Intercom Installation Guide | Falcon Security Systems

The installation details that decide whether it works

Most intercom complaints are not hardware failures. They are cable, power and door-release problems, and all three are decided during installation.

Cable first: intercom runs are low voltage and easily disturbed by mains cable running alongside them. Sharing a conduit with the building lighting circuit is the classic cause of buzzing on the audio and interference lines across the video. Keep the intercom run separate, and if it must cross a mains run, cross it at a right angle rather than running parallel.

Power second: the transformer needs to be sized for the door release as well as the intercom, not just the intercom. An undersized supply works fine until several people use the system in a short period, then the door stops releasing reliably and everyone blames the lock.

Position third: the door station camera should be at roughly 1.5 metres and shaded from direct sun. A door station facing west in Egypt will be washed out every afternoon, and no amount of adjustment fixes a camera pointed into the sun.

Common installation faults we are called out to fix

• Intercom cable run in the same conduit as mains lighting
• Transformer sized for the intercom but not the door strike
• Door station mounted in full afternoon sun
• No separate isolation for the door release circuit