See who is at the door. Answer from anywhere.
Video intercoms, wired audio buzzers and phone-connected door systems for NYC houses, brownstones, townhouses, co-ops and apartment buildings. Existing intercom wiring is tested and reused where it passes, and new wiring is run cleanly where it is needed.
AT HOME · The visitor presses the button. The call runs on the existing 2-wire to the monitor in the hall. You see them, press Door, and the relay sends lock power to the strike for a few seconds.
AWAY · Nobody answers the monitor, so it forwards the call over the home network and the internet to your phone app. You see the visitor, tap Door, and the same relay releases the strike.
SECOND PHONE · The call rings every phone on the household account. The first person to answer takes it, the other phone stops ringing, and the door is released from that phone.
Example: a house door with an electric strike in the frame and the existing 2-wire run reused after it tested good. The relay sits inside, and the handle inside always lets people out.
Residential intercom systems.
From a video doorbell on a single-family home to a new buzzer system for a 30-unit apartment building, with a door release that actually opens the door.
Wired video intercom
A door station with a camera and an indoor monitor. You see and talk with the visitor, then press a button to release the door. No Wi-Fi and no cloud subscription needed. A good fit for brownstones, townhouses and smaller multi-family buildings.
IP video intercom with app
The visitor presses the button and your phone rings with the camera view. You talk, then release the door from anywhere with a data connection; the building needs internet service too. Useful for rental properties and owners who travel.
Multi-tenant audio buzzer systems
A lobby panel with a tenant directory and one button per unit. Residents answer from a handset in the apartment. Traditional and proven, and we replace aging audio systems of every make.
Electric strike and door release
We wire an electric strike or a magnetic lock so the door actually unlocks when the button is pressed. Brownstone doors, vestibule gates and iron entry doors each need their own hardware. We pick the lock for each door around its use and the building's fire and life safety requirements.
Existing wiring reuse
Many NYC apartments and brownstones already have intercom wiring: older multi-conductor audio runs, or a pair a modern 2-wire system can use. We test it on site and reuse what passes, so there is less new wiring and fewer holes in finished walls. Old wire that fails the test gets replaced.
Co-op and condo paperwork
We document the installation, provide method statements when the building asks for them and work within the building's approved hours. Licensed and insured, with a certificate of insurance for the board or managing agent.
Steady power, or it restarts.
A video doorbell runs on the old doorbell transformer, or on PoE. Pick a setup and watch the voltage at the doorbell when someone presses the button.
An old transformer, too small for the doorbell
A transformer sized for the doorbell
PoE: power and data on one Cat6
Many houses still have the transformer that ran a plain button and chime. A video doorbell draws power all the time, and more at the press, when the chime and the camera pull power at the same moment. If the transformer is too small, the voltage sags below what the doorbell needs and it restarts: the call drops and the video goes offline.
Doorbell transformers are low voltage, commonly 16 to 24 VAC, and rated in VA. We check the rating against what the doorbell's maker asks for, with the chime on the same loop, and replace the transformer when it falls short. The 120 V side is coordinated with the electrician.
A wired PoE doorbell or door station takes steady power and a wired network connection on one Cat6 from a PoE switch. 802.3af gives up to 15.4 W at the switch port, and PoE+ gives up to 30 W for a heated or larger station. No transformer, and no Wi-Fi signal to push through brick.
Wi-Fi video doorbells also need a strong signal at the door, and brick and masonry weaken it, so we check the signal there before recommending one. Check the transformer rating against the doorbell maker's instructions; we do not guess it.
Codes that work only when you say.
Temporary codes for a keypad door station, each with a start and an end time. The cursor sweeps one week: a code opens the door only inside its window, and stops on its own.
Dog walker
Cleaner
Delivery
Weekend guest
A repeating code: it works on weekdays from 11 AM to 2 PM and is refused the rest of the week.
A weekly code for Thursday mornings. Outside that window the same code does nothing.
A one-day, one-use code for a delivery: send it to the courier, and it stops working after the first use or at 8 PM.
One window across three days. The guest comes and goes all weekend, and the code ends on Sunday at 6 PM without anyone removing it.
Every code use is logged with the time, and you can cancel a code from the app at any time. Codes go with a door station that has a keypad, or with a system that sends codes from its app.
Intercoms by property type.
Every NYC residential building is different: pre-war wiring, co-op board rules, multi-unit lobbies. Each type has its own guide.
NYC homes have specific intercom needs.
NYC housing runs from new construction to pre-war buildings with original wiring, and each needs a different approach.
