Office intercoms that ring the right person.
IP video intercoms, SIP door stations and multi-tenant lobby panels for NYC offices, from a single suite entry to a multi-floor commercial building. Tied into access control, so employees walk in with their cards and visitors go through the front desk.
Ring groups, hunt order and the after-hours schedule live in your phone system or the intercom platform. We set them up with you and test every path, including the door release, before we leave.
One door station, wired into how your office already works.
The station at the door is the easy part. What makes it work is where the call goes, who can release the door, and what gets logged.
IP video door station
A camera at the suite entry or the building lobby, two-way audio and remote door release. PoE powers the station over its one network cable, so it needs no separate power run. The lock is different: it gets its own low-voltage power supply through a relay.
Reception or front desk
Door calls ring at the front desk on a SIP phone, a PC client or a dedicated indoor monitor. Reception sees the visitor and releases the door without leaving the desk.
Answer from a phone
Calls can also ring on mobile phones, for after-hours management, remote answering, or offices where reception coverage varies. It works anywhere with a data connection.
Multi-tenant lobby panel
In a building with several tenants, a lobby directory lets visitors call a specific suite. The building controls the directory, and each tenant sets up its own answering.
Access control on the same door
Employees enter with key cards or fobs, no call needed. Visitors use the intercom. Both work the same door hardware, set up as one system instead of two bolted together.
Visitor log
Every call is logged with the time, who answered and whether the door was released. Useful for incidents, HR questions, or simply knowing who came in.
Deliveries that skip reception.
A one-time code for a scheduled pickup, a Deliveries button that calls the mailroom, and a log of both. Pick what happens at the door.
A courier with a pickup types the one-time code. The door releases with no call and no interruption, the code is used up, and the log says who, which door and when.
A delivery without a code presses Deliveries. The call goes to the mailroom, not reception, and the mailroom sees the driver on video before releasing the door.
The same code typed again later is refused, and the refusal is logged. The display tells the driver to press Deliveries, so a person decides.
Someone sees them first
With video at the door, reception sees and speaks with every visitor before buzzing them in, so unannounced arrivals are met at the door, not on the office floor.
Locked, with a call path
After business hours the door stays locked. Employees enter with their cards, and everyone else calls through to whoever is managing after-hours access.
The door is an extension
If your office runs a VoIP phone system, the door station can register as an extension and call the reception number. No separate phone system to learn.
Add doors as you grow
Start with one door station and add the loading dock, a stairwell door or the parking level later, on the same platform.
What goes on the wall, in the frame and in the closet.
An IP intercom is network gear plus door hardware. We size both, and test them together.
IP video door station
Suite or lobbyWide-angle camera, two-way audio, a call button or directory, and a keypad or card reader where you want one. Mounted roughly 4 to 5 ft to the center, with the buttons within an accessible reach range. Lobby glass can backlight a face, so we pick a camera with backlight compensation (WDR) where the light calls for it.
PoE switch port
Power over Cat6Standard PoE (802.3af) delivers up to 15.4 W at the switch port, enough for most indoor stations. Heated outdoor or larger stations get PoE+ (30 W). We check the switch budget before adding stations to it.
SIP extension
Your phone systemOn a VoIP or hosted phone system, the station registers as a SIP extension and calls reception, a ring group or any extension. We verify it works with your phone system before recommending a model. Offices on traditional lines or closed systems get a standalone IP platform with its own app or PC client.
Relay and lock power
Inside the suiteA relay switches a separate 12 or 24 V lock power supply for a few seconds when someone presses Door. We put the relay on the secure side of the wall, so the release is not wired at the station outside.
Door release hardware
Matched per doorAn electric strike in the frame for most suite doors; the handle always lets people out. Glass doors may need a magnetic lock on the header, and a magnetic lock needs a free way out from inside at all times. We pick the lock for each door around its use and the building's fire and life safety requirements.
Cat6 home runs
Up to 100 mOne Cat6 run from each station to the switch, within the 100 m (328 ft) channel limit. A farther door gets another switch closer to it, a PoE extender or fiber. Every penetration we make through a fire-rated wall or floor is fire-stopped.
From the front door to a tested call path.
Four steps, with a written quote before anything is ordered.
Site visit
We look at the entry, the door and frame, your phone system and any access control already on the door, and ask who should answer when. You get a written scope and price.
Call plan
Who rings first, who backs them up, what happens after hours, and who gets codes. You approve the plan before installation.
Install
Station, cabling, relay and lock power, with any new power circuit coordinated with the electrician. Work is scheduled around your office hours.
Test and hand off
Every answering point is called, and every door release is tested from each one. Your admin is shown how to change routing and make codes.
Office intercoms, answered.
Can the intercom integrate with our existing phone system?
If your office runs a VoIP or hosted phone system, most SIP video intercoms connect to it directly: the door station registers as a SIP extension and calls your reception line, or any extension you choose, when a visitor presses the button. We confirm it works with your phone system before recommending a model. For offices on traditional phone lines or closed phone systems, we use a standalone IP intercom platform with its own app or PC client. Either way, calls reach whoever should answer them.
How do we handle after-hours visitor access?
After-hours routing is set in the intercom platform or the phone system. By time of day, calls can go to a mobile phone, a security desk or a voicemail message. For people you expect after hours, such as cleaners or equipment maintenance, we set up time-limited codes they type at the keypad, so nobody has to answer a call. Every after-hours entry is logged with the time.
We have multiple suites in a single building. Can each suite have its own button?
Yes. That is what a multi-tenant lobby panel is for. The lobby directory lists each suite or business; a visitor picks one, and the call goes to that suite's own answering device. Each tenant manages its own call routing. The building owner or manager controls the directory: which names appear and which extensions they call.
Do you coordinate with the building's existing access control system?
We look at the existing system on the site visit. If the building already has an access control panel, we can often tie the intercom into it and share the door hardware and wiring instead of running parallel systems. When the two systems come from different makers, how well they work together varies, and we tell you plainly what is possible and what would need replacing. Sometimes replacing an aging access control platform along with the intercom makes more sense than forcing two systems to talk.
What happens to visitor calls if the internet goes down?
It depends on where your phone system lives. With an on-site phone system, an internet outage does not touch calls inside the office: the door still rings reception over the local network. With a hosted (cloud) phone system, the desk phones themselves depend on the internet, so we plan a local fallback, for example an indoor monitor or a phone the station calls directly on the office network. Mobile answering needs the internet in both cases. Cards and codes are checked on site, so staff can still get in. We make a local answering point the primary one, and mobile the backup.
Intercoms for every kind of business.
Looking for a home or apartment building instead? See residential intercom systems.
Ready to upgrade your office intercom?
We look at your entry, check how the intercom fits your phone system and access control, and give you a clear written scope and price.