What Comsys intercom systems are designed to do
An intercom is the layer between “someone’s at the door” and “the door is open.” A good intercom shows you who’s there, lets you talk to them, lets you open the door for them remotely if you choose, and (in apartment buildings) handles all of that for dozens of residents at once. A poorly chosen intercom either gets bypassed (residents prop the lobby door open because the system is annoying) or gets misused (visitors buzz random units until someone answers).
Every Comsys intercom install starts with a free site visit. We look at the door or gate, talk through how you actually want to receive visitors (handset, app, both), check existing cabling, and recommend a specific platform. Most modern installs are IP intercoms because the cabling, mobile-app answering, and integration story is much better than older 2-wire systems.
Use cases — what intercom suits which property
- Single-door home video intercom — Aiphone JK, Comelit Mini, Akuvox R20. Front-door video doorbell with internal touchscreen handset and optional mobile-app answering. Replaces a doorbell, adds visual verification, supports remote unlock if paired with an electric strike.
- Gated driveway intercom — 2N IP Verso, Aiphone GT-DMB, Comelit Switch. Mounted at the pedestrian gate or vehicle entry; ties into the gate operator so the same call grants vehicle entry.
- Body-corporate apartment intercom — 2N IP Verso, Aiphone GT-DMB-N, Comelit Ultra. One call panel at the lobby, handsets or apps in every unit, central management for the body corporate. Default for new and retrofit apartment work.
- Office reception intercom — Aiphone or 2N at the reception door for after-hours visitor verification, with a tablet or PC client at reception during business hours.
- Workshop / warehouse delivery intercom — rugged IP intercom at the dock or main gate so drivers can request entry; ties into access control for audited deliveries.
Brands and platforms
- 2N (Czech, Axis-owned) — the IP-intercom default for body-corporate apartments and gated driveways. Strong NZ support, well-integrated with Paxton Net2 and most access-control platforms. IP Verso and IP Force are the workhorse models.
- Aiphone — long-standing residential and small-commercial brand. JK series for homes, GT series for apartments. Reliable, easy to use, supports mobile-app integration on the IX-MV and GT-DMB-N.
- Comelit — Italian, popular with architects. Stylish call panels and handsets. Mini, Ultra, and Switch ranges for residential through commercial.
- Akuvox — cost-effective IP intercom with face-recognition and access-control integration on the same call panel.
- Fermax — Spanish, popular for vandal-resistant outdoor stations and large apartment installations.
Mobile-app answering — the question we get most
Yes, modern IP intercoms route calls to a mobile app on your phone (Aiphone IXG, 2N Mobile Video, Akuvox SmartPlus, Comelit Comelit Open). When the visitor presses the call button, your phone rings; you see live video of the visitor, you can talk to them, and you can unlock the door or gate from anywhere. For body-corporate apartments, residents can choose handset-only, app-only, or both. App-only is popular with younger residents but the body corporate usually requires a base-build handset as a fallback.
Cabling — what your building has, what we’ll need
Older Auckland buildings usually have 2-wire intercom cabling that supports legacy audio-only systems but not modern IP video. We can either re-pull Cat5e/Cat6 cable through existing pathways or use a 2-wire-to-IP bridge (2N has a good one) that runs IP video over the existing 2-wire infrastructure — useful for body-corporate retrofits where re-cabling every apartment isn’t practical. We’ll confirm what your building has during the site visit and recommend the right approach.
What does an intercom system cost?
- Single-door home video intercom (Aiphone JK or Comelit Mini): $1,400–$2,400 supplied and installed.
- Gated driveway intercom with gate-operator integration: $2,400–$4,200.
- Small body-corporate (8–16 units, 2N or Aiphone GT-DMB-N): $9,000–$18,000.
- Larger body-corporate (30–60 units): $20,000–$45,000 depending on cabling reuse and access-control integration; quoted by site visit.
- Office reception intercom (single panel + receptionist tablet): $2,000–$3,500.
Intercom FAQ
Can we keep the existing handsets and just upgrade the call panel?
In some cases yes — if your existing handsets are from a current generation 2N, Aiphone, or Comelit system. For older 2-wire-only handsets, the answer is usually no: the call panel uses an IP signal that the handset can’t decode. A 2-wire-to-IP bridge or new handsets is the choice. We’ll confirm during the site visit.
Does mobile-app answering work overseas?
Yes — the call routes via the manufacturer’s cloud service so it works anywhere your phone has data. You can answer the door from a hotel in Sydney or a meeting in Wellington. Some apartment building rules require a local handset as a fallback so visitors can still reach a resident if cloud or mobile is unavailable.
How does the intercom integrate with access control?
Modern IP intercoms (2N IP Verso, Akuvox R20) include an integrated card / mobile-credential reader on the call panel. Residents and staff can use the same credential at the intercom panel and at any other access-controlled door. Alternatively, the intercom and access-control system run separately but share a credential database. Either approach works; we’ll recommend based on the building’s scale.
Are body-corporate intercom upgrades disruptive?
Less than people expect. We typically replace the lobby call panel and central controller during a single morning, then move through apartments two or three at a time over a few days for handset / app set-up. With a 2-wire-to-IP bridge we can keep the existing in-apartment cabling. We coordinate with the body corporate manager on resident communication and access slots.
Will the intercom keep working if internet drops?
For local handset-to-call-panel calls, yes — modern IP intercoms run on the building’s LAN and don’t need external internet for calls between the lobby and apartments. Mobile-app answering does require internet (it routes via the manufacturer’s cloud). For sites where internet is unreliable, we recommend keeping an in-apartment handset as the primary answering method.