Estimates for apartment building video intercoms almost always fail in the same place: you count the families, pick a push-button panel with that number of buttons, add the monitors, and you're done. Then, on site, you're missing the right power supply, the riser distributors, and the button covers for the extra buttons, and the client receives a second, unexpected estimate.
Here is the order in which it makes sense to think about it, which is exactly the same one we use.
1. How many users, meaning how many families
The first figure is the number of apartments that need to receive calls. It is not the number of monitors: if there are two monitors in an apartment, it remains a single user. It is a distinction that seems obvious but is constantly lost on paper, resulting in buying a twenty-call panel for sixteen families.
2. Kits, compact entrance panels, or modular panels
For one or two families, there are complete kits: entrance panel, monitor, and power supply already bundled together, which is the fastest and most economical solution. Up to eight calls, with no special requirements, a compact entrance panel works perfectly: a single unit with a camera and buttons already installed, from one to eight buttons, with or without a tag reader.
A modular panel is needed when there are many calls or when extra functions are required: a keypad with codes for those entering without a key, a tag reader for residents, or a display with a name directory when there are too many families for individual buttons. It is assembled like building blocks: a frame for two to six modules, the audio-video module in the first slot, followed by the button modules and accessories.
3. The indoor units: monitors, handsets, or both
For each apartment, decide how many monitors and how many handsets. Handsets cost less and are what people who already have an intercom and have never used video want. A monitor with Wi-Fi brings the call to your phone, and for those who work away from home, this is the feature that makes the difference between a video intercom and a used video intercom. You can mix them: a monitor in the entrance and a handset in the bedroom.
4. The parts that get forgotten
The power supply must be chosen based on the number of indoor units and entrance panels, not by guesswork. Riser distributors are needed when there are more than a few users: you place a distributor every four users, and on large systems, a line amplifier is also required. Cable is never included in the kits: for the two-wire bus, you need specific twisted-pair cable, and a hundred-meter spool is used up faster than you think in a four-story building. And then the small parts: the blanking module for empty spots in the frame, button covers for unused buttons, and the electric lock with its own power supply.
5. More than one entrance
A pedestrian gate and a driveway gate are two entrance panels, and each additional entrance requires its own distribution components. You can easily reach six entrances on the same system, but this is something that must be decided beforehand, not after purchasing the power supply.
Let the configurator do it
All these rules are built into the Ipertronic Configurator on our website: you choose the series, assemble the panel module by module to see how it looks, specify how many families and indoor units you need, and the bill of materials is automatically generated with the power supplies and distributors calculated. You can print it with prices for you or without prices for the end client, or add everything to your cart with one click.
If you prefer to speak to a person, send us the number of families, how many entrances, and whether you need a keypad or tag reader: info@elettricity.com, 351 969 5157. The complete catalog is under Ipertronic video intercoms.