The benefit of integrated technologies has prompted one Australian manufacturer to combine an intercom system with a home’s telephone. Dimi Kyriakou discovers the role of this dual service.

As many custom installers would know, the most popular client request in a residential project brief is fairly simple – a home that boasts of technologies that work seamlessly together as one whole-house system.

This can extend from the dazzling home theatre to technologies that are installed primarily for security reasons. Intercoms, for example, play an important role in residential and commercial security, as they are the virtual doorway to the identification and screening of visitors.

While this popular technology has already graced countless buildings that are already privy to the wonders of home automation, Queensland-based National Communications has thought outside the square in order to integrate the humble intercom with existing cabling infrastructure through the telephone line.

The company’s Australian-made door station devices are designed to provide reliable solutions to a range of residential and commercial applications.

National Communications director Ron Smith says there are two parts to the door station solution – the controller and the intercom itself. The system works over the home owner’s existing telephone network so, effectively, it rings all phones on the line in the same way as a telephone call. There are no call charges unless the user sets up the system to call an external number or mobile when the site is unattended.

“The controller is fitted to a telephone line or a PABX line, which can then connect to the intercom, so you can mix and match products. There is a very extensive range of options, but the most common configuration is a device that connects to a residential line,” he says.

The research and development phase for this product has spanned over the past 10 years and Ron notes that one of the most popular features of the door station line is the fact that it is designed for installation in larger homes.

“We received feedback from our resellers that larger homes had a recurring problem where they only had a single dedicated handset in the kitchen. So, if somebody was standing at the front gate and buzzing the intercom, the owner couldn’t hear the call because they were either in the backyard, upstairs or not at home,” Ron says.

“The cost of installing extra handsets can be quite expensive because it involves dedicated wiring. As a result, National Communications was approached to develop something that was simple and easy to install because it linked into the existing telephone line and the existing wiring in the house.”

In a residential scenario, the door station equipment will automatically ring all of the telephones in a home, including cordless devices, when the call button is pressed on the attached intercom. The controller will also call the phone with a different ring tone pattern, so the home owner can realise immediately that there is a visitor at the front door.

“All the home owner has to do is answer the ringing telephone and they will achieve loud and clear, telephone-quality communication with the visitor,” Ron says.

“The good thing about our unit is that an intercom call is treated like a phone call, so it’s always convenient to talk to somebody. If you’re already on the phone when the intercom is activated, the user will hear a ‘call waiting’ tone sound so they can put the caller on hold. Likewise, if you’re talking to someone at the front door and a telephone call comes in, the reverse applies.”

During the R& D phase, National Communications also received enquiries from office users who were looking for an intercom system that could also connect to their work phone. In light of this request, the door station line sharer is also suitable for PABX multi-line telephone system users.

The equipment can ring a specific line of the PABX. It can also activate the ‘hot dial’ programming of a PABX to initiate a specifically programmed ringing sequence when the call button is pressed on the attached intercom – users only need to answer their PABX handset to communicate with the visitor.

Given that this unit works over the existing telephone line, Ron says that installation by an ACMA-registered cabler is the best way to go.

“Even though the system is installed after the telephone line is terminated into the house, using a registered installer is certainly the preferred option and we would always recommend it,” he says.

“The overall installation process is very simple. Basically, the controller connects to the very first point on the telephone line and then you run a simple Cat 5 cable to the door phone.”

Ron says that a wide range of intercom options are available and all of which will work with any of the controllers from National Communications. The equipment also provides for door or gate release in up to two separate zones with independent lock control, simply by pressing ‘touch tones’ on any telephone.

“Many of the larger homes that use our equipment might have an intercom at the very front gate, then another at the front door if there is some distance between the two locations. However, there are a number of accessories that allow you to fit an unlimited number of zones or control access to the door station line,” he says.

In terms of options for a custom installer and their client, the system also has the potential to interface with a dedicated home automation system.

“If you have a security alarm or home automation system, you can use the second relay of controller model DS3 or DS6 to interface into it. With suitable equipment, the home owner can even have a photo or streaming video of visitors sent to the client’s smart phone,” he says.

“Some of the door phones have the option to place a digital camera behind the plate and you can mount your own camera, or it can be supplied with the product.”

A new accessory from National Communications is the Alarm Interface Module (AIM) which connects to the alarm panel and a door station controller. When the customer sets the alarm, the relay output will trigger the AIM unit to dial a code which tells the controller that the client is out. Then if a visitor activates the intercom, the call will be diverted to an alternative pre-programmed number (such as a mobile phone).

“The door station line can also trigger external equipment to operate once someone presses the call button on the door phone, so there controller can be used to turn on the house lights, the security camera, any other kind of combination,” Ron says.

Given its features, Ron says that custom installers have a great potential to use the door station line sharer to expand their business, simply because it’s easy to install.

“While the system will interface with any telephone provider, the door station line sharer doesn’t always require connection to an existing telephone line. This is becoming an increasingly important consideration, as more people are letting go of their home line and relying solely on their mobile instead,” he says.

“If this is the case, the system will still be able to work. We only adapt to the telephone line because the wiring is in place, as well as the telephones, so it makes the overall installation very easy.”

Contact:
National Communications
www.natcomm.com.au