Hello everyone,
Slowly but surely, the exterior plaster is going on, so we urgently need to decide on an intercom system.
The general contractor is installing some kind of "standard unit" (I don’t remember the manufacturer – but he said it’s a very cheap one for 200€) which we actually don’t really want.
However, we don’t want to spend a fortune either and have set a budget of around 700€.
We have:
- Front door with fingerprint reader and motorized lock (fully wired electrically)
- All necessary connections in the entrance area prepared for this (2-wire system and LAN)
- Our tech setup in the basement with PoE switch, Speedport for fiber optics, 2 access points (one each on the ground floor and top floor) to provide sufficient Wi-Fi (if that matters at all for the choice of intercom system)
We want:
- No intercom upstairs (we consider it “unnecessary” nowadays – however, it would be important that the doorbell can be operated via app or external device, so we can open the door and speak even when upstairs on the move)
- Intercom on the ground floor (preferably a “tablet” with video – but not a must! Audio would also be sufficient, but it should look nice and not be a handset with cable or similar)
- Is a door chime necessary inside the house? Is it possible to install something so I can hear the doorbell upstairs and maybe also in the hallway area? Otherwise, I would only hear the chime on the tablet and possibly on the external devices, right? What would be the best way to do this?
- Appearance is very important – a nice, simple doorbell (if possible with name engraving) and a nice indoor unit (preferably tablet-style if possible)
--> I read a lot about the company Metzler here – this could also fit within the 700€ budget in my opinion (model VDM10). After some research, I think you can hardly go wrong with this. The question I have, though, is: Can I find it somewhere cheaper?
I would appreciate any personal experiences with your “intercom search” and how satisfied you are with your current system.
Also, I welcome tips/tricks, installation advice for the home network (with app control via Wi-Fi, etc.), and the best ways to manage it all.
Thanks in advance!
Slowly but surely, the exterior plaster is going on, so we urgently need to decide on an intercom system.
The general contractor is installing some kind of "standard unit" (I don’t remember the manufacturer – but he said it’s a very cheap one for 200€) which we actually don’t really want.
However, we don’t want to spend a fortune either and have set a budget of around 700€.
We have:
- Front door with fingerprint reader and motorized lock (fully wired electrically)
- All necessary connections in the entrance area prepared for this (2-wire system and LAN)
- Our tech setup in the basement with PoE switch, Speedport for fiber optics, 2 access points (one each on the ground floor and top floor) to provide sufficient Wi-Fi (if that matters at all for the choice of intercom system)
We want:
- No intercom upstairs (we consider it “unnecessary” nowadays – however, it would be important that the doorbell can be operated via app or external device, so we can open the door and speak even when upstairs on the move)
- Intercom on the ground floor (preferably a “tablet” with video – but not a must! Audio would also be sufficient, but it should look nice and not be a handset with cable or similar)
- Is a door chime necessary inside the house? Is it possible to install something so I can hear the doorbell upstairs and maybe also in the hallway area? Otherwise, I would only hear the chime on the tablet and possibly on the external devices, right? What would be the best way to do this?
- Appearance is very important – a nice, simple doorbell (if possible with name engraving) and a nice indoor unit (preferably tablet-style if possible)
--> I read a lot about the company Metzler here – this could also fit within the 700€ budget in my opinion (model VDM10). After some research, I think you can hardly go wrong with this. The question I have, though, is: Can I find it somewhere cheaper?
I would appreciate any personal experiences with your “intercom search” and how satisfied you are with your current system.
Also, I welcome tips/tricks, installation advice for the home network (with app control via Wi-Fi, etc.), and the best ways to manage it all.
Thanks in advance!
OK, but you could also communicate with the guest remotely via an app and potentially even unlock the door for them? And the app will still be usable in the (distant) future?
If you choose the PoE option, only one patch cable is run to the doorbell and the indoor unit, and nothing else? I wasn’t aware until now that power supply through a LAN cable is possible.
As far as I know, the home indoor station only has a touchscreen - so the door could be opened using that?
If you choose the PoE option, only one patch cable is run to the doorbell and the indoor unit, and nothing else? I wasn’t aware until now that power supply through a LAN cable is possible.
As far as I know, the home indoor station only has a touchscreen - so the door could be opened using that?
gplz1980 schrieb:
OK, but could you also communicate with the guest via an app while away and possibly even unlock the door for them? And will the app still be usable in the (far) future?Unfortunately, I can’t reliably answer that because I haven’t used those functions myself (so far). It’s best to call the manufacturer and clarify any open questions. Whether they can give you a reliable statement about the app’s future remains to be seen. It’s pretty much the same situation with other systems that cost five times as much.
In the end, I chose the Metzler mainly for price reasons. The camera quality is good/acceptable, it doesn’t look bad, and it offers all basic features. If something doesn’t work out someday, at worst you lose a manageable three-digit amount and decide to replace it. Who knows…
gplz1980 schrieb:
If you choose the PoE option, only one patch cable is run to the doorbell and the indoor station, and nothing else? I didn’t realize that power supply over a LAN cable was possible.Yes, it uses PoE (power over ethernet) for the power supply.
gplz1980 schrieb:
As far as I know, the indoor home station has only a touchscreen – so that’s how you would open the door?Yes. As soon as someone rings, the camera image is displayed along with buttons for two-way voice communication or a key icon to unlock the door.
gplz1980 schrieb:
OK, so the patch cables from the doorbell and the indoor units then run, for example, to the network hub in the utility room? I suppose I will install a switch there to distribute the LAN signal throughout the house.Exactly!
It just has to be a PoE switch, at least the one that powers the system components.
You need to make sure it supports PoE. For 1-2 devices, you can also use PoE injectors if you don’t otherwise have a use for PoE (such as cameras or similar). However, that results in more cable clutter in the rack or distribution board, doesn’t fit everywhere, and not everyone likes it. A PoE switch is a cleaner solution.
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