Audio/video intercoms enhance safety, security and convenience.
BY GEORGE MCCLURE
THOUGH SOME STATES ARE BEGINNING TO RELAX stay-at-home orders, a lot of folks are still hunkering down. With home deliveries of products and meals on the rise, it’s a good time to talk about the benefits of intercom systems/video doorbells.
Some of us remember the rudimentary old residential intercoms from back in the day, with their cheap-looking plastic wall plates and barely intelligible sound quality. Today’s modern systems have upped the ante considerably, featuring elegant wall-mountable video screens, pristine sound and video performance, and the ability to view and control everything via smart phones and tablets.
Adding smart devices to the intercom eco-system, for instance, let’s you always know who’s at the door. Whether you’re in the basement, the backyard, or anywhere else, simply push a custom button in the app, such as “Delivery,” to disarm the alarm, turn on the light, and unlock the door. Once that important package is placed safely inside, another button-push secures the house once again.
Here’s a look at solutions from Control4, Elan and Crestron.
from Control4
More than just a connection to the front door, Intercom Anywhere lets the family stay connected across the globe. Babysitter not answering? With auto-answer enabled on your Control4 Touch Screens, you can dial into and be instantly video-connected to any room from your mobile device. Misplaced your phone? Control4 keeps you connected! Simply call a family member’s cell phone right from a touch screen on the wall or sitting on the kitchen counter.
When someone rings the doorbell on your Control4 Door Station, you’ll see and hear who is calling before you decide to answer, or not. Crisp, clear video will display on touch screens throughout the house. You can choose to accept and communicate, or simply press ignore to send them packing.
Time for dinner? Call them all to the table at once. Quickly broadcast a message from one touch screen to all the rest, or from one room to another. Beautiful in-wall and tabletop touch screens provide instant communication, high-quality audio, high-definition video, and elegant control of your home.
For more information, visit Control4.com
from ELAN
With two-way audio and video, plus awesome away-from-home features, ELAN Intercom dramatically changes how you communicate with the world. ELAN Intercom is the most capable and most flexible intercom system available. It embraces the mobile device revolution while maintaining the functionality of wall mounted devices. When combined with a home automation system that includes music, lighting, climate and more it can provide an unparalleled experience and become the favorite feature of your home.
ELAN Intercom provides doorbell, paging and true point-to-point intercom functions that integrate seamlessly with ELAN g! interfaces and controlled multi-room media systems. Unlike hardware-based systems, ELAN Intercom supports the widest selection of stations on the market, including ELAN touch panels, Android & iOS mobile devices, SIP compatible door stations, and even PC and Mac computers allowing you to choose the type of station that best fits your lifestyle.
For more information, visit ElanHomeSystems.com
from Crestron
Rava® Intercom /Phone Technology is built into many Crestron touch-screens and mobile apps, enabling hands-free intercom, video intercom, telephone, and paging. It works over Ethernet, eliminating the need for any special wiring or switchers.
Crestron has also just partnered with 2N – a high-end IP based intercom company. This allows compatibility with a huge range of door intercom stations (from a simple camera, microphone and bell right through to multi-dwelling intercom systems capable for a block of apartments) that can be easily integrated into Crestron touch-panels. The 2N service can also be integrated into mobile phones, ensuring no missed deliveries or visitors again! For larger homes with multiple entrance doors, integration is straightforward and easy to use.
Integrating a front door intercom station is fairly standard practice in high-end Crestron installations. Clients can view a camera from the front door intercom station on touch-panels around the home and hold a two-way conversation before deciding whether to allow access. The convenience of being able to talk to the front door from any room of the home is a good advantage over the standard systems which tend to have an interface by the front door.
For more information, visit Crestron.com