Pre-war wiring
Buildings from the 1910s through the 1940s often have intercom wire run through masonry walls and risers, commonly multi-conductor station wire for audio. An audio replacement can often reuse it. A modern 2-wire video system can reuse one pair once it tests good. An IP system needs Cat5e or Cat6 to each unit, and a cloud lobby panel that calls residents' phones needs no wiring to the units at all. We test first and tell you what we found.
Co-op board approvals
Many co-ops require written approval, licensed and insured contractors and documentation before any work in common areas. We provide the documents the board asks for: a certificate of insurance, a written scope and method statements.
Brownstone multi-unit setups
A three-family brownstone with three separate households needs a panel with a button for each unit, a door release each unit can use, and audio clear enough that a conversation actually works, not just a buzzer that makes noise.
Remote answering for rentals
Owners managing an NYC rental from outside the city need phone answering. An IP intercom or a cloud lobby panel lets the owner see and let in maintenance, deliveries or prospective tenants from wherever they are.
How a residential intercom job works.
Four steps from the first visit to a door that opens from every monitor and phone.
Site visit and wiring test
We look at each door and frame, the existing panel and handsets, and test the wiring already in the walls. If you want phone answering, we check the network at the door.
Written quote
You get a written price that names the system, the release hardware for each door, and which wiring we reuse or replace.
Install
Door station, monitors or app, and the door release wired through a relay to its own lock power supply. New power is coordinated with the electrician. Every penetration we make through a fire-rated wall or floor is fire-stopped.
Test and walkthrough
Every door release is tested from every monitor and phone. We set up the app for each household member or tenant and walk you through it.
Residential intercom questions.
Can you replace my old building intercom without rewiring the whole building?
Often, yes. An audio replacement can usually reuse the existing wiring: we swap the lobby panel and the handsets in the units and keep the wire runs, which keeps walls closed in occupied apartments. Video can use old wire too: a modern 2-wire video system carries power, audio and video on one existing pair, so a video upgrade can reuse a pair once it tests good. An IP system that runs to each unit needs Cat5e or Cat6, sometimes pulled through an existing conduit or riser. A cloud lobby panel that calls residents' phones needs no wiring to the units at all. Every reuse starts with a test on site, and old wire that fails the test gets replaced. We tell you during the assessment what is reusable and what needs new work.
What is the best intercom system for a NYC brownstone with multiple units?
For a brownstone with 2 to 4 units, it comes down to how people want to answer. If people are usually home and phone answering is not a priority, a wired video system with an indoor monitor in each unit is clean and reliable, with no app and no subscription. If tenants want to answer on their phones, or the owner manages the building from elsewhere, an IP video system lets each unit take calls on a phone. For an audio-only upgrade, a new audio panel and handsets can often reuse the existing wire once it tests good. We help you choose based on the wiring, the budget and how the tenants actually want to use it.
My co-op requires me to use licensed contractors. Are you licensed?
Yes. Seneca Security is licensed and insured. We can provide a certificate of insurance naming the co-op corporation or the managing agent as additional insured, which most boards require. We also provide a written scope of work, and method statements or the contractor documents for an alteration agreement when the building asks for them. If your board needs specific paperwork before approval, tell us in advance and we prepare it.
Do I need a separate app for each unit in my building?
No. With an IP or cloud system, each unit gets its own account, usually in the same app and set up separately. The directory at the door station shows the unit names. When a visitor picks a unit, the call goes only to that unit's registered devices: phones, tablets or indoor monitors. Each tenant sets up their own phone, and no unit sees another unit's calls. The owner or manager can also receive calls for any unit if it is set up that way, which helps landlords managing the building.
Will a video intercom work on my iron gate or vestibule door?
Yes, with the right hardware. Iron gates and vestibule doors take surface-mount or flush-mount door stations, depending on the gate or the frame. An electric strike fits most metal gate frames. For an iron gate whose frame will not take a strike, we use a heavy-duty electric bolt or a magnetic lock instead. A magnetic lock needs a free way out from inside at all times, so it goes in with an exit sensor or button. We pick the lock for each door around its use and the building's fire and life safety requirements. Outdoor door stations carry an IP (ingress protection) rating for weather and an IK rating for impact. A gate that has been welded shut or has an unusual frame may need a custom mount, which we include in the written quote.
Need intercoms for a commercial property?
Ready to upgrade your intercom?
Same-day quotes when we can. We test your existing wiring, recommend the right system for your building and give you a written price.