Video Door Entry Systems
Doorphone kits for domestic and small-block jobs, stocked in the UK and sold on trade account. Spec notes below cover 2-wire versus IP, button counts, modular panels and mounting.
1 products
Speccing a door entry job
First call: 2-wire or IP. 2-wire is the standard retrofit: one pair feeds the door station and monitor with both power and signal, so it normally reuses the old handset’s cable. No re-wire, no network. IP goes on the site’s structured cabling (Cat5e/Cat6, PoE-powered); spec it for new builds, or where a data point is already at the door.
Second: button count on the outdoor station. Get it right first time, because changing it later means a new panel. One button per dwelling: one-button for a house, two-button for a converted pair of flats, four-button for a small block. Beyond that, go modular, with call buttons, keypad and card reader as separate modules in a common frame.
Modular is also how access control goes on the same door. Module options: numeric keypad module (PIN entry), keypad module that also reads cards, exit-button module, touch display with a card reader. All four go in one flush or surface frame: visitors call the flat, residents fob in, one panel. Order frame and surface or flush box with the modules, as the gang count is set by the frame, not the module.
Mounting finishes the spec. Flush frames look tidier but need a chased-in back box, so most retrofits go surface; a station exposed to weather needs a rain shield. Match the indoor monitor’s screen to its position: 7-inch for a hallway, 10-inch as a wall feature.
Frequently asked questions
2-wire or IP intercom: which for the job?
Retrofit, or no data cabling on site: 2-wire. Power and signal share one pair between station and monitor, so the old handset cable normally gets reused. New install, or a data run already at the door: IP, on Cat5e/Cat6 with PoE over the site’s structured network.
Can a kit take a second indoor monitor?
Usually, within the monitor limit for that kit, which changes model to model. Confirm it before promising the client a second screen upstairs. Fitting one later is normally just the extra monitor and its power, not a new door station.
Will door entry integrate with the client’s CCTV recorder?
Model by model, not range-wide: check the spec sheets for the exact station and recorder before you quote. Topology is the structural difference. On IP, the door station and the cameras share one Cat5e/Cat6 network; 2-wire is a closed station-to-monitor pair, no recorder link.
Does the kit release the door, or is the lock extra?
Station gives the release; the lock is extra unless the kit’s own spec says otherwise. Add a 12V supply rated for the job, a magnetic lock and an exit button: all on our access control range.
Flush frame: what goes behind it?
A chased-in back box sized to the module count. Can’t chase the wall? Fit the surface-mount box instead (same modules, no building work). Exposed panel: add a rain shield.