Citofono

The latest generation of intercoms, increasingly video intercoms, offer a wide range of options to choose from, always with a single goal: security, obviously linked to practicality and ease of use. From surveillance cameras to intercom systems within the same building, to external lighting control, and more. This article provides an overview of the options available.

Intercom and video intercom functions: innovations

The main function of an intercom is to conveniently open the doors of a home that faces the street from a distance. Not only that, but it also allows us to ask who’s ringing our doorbell. If we have a video intercom, we can not only hear the person ringing the bell, but also see them.

It is from this second concept that the idea of ​​the video intercom was born as an element to integrate a complete home security system: the technologies available today allow for color displays that can be seen from any angle, orientable cameras that work perfectly even in the dark, allowing us to monitor the entire area in front of the door, and integrated memory to record images of potential harassers. Thus, the intercom becomes a video surveillance system.

But that’s not all: the conveniences don’t end there, because with the push-button panels that control outdoor lights, the accidental opening of the same doors, intercom systems with other condominiums and the concierge, the presence of multiple intercoms in different rooms or areas of the house, additional functions are added to the intercom, which has now become a truly practical and security tool in the home, versatile and indispensable.

Not to mention that with digital and radio technology, today’s models are increasingly easier to install and maintain, with increasingly lower costs.

What does an intercom consist of?

The intercom is not a single element, but in a basic version it actually consists of a system that includes five main parts:

• the external button panel

• the external speaker microphone , which together with the keypad is located in the part of the house that faces the street

• the transformer , the element that we normally don’t see

• the internal station , which in turn consists of: receiver, to which it is possible to apply different ringtones, handset with microphone (which can be presented in aesthetically different and attractive versions, even in a cordless version) and speaker

• the door opening system , a control system which, by pressing a button located in the internal station, activates the opening of the external electric door

If we are talking about a video intercom, in addition to the elements listed above, there will also be a camera in the external station and a color or black and white display in the internal station.

The external button panel

The outdoor panel can be traditional, with a single button or nameplate for each resident, or digital, with a numeric keypad, electronic address book, or personal code recognition. The frame of the outdoor panel can be very aesthetically pleasing, especially for buildings or homes of significant architectural importance; materials and shapes are countless: from brass to aluminum, from rectangles to sinuous shapes.

The internal station

As we will see later, the internal station can be positioned in different ways, but it can also have different functions: in addition to allowing you to answer whoever rings the doorbell and, in the case of video intercoms, to see who rang the bell, it can manage:

• turning on the outside lights

• communication with other apartments in the condominium or with the concierge

• automatic or manual image recording.

How the intercom works

The intercom works on a very similar principle to that of a telephone. The outdoor unit consists of a microphone that converts sound waves into a corresponding voltage variation. This modulated voltage reaches the indoor unit’s speaker, where it is converted back into sound. The reverse communication between the indoor and outdoor units occurs according to the same principle. In the case of a video intercom, not only sound signals are translated, but also visual ones, via a camera in the outdoor unit and a display in the indoor unit.

Types of intercoms

There are several options to choose from among basic intercom models, depending on some classification characteristics:

• Depending on the components and audio-video functions, intercoms can be audio-only, or also video-only, in which case they are called video intercoms.

• Depending on the position that the internal station can take, the intercoms can be wall-mounted, free-standing, built-in or cordless

• Depending on the technology used, intercoms can be analogue or digital

Video intercoms

As mentioned, intercoms equipped with an external camera and internal display are called video intercoms. The video intercom can be equipped with a color or black-and-white camera, and the camera can be oriented horizontally and/or vertically to provide a complete view of the area in front of the door.

Position of the internal station: wall, built-in, table or cordless.

The handset for answering, the internal keypad and even the internal display can be positioned in different ways:

• Traditionally, the intercom is hung on the wall, usually next to the entrance door

• However, the intercom can also be purchased in a free-standing version, like a normal table telephone, to be placed on the chest of drawers or on the chest of drawers in the entrance hall, or on a small table or shelf.

• In the built-in version, especially in the newer models with integrated display, the intercom is inserted flush with the wall, with elegance and design

• Cordless models can be taken wirelessly to any area of ​​the house.

Analog or digital intercom?

When building or renovating a condominium or detached house, it is preferable to install a digital system rather than an analog intercom.

