See every customer before the door opens.
Buzz-in doors and video door stations for NYC retail: high-end boutiques, jewelry stores, dispensaries and any store where controlled entry is part of the business. The front door for customers, the back door for deliveries.
The rear door keeps its panic bar, so people inside can always get out. The intercom only decides who comes in from the alley.
Controlled entry at the front, deliveries at the back.
A buzz-in store needs more than a button: a camera that sees the whole door, a lock that holds, and a back door that does not depend on someone walking to it.
Video door station
A camera at the store entry so staff see every customer approaching before the door unlocks, with a wide enough view that nobody can stand off to the side out of frame. Staff get time to look before they buzz.
In-store monitor or controller
A wall monitor or countertop unit at the register or service desk. Staff see the camera, hear the customer and buzz them in with one press.
Electric door strike
Keeps the door locked until staff release it, even when the store is busy. Some insurance policies for jewelry, luxury goods and cannabis retail ask for this kind of controlled entry.
Delivery and service entry
The back of house or service door gets its own station. Drivers call through before anyone opens the stockroom, so non-customer doors are controlled too.
After-hours calls
After hours the door stays locked, and calls go to a manager's phone. Expected deliveries or contractors can be let in remotely, with nobody on site.
Recording with your cameras
The door station video can feed your camera system or sit beside it, so every entry and exit at the door is recorded as its own event.
One customer, one buzz.
A buzz-in front door for a high-value store. Step through one visit and watch what the lock, the clerk and the door are doing.
The door is locked and stays locked. The clerk sees and hears the customer on the counter screen and decides, without walking to the door.
One press switches lock power to the strike for a release time set at install. The customer pulls the door open while it is released.
The closer shuts the door, the latch drops into the strike and the door is locked again. The door contact tells the system it is closed.
The inside handle opens the door mechanically, power or no power, so leaving never waits on the clerk. Entry is controlled; exit never is.
A look before the door opens
Jewelry stores, luxury boutiques, watch dealers and cannabis dispensaries use buzz-in doors so staff see who is at the door and decide before it unlocks.
When the policy asks for it
Some insurance policies for high-value retail ask for controlled entry as a condition of coverage. We give you documentation of the installed system to share with your insurer.
Early opens and late closes
Staff on their own at opening or closing can see who is at the door before unlocking it, instead of finding out after.
One party at a time
High-end boutiques and appointment-only stores use controlled entry to manage how many people are inside, one party at a time or by appointment. The intercom is how that happens at the door.
What goes on the storefront, the counter and the back door.
Sized to the store: a front door that holds, a back door that calls, and video that ends up with the rest of your footage.
Front door video station
StorefrontWide-angle camera aimed to cover the whole entry, including the sides of the door. Backlight compensation (WDR) for glass and bright street light. Mounted roughly 4 to 5 ft to the center, with the call button within an accessible reach range. Outdoor stations carry an IP rating for weather and an IK rating for impact.
Counter monitor or controller
Point of saleA countertop or wall monitor at the register or service case with the release button on it. A manager's phone can answer the same calls through the app.
Lock hardware
Matched per doorAn electric strike in the frame for most storefront doors: it stays locked until staff release it, and the handle always lets people out. A magnetic lock on the header is the other option, 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.
Rear door station with keypad
Back doorCalls ring the register, the stockroom or a manager's phone. Vendor and contractor codes carry start and end times and work at that door only. Release hardware is matched to the panic bar, so it still lets people out.
Relay and lock power
Inside the storeA relay inside the store switches a separate 12 or 24 V lock power supply for a release time set at install. A door contact tells the system when the door is shut again.
Recording and cabling
Cat6 and PoEThe door station can be added as a channel on an existing recorder when the recorder supports its video stream, or record to network storage on its own. Each station runs on one Cat6 cable with PoE, within the 100 m (328 ft) channel limit. Every penetration we make through a fire-rated wall or floor is fire-stopped.
From the storefront to a tested buzz.
Four steps, with a written quote before anything is ordered, and the work scheduled around store hours.
Site visit
We look at the front door and frame, the back door, where staff stand, and what the camera needs to see. You get a written scope and price.
Plan
Which doors buzz, where calls ring by day and after hours, which vendors get codes and when, and how the video reaches your recorder.
Install
Stations, cabling, relay and lock power, with any new power circuit coordinated with the electrician. Scheduled around your store hours.
Test and hand off
Every door release is tested from the counter and the phone, and the way out is checked at every door. Staff are shown how to answer, buzz and make vendor codes.
Retail intercoms, answered.
What kind of buzzer system is appropriate for a NYC jewelry store?
A jewelry store usually needs a video intercom with a solid electric strike or a magnetic lock, not just a buzzer. The door stays closed until staff release it after seeing the customer on camera. The most common setup is a video system with a countertop or wall monitor at the service case. The camera should cover the whole entry area, including the spots beside the door where someone could stand out of view, so we plan the camera angle and the station position to leave no gaps.
How does a controlled entry door fit ADA requirements?
The ADA requires an accessible way in for people with disabilities. With a buzzed door, that means the call button and the station sit within an accessible reach range, the door can be opened with limited force once it is released, and there is another way to reach staff for anyone who cannot use the call button, such as a phone number on the door. We place the station and the release with this in mind and can advise on signage. Whether the entrance as a whole meets the ADA and local accessibility rules is for your architect or accessibility consultant to confirm; we coordinate with them.
Can we use the intercom camera as part of our loss prevention system?
Yes. The door station camera sees every person who comes in, which is useful for loss prevention. If you already have a recorder (NVR or DVR), we can often add the door station as another channel on it, as long as the recorder supports the station's video stream. An IP door station can also record to network storage on its own. Either way, you get time-stamped entry and exit video next to your interior cameras.
What happens if a customer has an emergency and needs to exit quickly?
Leaving is always free and immediate; nobody needs a buzz to get out. With an electric strike, the inside handle or push bar opens the door mechanically, with or without power. With a magnetic lock, an exit sensor and a push button cut the lock's power so people can walk out, because 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. Entry is controlled; exit never is.
How do delivery drivers access the back of house?
The service or delivery door gets its own door station. A driver presses the button, the call rings the stockroom or the manager's desk, and staff check the delivery and buzz them in. Delivery traffic stays off the sales floor. For deliveries when nobody is on site, we set up temporary codes that work only during a set window; the driver types the code, and the entry is logged with the time.
Intercoms for every kind of business.
Looking for a home or apartment building instead? See residential intercom systems.
Ready to control who walks in?
We look at your front and back doors, recommend the right setup for your kind of store, and give you a clear written scope and price.