Re: Intercom

["Robert L Bass" <no-sales-spam@bassburglaralarms>]

> Need some advice from the readers here that are smarter than me.  :)
> I am a professional in the field (weeeeee Feb 1 was 10 years!)  And I
> just finished doing my cameras at the house and me and the wife are
> talking about doing an intercom but unfortunatly I don;t know that
> much abouyt them.  I have done a few small linear systems but I want
> to see if I can get some consensus from the yokels here as to
> brands/models.  Prob looking at 1 out door station and 5 or so indoor
> stations.

Hi Bill,

Happy 10th anniversary!

I've used Aiphone intercoms for many of my own installations.  The audio is crystal clear and the systems last forever.  Their video
intercoms are among the best I've found anywhere.

If you want 5 inside stations and 1 door station, audio only, consider the LEF-5.  It can be all masters (every room can talk to
every other room), 1 master and all subs (1 room talks to all other rooms) or a combination thereof.  The most common residential
setup is a master in the kitchen and subs everywhere else.  Some families like to have a second master in the master bedroom.

Here's a typical all-sub layout with door release:
1    LEF-5C 5-CALL SEMI-FLUSH MOUNT MASTER
4    LE-A SURFACE/DESK MOUNT SUB
1    LE-D SURFACE MOUNT DOOR STATION
1    RY-PA DOOR RELEASE RELAY
1    PS-1225UL 12V DC, 2.5A POWER SUPPLY (110 VAC)

If you don't need door release, strike the RY-PA module.

Another option is to install one of the CAT5 intercoms such as OnQ/Legrand's Inquire series.  There are kits that include a master
station, a door station and several subs.  Here's a link:
http://www.onqlegrand.com/jahia/Jahia/pid/948

I've sold around 50 of the LeGrand CAT5 intercoms and the response has been pretty positive.  I've sold more Aiphone systems by far
though.  They're about as good as it gets.  Aiphone has an extensive line covering everything from 2-station boxed sets to
campus-wide systems capable of servicing a large, military or industrial compound.

Aiphone has a convenient on-line tool that allows you to specify an appropriate system including even the back boxes.  I use it when
designing their GF series apartment intercoms (one of our most popular lines).  Here's a link:
http://www.aiphone.com/QS_Pages/HowToUse.htm

I have most of the Aiphone and many of the OnQ/Legrand products listed on my website.  Since you're a dealer you can order them from
your distributor.  My site is for retail customers.  However, the prices will give you a measure of relative cost since the markup
is similar on almost all major products.

If you're into multi-room music you might also want to look at Russound's intercom system.  It can stand alone or tie directly into
their music systems.  I haven't tried the system yet but I've installed tons of Russound systems and sold even more of them online.
They're an excellent brand -- very popular with security dealers.

Best of luck with the project.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-866-1100
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>