Intercom upgrades for NYC co-ops and condos.

Most co-op boards ask for an alteration agreement signed by the shareholder and building management, the contractor's license number, a certificate of insurance naming the co-op corporation as additional insured, and a written scope of work. Some boards also want a method statement describing how the work will be done. We provide all of these as standard, and shareholders and property managers can request the package before submitting to the board. Approval times vary from building to building, so we plan the schedule around the board's process.

It depends on the system and on what the wire tests like. An audio replacement can usually reuse the existing 2-wire or 4-wire runs. For video, a 2-wire video system is designed to run on one existing pair, so a video upgrade can often reuse the old riser wire once it tests good; any segment that fails is replaced. Phone answering does not require new cable to every apartment: a 2-wire system can add app calls through a gateway, and a cloud lobby panel calls phones directly with no wiring to the units. IP stations inside the apartments need Cat5e or Cat6, and most NYC co-op and condo buildings have a riser or conduit path we can use to keep wall work to a minimum. You get a clear assessment on the site visit.

We check for fire door hold-opens and fire alarm connections before touching any door hardware, and we confirm how each door is tied to the fire alarm before modifying it. An electric strike sits in the frame and the handle always lets people out. A magnetic lock needs a free way out from inside at all times, and where the building's requirements call for it, it releases on a fire alarm signal. We pick the lock for each door around its use and the building's fire and life safety requirements.

It depends on the number of units and how access to the apartments is arranged. The lobby panel and door station work is one stage. In-unit handsets or monitors follow, scheduled by floor or in batches to keep disruption down. Where apartment access has to be booked through management, we provide a building-wide schedule in advance, and the written scope sets out the stages before any work begins.

It depends on the system. A traditional wired audio system needs no ongoing management: the handsets and the lobby panel simply work. An IP system with phone answering has an admin account held by building management and individual accounts for each unit. The admin can reset a unit's access, add or remove users and update the lobby directory, and each shareholder manages their own phones. We set up the admin structure during installation and train management on it before we leave.