical enterprise-grade audio setup pairs an amplifier from one vendor with speakers from another, a commercially licensed streaming subscription managed separately, a legacy PA system reserved for emergencies, and an entirely separate alarms solution. Multiply that across dozens or hundreds of locations, and a simple amenity becomes a tangle of vendors and support lines.
Sound Systems solves this problem, replacing the patchwork of hardware, software, and content vendors organizations have historically had to stitch together with one coherent system.
To understand the benefits, let’s hear directly from one of our beta customers already using Sound Systems to bring consistency to their in-store experience.
A Single Pane of Glass for Every Site
Once in Command, Verkada’s cloud-managed software platform, administrators can seamlessly handle everything from everyday ambient music to instant announcements. Every part of an organization's audio environment – hardware diagnostics, ambient music, and announcements – is configured and monitored from Command, eliminating the need for separate apps, local consoles, and vendor portals that enterprise sound systems have traditionally required.
Integration with Soundtrack
Through an integration with Soundtrack, a leading provider of commercially licensed music, organizations can stream curated music directly from Command, without having to manage external media players and separate licensing agreements. Administrators can browse an expansive library of playlists and deploy licensed music across sites in real time. Because playlists refresh regularly, spaces stay sounding fresh rather than repetitive, wherever they're deployed across a global footprint.
Instant Announcements
Sound Systems also lets organizations deliver announcements to any site in seconds, directly from Command. Using text-to-speech or a device's built-in microphone, administrators can send an announcement to selected locations in seconds. Using built-in translation capabilities, announcements can also be automatically translated and streamed sequentially in multiple languages to help support facility-wide understanding.
Streamlined, Enterprise-Scale Cloud Management
Whether managing a handful of speakers or thousands, Sound Systems delivers the same seamless control.
Devices can be organized into spaces and zones to easily target specific room types and locations with the right music. Changes can be made from virtually anywhere via the web or mobile app — whether adjusting volume, triggering an announcement, or switching tracks. Devices can also be added or relocated freely, without the fixed infrastructure traditional systems require.
Admins can apply changes at the organization, site, subsite, or individual space or zone level, and can see the online and offline status of every Verkada device in their deployment at a glance. Admins can also grant different team members different levels of access, so a regional facilities manager and a corporate IT administrator each see exactly what they need.
Hardware for Virtually Any Deployment
Sound Systems launches with two new hardware lines. Organizations can choose to migrate fully to Verkada with network speakers, or take a gradual approach and modernize their existing equipment at whatever pace works for them with network audio players.
Network Speakers
Verkada Network Speakers are all-in-one, PoE-powered indoor and outdoor speakers that function without a dedicated hardware processor, amplifier, or rack. The NS151 is a 4-inch speaker suited to desks, offices, and small rooms. The NS261 is a 6.5-inch in-ceiling speaker designed for discreet, whole-room coverage. The NS631 is a waterproof, 6.5-inch IP66-rated surface-mount speaker, designed to withstand inclement conditions in outdoor spaces. Each model connects over Ethernet, with the NS151 additionally supporting WiFi for instances where running network cable isn't practical.
Network Audio Players
For organizations with amplifiers, speakers, and audio systems already in place, Verkada Network Audio Players bridge that equipment to the cloud. Network audio players give organizations the freedom to integrate Sound Systems with any third-party speaker that fits their specific needs. The NP21 offers two line-level outputs for smaller deployments, while the NP81 scales up to sixteen for larger, more complex installations. Both models bring the benefits of cloud management to hardware that organizations have already invested in, avoiding a costly overhaul and letting them migrate to Verkada on their own schedule.
Sound Systems' audio pipeline supports lossless FLAC streaming, preserving full audio fidelity from the source – suited to both rich background music and intelligible announcements.
Extending the Verkada Platform
Sound Systems also extends the Verkada platform, providing additional, powerful integrations with other Verkada products. Paired with Alarms, it can deliver AI-powered deterrence, playing a warning message the moment a camera detects loitering or other suspicious activity, and escalating the message in real time if the activity continues. Paired with Desk Station, front-desk and facilities staff can queue a song, deliver announcements, or adjust volume with a single tap, without requiring full Command access.
Availability
Starting in early October, the NP21 ($1,199), NP81 ($2,999), NS261 ($999), and NS631 ($1,199) will be available in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The NS151 ($899) will be available later in 2026. Organizations can start a free 30-day trial, which includes one device and full access to the Command management platform, to experience the system firsthand.
For more information, contact your Verkada representative or email [email protected].
This blog post contains forward-looking statements. Please keep in mind that forward-looking projections are subject to change, including general release timeline, product features and functionalities, certifications and pricing.
