Intercom systems in the Bronx, and lobby doors that lock again.
Video intercoms for Bronx pre-war apartment buildings, co-op and condo complexes, and row houses. 2-wire video on tested riser wire, a panel in every lobby on one directory, and a release tested at every door until it closes and latches.
- 1Street door and vestibule
- 2Lobby door
- 3Courtyard gate, where the building has a garden court
- 4Cellar and service door
- 1A lobby for each building
- 2Garage and parking entrances
- 3Management or security office
- 4Package and service rooms
- 1Front door, often up a short stoop
- 2Separate doors for each household in two-family houses
- 3Yard gate or driveway
Highlights show where each building type is common, not the only places we work. We install intercoms in every Bronx neighborhood.
Big lobbies, garden courts and doors that have to latch.
Grand Concourse apartment houses, courtyard complexes, heavy entrance doors, multi-building co-ops, historic districts and two-family homes.
Five- and six-story apartment houses
The Landmarks Preservation Commission describes the five- and six-story apartment house as the main building type along the Grand Concourse, many in the Art Deco and Moderne styles. Their lobbies and vestibules need a panel sized to the entrance.
Garden courts and gates
Some Bronx apartment complexes are built around large interior garden courts. A gate into the court can get its own station and electric lock, released on its own relay before the lobby door.
Heavy lobby doors that must latch
An entrance door only locks if the closer brings it all the way shut and the latch drops into the strike. We check the closer and the strike alignment at every door we connect.
Large co-op and condo complexes
Complexes such as Co-op City and Parkchester have many buildings and many lobbies. Each lobby panel lists its own building, and the management office can keep every entrance on one dashboard.
Historic districts
Grand Concourse, Mott Haven, Longwood, Fieldston and Riverdale all have historic districts. In a landmarked building or historic district, exterior work may still need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval.
Row houses and two-family homes
In Mott Haven, Longwood, Morris Park and Throggs Neck, many homes have two households. Each gets its own button and its own monitor or app, and each door releases on its own relay.
The panel can work perfectly and the door still not lock.
An intercom only secures an entrance if the door closes and latches after every visitor. Pick a case to see what the closer, the latch and the strike are doing.
The closer pulls the door all the way shut, the latch drops into the strike, and the door is locked again without anyone touching it.
A worn or badly adjusted closer leaves the door an inch open. The intercom still rings, but the entrance is unlocked for anyone who pushes.
The door looks shut, but the latch rests on the lip of the strike instead of dropping in. A door switch alone reports closed; a strike with a latch monitor reports the latch is out.
A resident presses Door: the relay powers the strike for a few seconds, the visitor pushes through, the closer brings the door back and the latch locks it again.
- Closer
- Door switch
- Relay
- Pulls the door fully shut from any angle
- Too weak to finish the swing
- Reports closed
- On for a few seconds, then off
- Latch
- Latch monitor
- Strike
- In the keeper, door locked
- Never reaches the strike
- Reports the latch is out
- Fail-secure: released only while powered
- Signals
- Fix
- Test
- Door switch closed, latch monitor in
- Adjust or replace the closer, then test again
- Realign the strike to the latch
- We run this cycle at every door we connect
Large pre-war apartment buildings and complexes make up much of the intercom work in the Bronx, and the entrance door matters as much as the panel.
Under New York Multiple Dwelling Law section 50-a, an apartment building erected or converted after January 1, 1968 with eight or more apartments must have an intercom at the main entrance, along with self-closing, self-locking entrance doors. This is general information, not legal advice. Read the NYC building security compliance guide.
In a landmarked building or historic district, exterior work may still need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Bronx districts include Grand Concourse, Mott Haven, Mott Haven East, Longwood, Fieldston, Riverdale, Clay Avenue and Morris Avenue.
- New York State Senate, Consolidated Laws of New York: Multiple Dwelling Law section 50-a, Entrance doors and locks
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission: Historic District Maps, the Bronx
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission: Grand Concourse Historic District Designation Report (October 25, 2011), on five- and six-story apartment houses, Art Deco and Moderne styles, elevator apartment houses and garden courts
What goes into a Bronx intercom job.
The panel, the wire and the door hardware are one system. We test them together.
Lobby panel
Video · directoryA video door station with a wide-angle camera, a directory that fits the building, and an IP rating for weather and an IK rating for impact at a street door.
Door release hardware
Strike · maglockAn electric strike in the frame, with a latch monitor where the building wants to know the door is latched, or a magnetic lock on the header with an exit sensor. We pick the lock for each door around its use and the building's fire and life safety requirements. A magnetic lock needs a free way out from inside at all times.
Closer and alignment check
At every doorBefore a release is called done, the door has to close and latch on its own from any angle. A closer or strike that needs work is noted in writing.
