A commercial intercom system could be either wired or wireless. They are usually a little more industrial in appearance and built a little tougher for the harsher environments commercial intercoms find themselves in.
A wired commercial intercom system is usually used for a specific application like monitoring an outside entrance door. The days where an intercom is put on every desk are long gone. These intercoms have been replaced by telephone systems for this application.
The majority of commercial intercom applications are wireless. The labor cost of running wires is often too high, plus the mobility offered by wireless is often a plus.
The benefit of a wireless commercial intercom or door phone system is that the installation is greatly simplified for existing buildings. Fishing wire through existing walls and ceilings can be a challenging proposition, and is not something most businesses want to spend their money on. Most commercial wireless systems are plug and play…meaning you can use them almost immediately after taking them out of the box.
The downside of the ease of installation for wireless systems is possible interference from other wireless devices. Before adding wireless intercom systems to an installation you must consider what other wireless devices are being used in the area such as radio data networks, other two way radios, and other wireless devices. Usually you can find a wireless intercom that will work for you.
Some commercial intercom systems use two way radio technology. In fact, you can get base station intercoms that communicate directly with handheld two way radios. These units are available in UHF and VHF frequencies that generally require an FCC license to operate. However, there are intercom units in the newly created MURS frequencies that are unlicensed. These MURS Radios let you communicate over long range of up to a mile or more.
If you need an outdoor commercial intercom you’ll find that these are called “call boxes.” These wireless call boxes are essentially two way radios placed in a waterproof housing. To use them you simply press a button on the front and you are able to speak to someone on a handheld two way radio or wireless intercom. Some of these wireless callboxes have a gate opening relay so you can remotely unlock a gate.
So if you have a business application with communication needs that a traditional telephone system can’t handle, that’s when you need to look for a commercial intercom system.