Video Door Entry Systems

Choosing a video door entry system

The first decision is 2-wire or IP. A 2-wire system carries power and signal to the door station and the monitor over the same pair, which is why it is the usual answer in a retrofit — the cable an old handset already has normally carries it, with no re-wiring and no network. An IP system runs over Cat5e/Cat6 with PoE and puts the door on the same structured cabling as the rest of the site, which is the right choice for a new build or anywhere a data run already reaches the door.

The second is how many buttons the outdoor station needs, because that is the part you cannot change later without swapping the panel. One button per dwelling: a house takes a one-button station, a converted pair of flats a two-button, a small block a four-button, and past that you want a modular station where the call buttons, the keypad and the card reader are separate modules in a common frame.

Modular is also how you add access control to the same door. The KD8 series takes a numeric keypad module for PIN entry, a Pro keypad module that also reads a card, an exit-button module and a touch display with a card reader — all sharing one flush or surface frame, so the visitor calls the flat and the resident opens the door with a fob on the same panel. Order the frame and the surface or flush box with the modules: the number of gangs is fixed by the frame, not by the module.

Mounting decides the last of it. A flush frame is neater but needs a chased-in back box, so most retrofits use the surface box; an exposed station facing weather wants a rain shield over it. Check the indoor monitor’s screen size against where it will sit — a 7-inch monitor suits a hallway, a 10-inch is a wall feature.