To handle temporary visitors, employees who forget their credentials and other non-credentialed people who need to enter a locked entrance, end users need an entry control — usually an intercom paired with a barrier.
More and more, these solutions now combine video, audio and access control in one solution. Each of those components need to offer exceptional quality and ease of use for both the end user and the visitor. The audio and video components need to relay clear and intelligible information for both safety and efficiency.
Ahead, experts weigh in on customer demands, common installation pitfalls and opportunities for growth in entry control.
The 3-Pronged Approach
The importance of pairing video with audio is a topic that comes up often when speaking with the experts about customer demands. “Video entry systems are becoming the norm,” says Richard Sedivy, director of marketing, DoorKing, Inglewood, Calif. “Customers want the ability to see who is calling them. They also want apps on their smartphones that enable video calling. And they want to be able to use their smartphone as an entry credential to replace access cards.”
Certainly, the most impactful technologies in the entry control market are the usual suspects. End users expect their mobile devices to be capable of interacting with most tech. This has been an ongoing trend in access control and credential issuing, but now the importance of video is merging with this tech. Customers expect these capabilities out of their entry control solutions, say the experts.
“We’re seeing the most demand in integrated audio and video and mobile credentials,” says Neerja Bajaj, vice president, product and innovation, Brivo, Bethesda, Md. “More end users are building security operations centers (SOCs) and they want to monitor the information and data in one view, rather than separate systems of physical access control systems (PACS), video management systems (VMS) and other systems. App-based and NFC-based mobile credentials is another area of expansion. After the pandemic, the market is more comfortable with tap entry — or ways to enter with limited to no touch points. With hybrid work more prevalent, customers are using this as a draw to simplify the experience for the office.”
Another trend seen across vertical markets and industries is that of customers wanting to make the most of what they have. End users are looking for the convenience offered by the eventual convergence of technology — the additional capabilities beyond a solution’s intended use. As tech continues to advance, entry control systems are able to offer more to the end user at a reduced cost.
“Customers want intercom solutions that allow them to do more with less,” says David Zhai, lead product manager, intercoms, Verkada, San Mateo, Calif. “They’re looking for solutions that go beyond standard video and audio capabilities, and provide additional capabilities like advanced analytics and access control. This helps them reduce hardware requirements, streamline device management, and ultimately reduce costs.”
Advice on Entry Installations
Another pervasive trend that is shaping the intercom and entry control market is that of interoperability and — eventually — the convergence of technology. Experts say these solutions should communicate with other systems deployed at the location. Time and again experts bemoan the siloing of systems and say that the future looks much more interconnected.
“At its core, the purpose of an intercom is security,” says Dom Albano, program manager, intercoms, Axis Communications. “However, the capabilities of intercoms are expanding as they are being combined with surveillance cameras and access control systems. This convergence, along with putting intercoms on the network, has enabled interoperability with other systems on premise, allowing users to create more comprehensive and flexible solutions.”
Intercoms and entry control solutions can become much more effective and efficient when integrated into other systems.
At its core, the purpose of an intercom is security. However, the capabilities of intercoms are expanding as they are being combined with surveillance cameras and access control systems.
“A common mistake I see is organizations treating intercoms as standalone devices,” Zhai says. “Integrating intercoms with other security systems and workflows can significantly enhance their functionality and value. For example, an intercom integrated with nearby cameras can pull in additional video so that security professionals have more situational awareness. On the workflow side, intercoms integrated with existing phone systems or communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams make intercoms easier to use. These integrations allow security professionals to manage calls and visitors through the systems they use every day, eliminating the need for in-depth product training.”
There’s an analogy — offered by Dan Rothrock of Zenitel — that encapsulates the entry control and intercom market: the comparison to that of a three-legged stool. One leg is that of the access control component of the solution. Another leg is that of the solutions audio communication capabilities. And finally, video is considered the third leg.