While an analog system requires several connection cables and rather complex maintenance, given the number of components that can wear out over time, a digital intercom is quicker and easier to install and maintain.

The digital system requires only two cables, thus reducing maintenance time. It also allows each individual condominium owner to amplify or modify the functions of their own internal station, without the need for additional connection cables or interventions on the condominium system.

Finally, the digital intercom can offer many additional services compared to an analog intercom. Some of these features are listed and explained below.

Additional functions of an intercom

The various intercom models can be integrated and complemented with various additional features, which can enhance the surveillance and security functions or the ease of use of the intercom itself. From a security perspective, additional intercom functions can include:

• orientable camera

• display visible from all angles, to monitor the entire space in front of the entrance door of the house

• armored kit for the external plate

• report for the entrance door possibly left open inadvertently

• intercommunication with other apartments or with the condominium concierge

• Recording of images from the video intercom camera, to identify potential harassers later; some models can store up to 60 images in memory: recording can occur upon call or automatically (depending on the settings chosen) and the recorded image is then accompanied by the date and time it was taken.

• connection to the alarm system

• with functions such as auto-insertion and cyclical selection of external unit surveillance, the video intercom can become a fully-fledged video surveillance system

• vandal-resistant camera

• wide angle with infrared ray for good night vision

• auto-start button, which lights up the outside area as soon as someone enters its field of vision.

As regards ease of use, the intercom or video intercom can be equipped with:

• button to control the stairwell lights, the lights outside the entrance door and the lights in the courtyard

• internal station with multiple handsets and displays, to be installed in different rooms of the house and characterized with different ringtones

• radio transmission, to eliminate the presence of wires between the external button panel and the internal station, making installation and maintenance even quicker, like Daiphone by Daitem

• backlit keys

• Alphanumeric code dialing: In large urban areas, where multiple apartments often share a single street number, the intercom doesn’t have an external keypad with a nameplate assigned to each surname. Instead, in most cases, digital intercoms with code dialing are installed. The intercom’s external unit consists of a speaker and an alphanumeric keypad. Each apartment has its own alphanumeric code: by entering this code, you can ring the doorbell of that apartment. This is also an excellent system for keeping strangers and unwanted visitors away from apartment intercoms.

• Portable cordless intercoms: Some intercom models, such as the Siemens Gigaset HC450, can be connected to your home telephone system, recognizing them as an additional cordless base station and allowing you to answer calls from a cordless handset that you can take anywhere in the house.

Intercom permits and maintenance

To install, modify, or replace the intercom system in a condominium, you must request permission from the building manager. If you’re installing or completely replacing a system, for example, to provide video intercoms and digital devices, the entire condominium assembly must agree.

To replace the handsets of the internal stations in each apartment, simply notify the administrator, an action that is also valid for simpler modifications to a digital intercom.

When modifications involve the entire condominium system, the costs are shared among all condominium members; particularly for a new installation, the costs are split between the owners. For repairs due to faults or otherwise, in common areas and within the apartments, the costs are borne by those using the system, including any tenants if renting. For maintenance and modifications to systems, it is always advisable to contact a licensed technician or the company that installed the system, if you were satisfied with the installation.

How to choose an intercom

To understand which model is best for our needs, whether it’s a detached house or a condominium, we need to consider and evaluate a series of factors.

First of all, let’s start from the assumption that if you have a slightly larger budget available, it’s always better to install a digital system, even better if wireless, equipped with a video camera and image recording function, especially if you live in a single-family home in a slightly more isolated location.

If it is not possible to purchase a digital system, let’s still pay attention to the additional functions that may be useful for our needs.

First, if the building has a concierge, it’s best to have the system connect all the apartments and internal stations to it. If there’s no concierge, an intercom system with other apartments in the building is the best solution.

For convenience, we look for and properly install a model with a button to control the lights, both in the stairwell and outside. Finally, if we have a large home, we choose a model with multiple devices, so we can answer the intercom in other rooms as well.

Links to useful websites about intercoms

BTicino
www.bticino.it
In the Products & Solutions section, there is an area entirely dedicated to video intercoms, with high-quality products.

Aiphone
http://www.lci-pro.it/aiphoneitalia/index.asp
In the products section, various lines of intercoms for single-family homes, condominiums, intercom intercoms, etc.

Bpt
http://www.bpt.it/website/index.html
Intercom and video intercom systems in the products section offer a wide range of choices.