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!
jrth2151 schrieb:
... and since we all use iPhones in the household, it will probably be a HomeKit doorbell.
If someone rings, everyone automatically receives a notification on their phone. In addition, all HomePods in the house will ring, and the Apple TV will display the camera image if the TV is on. The door can then be opened via Siri or the phone. I am also a dedicated Apple OS ecosystem user with all the mentioned devices at home and therefore I prioritize HomeKit components, but from my perspective, the scenario described sounds "fantastic" only in theory and would actually be a nightmare for me in reality...
Think it over again whether you really need and want to use it that way. Knowing that it’s possible is fine. But as described, no thanks! 🙂
We thought the same thing. In the end, I just want a doorbell and an indoor unit that lets me open the door. We even decided against installing a camera—who do I really need to see at a single-family house? I’m right by the door anyway. I also don’t want to talk to anyone while I’m away—why would I? Like telling the mail carrier to leave the package around the back? That can surely be arranged in other ways.
At first, all of this sounded great to me too, but by now I find it more annoying, for example using Alexa to control the lights rather than just walking over to the switch.
For me, a personal access control system was the more interesting option.
At first, all of this sounded great to me too, but by now I find it more annoying, for example using Alexa to control the lights rather than just walking over to the switch.
For me, a personal access control system was the more interesting option.
netuser schrieb:
I’m a committed Apple ecosystem user myself, with all the mentioned devices at home, so I prefer HomeKit components. However, the scenario described sounds more like a “fantasy” in theory to me, but in reality it would be a nightmare....
Think again about whether you really need it and would want to use it. Knowing it’s possible is fine. But as described, no thanks! 🙂I don’t mean to disagree with you outright, but what exactly would be a nightmare for you? It replaces the doorbell on the upper floors. You can open the door from anywhere. And we already constantly talk to Siri in our home (lights, heating, blinds). It even recognizes people and tells you who is at the door.
jrth2151 schrieb:
I don’t want to contradict you outright, but what exactly do you find so horrible about it?... for example, you’re listening to music that is interrupted by a "gong" to let you know who’s at the door ...!?
... you want peace and suddenly the doorbell rings on all HomePods in the house to announce who’s at the door?
... you or your kids are watching TV and both the sound and picture are interrupted or disturbed by the notification ...
For what purpose?
I can still accept the display and control from the iPhone, but the "signaling" on all devices, as you described it, is excessive and annoying.
netuser schrieb:
I can still accept the display and control from the iPhone, but the "notification" on all devices, as you described earlier, is excessive and annoying.Fortunately, everyone can decide this for themselves. In our case, the ringtone also plays via multiroom speakers throughout the rooms. This way, the bell is heard everywhere, and if you don’t want to hear it, you can mute the chime. Just like in the past with the switch on the intercom handset, but now through automation or a button on a touchscreen. The latter is actually quite practical when the system knows that you are asleep. This effectively prevents prank calls from disturbing your sleep!netuser schrieb:
... for example, you’re listening to music, and it gets interrupted by a "gong" sound to tell you who’s at the door...!?
... you want peace and suddenly the doorbell ringtone plays on all HomePods in the house to let you know who’s outside?
... you or children are watching TV, and both the sound and picture are interrupted or disturbed by an overlay...
Why?
I can understand an overlay and control from the iPhone, but the “notification” on all devices, as you described, is excessive and annoying.You can disable this on the devices if it does become annoying.Similar topics