Audio and video are by and large agreed to be most useful when paired together. Generally, Richard Sedivy, DoorKing, says the attitude has been that audio is a required and video is a nice to have, but he now says they go hand-in-hand.
Rothrock agrees. “You really shouldn’t have one without the other,” he says. “The two have to go together. Access control right now — and I say right now because it's going to change — is where the data lies to give permissions to enter a building or to keep somebody out. That needs to be tied-in with voice communication. So if there is an issue at the door, you can talk to the person. After you’ve identified them, you can choose to let them in or to keep them out."
Rothrock continues, “But you want to do that also with video. I want to see who the person is, and I want to talk to the person. And tying those together can help collect information. Audio and voice communication shares information, and it’s an interactive process. But what I would say is that’s a standard baseline for anybody that's looking at a security system. It should not exclude any one of those three pieces.”
Bobby Welliver, dormakaba, adds, “Audio is always used with intercom systems as both parties need to be able to have a discussion to determine the validity of the access needed. Video is a direct complement to our access solutions auditing capabilities as with both used side by side. The access solution audit proves someone’s allowance or denial of access, while the video data captures activity at each access point and has its own data and time association. Using electronic access control solutions and CCTV together, solidify the who, what, when, and why mentioned above for anyone moving through a property with two ways to authenticate, that fully support one another.”
And offering both audio and visual communication can offer increased accessibility for end users. “As multiple solutions emerge it is important to remember the actual user of the systems is the diverse public — diverse in terms of physical ability, in terms of the ability to understand English language,” says Neerja Bajaj, Brivo. “Where possible, it is important to make the systems accessible to all. Audio, especially multi-language audio, allows for better usability by a broader audience.”
Another common pitfall is not fully understanding the environment that the solution will be deployed in.
“The biggest oversight we see today is someone not taking the time to do a true discovery with the ownership/management team regarding what is expected out of the system overall when fully deployed,” says Bobby Welliver, assistant vice president of sales, multifamily housing, dormakaba, Indianapolis. “Trying to build an electronic access solution for a property without this information is a mistake, and is usually the cause of change order overload, or scope gaps within the project that ultimately lead to a poorly performing system in the end.”
Don’t go in with something that you can put in everywhere.
Dan Rothrock, president of the Americas, Zenitel, Kansas City, Mo., offers this example of the importance of a proper understanding of the deployment environment: “We had a really good partner of ours that had offices right across the street from the Addison, Texas Airport. They had planes and private jets literally right across the street from it. So, if you want an intercom at your front door, understand the environment that you’re putting it in. In that example, you’re going to have to overcome plane noise, jet noise, etc. So let’s put in a device that can handle that.”
Rothrock continues, “Understand the environment, but also pick something that’s flexible. Pick a solution that can overcome that jet noise but can also adjust for when there is no plane noise. When it’s really quiet you don’t want that intercom to be obnoxiously loud and overbearing. First and foremost, do a site survey, understand where the solution is going, and then you can pick the right product to go into the installation. Don’t go in with something that you can put in everywhere.”
Opportunities in Entry & Intercoms
The experts agree that there are opportunities in the market that cover the spectrum from enterprise down to small businesses and mom-and-pop shops. There are three big technologies presenting those opportunities: video intercoms, upgrading landline-based systems, and solutions that offer AI analytics.
“Video intercoms are growing across all segments with the top segments in the Americas being education, commercial, and residential,” Albano says. “The United States is the largest driver of growth with around 70 percent of the market. Intercoms and other entry control solutions provide great opportunities to anyone who needs to manage physical access to a site.”
Intercoms can provide tremendous value for customers — a camera, door access control and speaker, all in one hardware product — so there’s a huge opportunity to leverage them as an entry point into small and medium-sized businesses that are just beginning to scope out security solutions for their organization.
