Short answer
When choosing a video door phone, first look at the existing cable in the building and the number of apartments. In old apartment buildings, two-wire systems that use the existing cable are installed without opening walls; in new buildings and for those who want the image sent to their phone, an IP door phone is more flexible. In a detached house, what matters is the location of the door panel, its resistance to sun and rain, and the need to open the door remotely.
How does a video door phone work?
A video door phone has two main parts. The door panel mounted at the outer door carries the camera, microphone, speaker and bell buttons. The indoor unit inside the apartment, that is the monitor, shows the person at the door and lets you talk to them and open the door. In apartment buildings, distribution devices that route the signal coming to the door to the right apartment, and a power supply, are added to these.
The door-opening function depends on the electric lock or the door automation. When the door phone is replaced, whether the existing lock is compatible with the new system is also checked. If it is not compatible, the lock is changed too and this is reflected in the quote.
The size of the monitor screen, whether it is touch, and whether it is flush-mounted or surface-mounted are what concern the user most. But it is the infrastructure, not the screen, that determines how smoothly the system will work. If the cable, power supply and distribution devices are not chosen correctly, even the most expensive monitor gives a snowy, interrupted image. Have the quote state the models of these parts in as much detail as the screen.
Two-wire or IP door phone?
In two-wire systems, image, sound and power are carried over two wires. In old apartment buildings, the existing cables laid for the audio door phone can often be used with this system. It is the most practical way to move to a video system without opening walls or pulling cable. Whether the existing cables are sound is tested before installation.
An IP door phone works over a computer network cable or over the building's network infrastructure. The image quality is usually higher, and features such as forwarding to the phone, recording and connection to housing estate management software are easier to add. In new buildings and in housing estates with network cabling, this is the first choice. Installing an IP door phone in an old building can mean running new cable to every apartment.
When deciding, ask this question: will the building live with this door phone for years and is the cabling being done from scratch, or do we want to move to video with the least work using the existing cable? For the first, IP stands out; for the second, the two-wire system.
What to check for apartment buildings and housing estates
In an apartment building, the door phone is a system shared by all apartments, and the decision is usually made at the management or owners' meeting. When comparing quotes, ask about the following items one by one.
- How many apartments does the system support, and what happens if apartments are added later?
- Will the existing cables be used, or will new cable be run?
- Will the block entrance and the main housing estate gate be connected to the same system?
- Will a main monitor be placed at the security booth or for the manager?
- Does the door panel support card or code entry?
- When one apartment's monitor fails, are the other apartments affected?
Expert note: The point housing estate managements overlook most often is that the indoor units can be chosen as different models per apartment. The shared infrastructure is built as a single system, and a more advanced monitor that can forward to the phone can be installed in any apartment that wants one. Ask about this at the quote stage.
What to check for a detached house
In a detached house, the door panel is usually at the garden gate, far from the house itself. The distance between the panel and the monitor and the cable route are therefore important. If cable cannot be run to the garden gate, there are wireless models too, but their range and image stability are affected by walls, trees and structures in between.
If the garden gate is a motorized sliding gate, the door phone must be able to trigger the motor. That way you can open both the pedestrian gate and the vehicle gate from the monitor or from your phone. If the house has more than one floor, a separate monitor or phone forwarding for each floor is considered. Not hearing the bell while working in the garden or upstairs is a common problem in detached houses.
Where and how is the door panel mounted?
The door panel's camera should be at a height where it sees the face of the person at the door. A panel mounted too high shows the top of the head, and one mounted too low shows the chin. A wide camera angle also lets you see a person standing to the side in front of the door and a package on the ground.
In Şanlıurfa, if the sun shines directly onto the door panel, the image is washed out around noon and the face stays dark. Models that balance backlight and a visor fitted above the panel reduce this problem. For night, models with infrared lighting or white light are chosen. An outdoor panel must be resistant to dust, rain and impact; these protection classes are stated in the product catalog.
The panel's cable should not be left exposed outside; it should come from inside the wall or through a protected conduit. An exposed cable both wears out in the weather and can be cut easily.
Forwarding to the phone and recording
New-generation door phones can send the image to your mobile phone when the bell rings. This makes it possible to talk to the courier at the door when you are not at home, or to see your child come into the house. For this function the monitor must be connected to the internet. There should be strong Wi-Fi or a network cable between the modem and the monitor.
Some models record a short clip when the bell is rung or motion is detected. If the door panel sees the apartment corridor, the street or a neighbor's door, recording is something that must be assessed under Law No. 6698 ( KVKK ). Decisions for shared areas should be made together with the management, and when in doubt a legal advisor should be asked.
Final checks before installation
In the quote, ask in writing for the brand and model of the door panel, the indoor units and the power supply, whether the cable will be renewed, and whether the door lock will be changed. In apartment buildings, discuss how many days the job will take and how the door will be opened during that time.
Desa Bilişim measures the existing cables, compares two-wire and IP options for your building, and for apartment buildings and housing estates prepares a single plan covering the blocks, the main entrance and the security booth.
Frequently asked
Do you have to open walls to convert an audio door phone to video?
Most of the time you do not. If the existing cables are sound, two-wire video systems work on the same cable. The condition of the cables is measured before installation; if there are damaged lines, only those are replaced.
Can I see the door phone image on my phone?
You can if you have a monitor with a forwarding-to-phone feature and an internet connection at home. In apartment buildings, your own apartment's monitor can be replaced with a model that has this feature without changing the shared system, but whether the system allows this depends on the brand.
Does the door phone work when the power goes out?
In a standard installation the power supply is fed from the grid and the system stops during an outage. If you want it to work during an outage as well, a battery or an uninterruptible power supply is added to the power supply. How the door lock will behave during an outage should also be planned.
Let us choose the right door phone for your building together
Enter the number of apartments and your current door phone in the quote wizard, and we will prepare a written quote comparing the two-wire and IP options.