Lock power and relays
Low voltageA separate low-voltage power supply for the locks, with one relay per door, so a court gate and a lobby door release on their own. Power work is coordinated with the electrician.
Wiring
2-wire · Cat6Existing riser station wire for 2-wire video once it tests good, or Cat6 with PoE for IP stations, each run within the 100 m channel limit. Every penetration we make through a fire-rated wall or floor is fire-stopped.
Answering and records
Station · app · logIn-unit stations or monitors, the phone app, and a log of door events at each lobby, with every entrance in a complex on one dashboard.
From a buzzing lobby to a door that locks.
We test the wire before planning on it, and the release and the latch before we leave.
Site visit and wire test
We walk every lobby and gate with the super, test the riser wire, and check how each entrance door closes and latches.
Written scope
Panels, door hardware, wiring and apartment visits in writing, including any closer or strike that needs work.
Installation
One lobby at a time, so the others keep working. Every door release is tested until the door closes and latches on its own.
Handover
Directories loaded, residents set up on the app or a station, and the super shown the dashboard and the door log.
What our clients say.
Word for word from our Google reviews, from homeowners, building staff and business owners.
"Really happy with Seneca Security. Their team clearly knows home security inside and out. They walked me through the options and put together a custom setup that fit exactly what I needed, instead of pushing a one-size-fits-all package. The crew showed up right on time, got the whole system installed in a single day, and the install was clean, with tidy wiring and no mess left behind. Highly recommend them to anyone looking for a solution built around their home."
"They mapped all my existing wiring and helped me come up with a plan as to move wiring to accommodate my televisions and set up WiFi to extend throughout my condo so there were no gaps in coverage. ... They also cleaned up the wiring in the closet so that it looks clean and organized. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Alexander and Joseph."
"They installed a 14 camera system in my store & an electronic door lock. Very clean job, very professional! Took the time to show me how to fully work the system."
"Seneca came to fix & replace cameras in the building I work at. They were able to fix the problem within 1 day. Great experience with them."
Bronx intercoms, answered.
How much does intercom installation cost in the Bronx?
It depends on the building. The price comes from the number of lobbies and apartments, whether the existing riser wire tests good enough to reuse, what residents answer on, the door hardware and any closer or strike work. We give a written quote after a site visit.
Can you upgrade an old buzzer system in a Bronx apartment building to video?
Often, yes. Where the old riser wire tests good, a 2-wire video system can run on it, so the walls stay closed. Where it fails, that segment is replaced, or a cloud lobby panel can call residents' phones with no wiring to the apartments.
Our lobby door does not always lock after people come in. Can you help?
Usually the cause is the closer or the strike, not the intercom. A weak closer leaves the door short of the latch, and a strike out of line lets the latch rest on its lip. We check both at every door we connect, and anything that needs work is in the written quote.
Do you work in large co-op and condo complexes?
Yes. Each building gets its own lobby panel and directory, and the management office can manage every entrance from one dashboard. We provide the written scope and the certificate of insurance boards ask for, with the building named as additional insured on request.
Can residents answer the lobby door on their phones?
Yes. Most current systems ring a phone app, and some lobby panels call residents' phones directly over the internet or a cellular connection. Residents who prefer a station on the wall can keep one.
Does a Bronx apartment building need an intercom?
Under New York Multiple Dwelling Law section 50-a, an apartment building erected or converted after January 1, 1968 with eight or more apartments must have an intercom at the main entrance, along with self-closing, self-locking entrance doors. This is general information, not legal advice. Our NYC building security compliance guide covers it in more detail.
Do you work in Bronx historic districts?
Yes. In a landmarked building or historic district, exterior work may still need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. A new panel in the opening of the old one, or inside the vestibule, can keep exterior work small.
What areas of the Bronx do you serve?
All of the Bronx, from Riverdale and Fieldston to Mott Haven, Hunts Point, Parkchester, Co-op City and City Island. We also work in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island and New Jersey, and on selected jobs in Connecticut.
Intercoms across NYC and North Jersey.
- Bedford Park
- Belmont
- Castle Hill
- City Island
- Co-op City
- Concourse
- Country Club
- Fieldston
- Fordham
- Highbridge
- Hunts Point
- Kingsbridge
- Longwood
- Melrose
- Morris Heights
- Morris Park
- Morrisania
- Mott Haven
- Norwood
- Parkchester
- Pelham Bay
- Pelham Parkway
- Port Morris
- Riverdale
- Soundview
- Throggs Neck
- Tremont
- University Heights
- Van Nest
- Wakefield
- Williamsbridge
- Woodlawn
Ready to plan your Bronx intercom?
Tell us the building, how many lobbies and roughly how many apartments. We reply with a clear next step, the same day when we can.