As video gets folded into the mix, the intercom can become a more powerful solution. “Intercoms can provide tremendous value for customers — a camera, door access control and speaker, all in one hardware product — so there’s a huge opportunity to leverage them as an entry point into small and medium-sized businesses that are just beginning to scope out security solutions for their organization,” Zhai says.
The security industry as a whole is often considered to lag ever so slightly behind what tech is available, as integrators and end users hesitate to adopt fully until the tech has been proven — or at least until the value has been proven. Currently, there is the opportunity to demonstrate the value of an upgrade to customers in the intercom and entry market.
“There is a huge amount of legacy entry systems out there that are still operating on landlines,” says DoorKing’s Sedivy. “When those systems need replacement, or when the landline no longer works, it is a great opportunity to sell newer systems.”
As previously mentioned, AI is penetrating the entry control and intercom market. AI technology is rapidly making its way into seemingly every aspect of life. Looking to the future of AI in the market, Dan Rothrock, Zenitel, offers some predictions about the technology’s impact on entry and intercoms. “In voice communications, AI is going to play a huge role in where the market goes,” Rothrock says. “Instead of touching a computer monitor or using a mouse and keyboard, we will simply talk to the machine and that will be the central hub for security.”
Rothrock continues, “The AI product ties into the future of audio in the market, but it also ties into the challenge. If you look at all the things that we need there for natural language processing and all the things that we need for conversational audio, what does the commercialization of that look like and what does the time factor for adopting those features and functions look like? But overall, the advent of AI and voice communication will move voice communication to the center of the security system.”
And there are other technologies that AI will communicate with to harvest better contextual information. “With the inclusion of facial recognition, you’ll be able to authenticate and you’ll also be able to identify,” Rothrock says. “You’ll be able to look at the emotional tone, which in some analyses is already being done, but it’s really going to expand. That’s why voice communication will mitigate risk and will undoubtedly become the center of the security system.”
As AI communication between the end user and the computer itself continues to improve, it offers the chance for entry control and intercom systems to meet end user expectations. “Look at how it’s used in the consumer market, in the home with what Google does with what Amazon does with what Apple does,” Rothrock says. “Thanks to all the devices that we talked to in our home, we now have an expectation that I can talk to a machine. Everybody is now used to that at home and therefore more information officers — more CEO’s — are asking the security officer about audio. Why can’t I just walk and talk to the device?”
AI can also scan the audio for background information and monitor the video feed to detect human presence.
“With deep learning capabilities, intercoms can run advanced analytics,” says Dom Albano, Axis Communications. “It’s no longer a matter of waiting for a button to be pushed. Now, audio analytics are capable of detecting and differentiating different types of noises: screams, cars backfiring, glass shattering, while video analytics can detect when people are approaching or loitering — All of which provides valuable information to help streamline operations and keep areas more secure.”
Many entry solutions and intercom systems are now compatible with smartphones, which can increase efficiency, convenience, and ease-of-use for end users. “Landlines are going away and many people now only have smartphones for their communication needs,” Sedivy continues. “And it is convenient to not have to carry an access credential to gain access to a secured area.”
The experts indicated that the utilization of AI in the entry control and intercom market was only just beginning, but the benefits of the tech are already apparent. “Demand for AI capabilities is also showing promise,” Zhai says. “Intercoms paired with AI capabilities such as in-call person of interest alerts, speech-to-text transcription, and AI video search are incredibly effective in enhancing security and operational efficiency. These features not only improve response times and accuracy but also provide valuable insights for investigations. As AI technology continues to advance, the demand for these capabilities will only grow.”
The entry control and intercom market is constantly evolving with customer demands and technological advancements, showing promise for integrators and dealers to provide satisfying solutions that can increase efficiency and convenience for the end user.
“The intercom and entry control market continues to innovate and develop the technology in new ways,” Albano says. “We’re beyond the days where intercoms were only used for calling. Today’s intercoms have evolved into a full door solution complete with access control and high-resolution video surveillance with interoperability into other systems and on prem and cloud management options. It’s exciting to see.”
