Hardwired Intercom

Digger

Senior Member
Looking for a hardwired intercom that the individual room stations fit in/on a single gang box. What are people using and what wiring is needed for that system?
 
Looking for a hardwired intercom that the individual room stations fit in/on a single gang box. What are people using and what wiring is needed for that system?


Just curious, why the strong need for single gang? Just looks better? I tend to agree. Why do so many have these oversized unit?
 
I installed a Russound Compoint in my house, and completely love it. It can do individual room call, or whole house page. If you do individual room call, the person on the other end does not need to get up to answer, as it keeps their mic on for 10 seconds. The sound quality is amazong with it too. I have most stations hooked up to the in-room, in-ceiling speakers that I am using for whole house audio, and a couple of rooms hooked up using the Russound Aux speaker. If you have whole house audio speakers in the rooms, then you can get away with a single gang intercom unit. The other thing I love is the selection of doorbell chimes it has. It even has one for the holidays. Also, if you have 2 door stations (we have one at our front door, and one on the deck) you can assign different chimes for each door.

For the basic system, you just need a single Cat5 to each room or door station. If you are tying together with whole house audio, you need the Cat5, and also need your WHA speaker wires for that room, looped to the room station. In the latter configuration, the intercom or doorbell will mute any music currently playing over WHA.

In short, it was one of the best things I have installed in my house, and it was super easy to set up and configure.
 
I installed a Russound Compoint in my house, and completely love it. It can do individual room call, or whole house page. If you do individual room call, the person on the other end does not need to get up to answer, as it keeps their mic on for 10 seconds. The sound quality is amazong with it too. I have most stations hooked up to the in-room, in-ceiling speakers that I am using for whole house audio, and a couple of rooms hooked up using the Russound Aux speaker. If you have whole house audio speakers in the rooms, then you can get away with a single gang intercom unit. The other thing I love is the selection of doorbell chimes it has. It even has one for the holidays. Also, if you have 2 door stations (we have one at our front door, and one on the deck) you can assign different chimes for each door.

For the basic system, you just need a single Cat5 to each room or door station. If you are tying together with whole house audio, you need the Cat5, and also need your WHA speaker wires for that room, looped to the room station. In the latter configuration, the intercom or doorbell will mute any music currently playing over WHA.

In short, it was one of the best things I have installed in my house, and it was super easy to set up and configure.

Thanks Sacedog I will check that out. Might be a little pricey but I will see what it comes out to and maybe phase it in.
 
Looking for a hardwired intercom that the individual room stations fit in/on a single gang box. What are people using and what wiring is needed for that system?


Just curious, why the strong need for single gang? Just looks better? I tend to agree. Why do so many have these oversized unit?

Already have single gang

Pretty cheap and easy to convert single gang LV box to double - lots of work to convert double to single.

Takes about 5 minutes - all one needs is a drywall saw (careful of the cables!) and a 2 gang retro ring.
 
Looking for a hardwired intercom that the individual room stations fit in/on a single gang box. What are people using and what wiring is needed for that system?


Just curious, why the strong need for single gang? Just looks better? I tend to agree. Why do so many have these oversized unit?

Already have single gang

Pretty cheap and easy to convert single gang LV box to double - lots of work to convert double to single.

Takes about 5 minutes - all one needs is a drywall saw (careful of the cables!) and a 2 gang retro ring.

There is a WAF in single vs double :)

Current UVS system is single gang and is just not very useful. It was free but time to put something better in.
 
Keep us posted on your decision, plz.

I'm having second thoughts about ditching my old intercom system.
 
Keep us posted on your decision, plz.

I'm having second thoughts about ditching my old intercom system.


Currently I have 4 wire shielded pulled to each location. I pulled Cat 5 where I could last night but the front door unit is inaccessible for pulling a new run there. When the weather gets warmer I might have a way to get a line there.

I am considering the GE and Russound but have to convince my wife for the double gang. I also will apply for a dealer account with each to see what the prices wind up being. I dont pay retail for anything anymore.
 
Keep us posted on your decision, plz.

I'm having second thoughts about ditching my old intercom system.


Currently I have 4 wire shielded pulled to each location. I pulled Cat 5 where I could last night but the front door unit is inaccessible for pulling a new run there. When the weather gets warmer I might have a way to get a line there.

I am considering the GE and Russound but have to convince my wife for the double gang. I also will apply for a dealer account with each to see what the prices wind up being. I dont pay retail for anything anymore.

If you go with Russound, talk to one of the dealers on this board. They can more than likely get you the best price. I know of two; Ranger Digital and SBSmartHomes.
 
Keep us posted on your decision, plz.

I'm having second thoughts about ditching my old intercom system.


Currently I have 4 wire shielded pulled to each location. I pulled Cat 5 where I could last night but the front door unit is inaccessible for pulling a new run there. When the weather gets warmer I might have a way to get a line there.

I am considering the GE and Russound but have to convince my wife for the double gang. I also will apply for a dealer account with each to see what the prices wind up being. I dont pay retail for anything anymore.

If you go with Russound, talk to one of the dealers on this board. They can more than likely get you the best price. I know of two; Ranger Digital and SBSmartHomes.

Thanks.
 
Currently I have 4 wire shielded pulled to each location.

I am considering the GE and Russound but have to convince my wife for the double gang. I also will apply for a dealer account with each to see what the prices wind up being. I dont pay retail for anything anymore.

Do we have the same eyeglass prescriptions too?

Except I haven't really considered GE. I wish the Compoint keypad and CAV/CAM keypads were integrated.

My old system is an M&S (4 conductor). What an eyesore. One of 9 have been removed.
 
Keep us posted on your decision, plz.

I'm having second thoughts about ditching my old intercom system.


Currently I have 4 wire shielded pulled to each location. I pulled Cat 5 where I could last night but the front door unit is inaccessible for pulling a new run there. When the weather gets warmer I might have a way to get a line there.

I am considering the GE and Russound but have to convince my wife for the double gang. I also will apply for a dealer account with each to see what the prices wind up being. I dont pay retail for anything anymore.

If you go with Russound, talk to one of the dealers on this board. They can more than likely get you the best price. I know of two; Ranger Digital and SBSmartHomes.

Thanks.

+1. Appreciated. :)
 
What type of integration are you looking for? I have CAV/CAM and a Compoint. When the doorbell rings, the audio in the rooms stop so that you can hear the doorbell. The page station also changed to front door, so that you can simply push the talk button to talk to the front door.

Also, if someone pages your room, or performs a system page, the audio from the CAV is muted so that you may hear the page.
 
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