Intercom Wiring in Condo Buildings

In a condominium or other multi-unit residential building, the PIERRE Intercom installation is designed as a building-wide system.

One or more PIERRE Outdoor Intercoms can serve multiple apartments, while each apartment has its own indoor PIERRE Display for receiving calls, communicating with visitors, and controlling the corresponding entrance.

The network infrastructure, power supplies, entrance devices, Indoor Displays and door-control circuits must therefore be planned together during the design phase and before installation begins.

System Components

A typical multi-unit PIERRE Intercom installation can include:

• one or more PIERRE Outdoor Intercoms at the main and secondary entrances,
• a PIERRE Indoor Display in each apartment,
• controlled entrance Doors or Gates,
• electric locks or other compatible door-release equipment,
• RFID/PIN Readers where required,
• central network equipment,
• power supplies,
• PIERRE Controllers where required by the project.

Network and Cabling

The communication network should be planned centrally for the entire building.

Network cabling must be routed between the central network infrastructure and the required PIERRE devices according to the project design.

Suitable network cabling, such as Cat.6, should be used. Cable lengths, network topology, switches and distribution points must comply with the applicable network and PIERRE design requirements.

Power and communication requirements should be planned together during the electrical design.

Door and Gate control wiring must be planned according to the electrical requirements of the selected lock, gate or access-control equipment.

Central Cabinet

The building should have an appropriate central location for the shared system equipment.

Depending on the project, the central cabinet may contain:

• router,
• network switches,
• PIERRE Controllers,
• power supplies,
• access-control equipment,
• backup power equipment where required.

The cabinet should provide sufficient space for the installed equipment as well as reserve capacity for service and future extensions.

It should be located in a suitable communal technical area that remains accessible to authorized service personnel.

IP Addressing and DHCP

The IP addressing structure must be planned according to the number of apartments and network devices in the project.

PIERRE Displays used as indoor intercom units must be assigned the required network configuration, including fixed IP addresses where required by the project design.

The router's DHCP range must not conflict with reserved or fixed IP addresses.

Example

For a residential building with 50 apartments, an addressing plan could be:

Router IP Address: 192.168.1.100

Reserved IP Addresses for Indoor Units:

• Apartment 1: 192.168.1.1
• Apartment 6: 192.168.1.6
• Apartment 50: 192.168.1.50

DHCP Server Range:
192.168.1.101 – 192.168.1.254

The actual IP addressing scheme must always be defined according to the size and network design of the specific project.

Apartment Numbering

The apartment numbering structure should be defined before the Intercom system is configured.

Apartment numbers, Indoor Displays and Intercom call destinations must follow a consistent project structure so that incoming calls are routed to the correct apartment.

Any changes to apartment numbering should therefore be finalized before commissioning whenever possible.

Power Supply and Backup

Power requirements must be planned for all components required for Intercom and access-control operation, including:

• Outdoor Intercoms,
• Indoor Displays,
• network equipment,
• PIERRE Controllers,
• electric locks,
• RFID/PIN Readers and other access-control devices.

Where Intercom or access-control operation is required during a mains power failure, the necessary equipment must be supplied by an appropriately designed backup power system.

Backup power must cover the complete chain required for the intended function. Supplying only the Intercom or Display is not sufficient if the network equipment or door-control equipment required for the same operation loses power.

Role Setup for Multi-Unit Buildings

The PIERRE Intercom should be added to the appropriate Common Controller and assigned to a dedicated Intercom Role.

The Intercom and its associated Door must be assigned to this Role and removed from the Default Role where required by the project configuration.

Each apartment that needs access to the Intercom must receive the appropriate Role.

The Intercom Role must also be assigned to the relevant PIERRE Indoor Displays and users who need to:

• receive Intercom calls,
• answer Intercom calls,
• access the corresponding Door or Gate.

This ensures that Intercom and Door access is distributed according to the required permissions within the building.

Installation Planning

During the design and first-fix phase:

• plan all Indoor Display locations,
• plan all Outdoor Intercom locations,
• route the required network and power cabling,
• plan Door and Gate control wiring,
• plan RFID/PIN Reader cabling where required,
• label cables at both ends,
• provide suitable network distribution points where required,
• consider spare cabling and network capacity for future extensions.

Retrofitting missing communication or power cables after communal areas and facades have been completed can require significant additional work.

Technical Notes

• Treat the Intercom installation as a building-wide network and access-control system, rather than as independent apartment installations.
• Network topology, cable lengths and network equipment must be designed according to the size and structure of the project.
• Fixed and DHCP-assigned IP addresses must not overlap.
• Outdoor Intercom mounting height and camera angle should be verified on site.
• The local network must remain operational for local SIP communication.
• An active internet connection is required for remote functions that depend on the Smart PIERRE application.
• Where operation during a mains power failure is required, backup power should cover the complete communication and access-control chain.
• Roles, apartment numbering and Door assignments should be planned before commissioning.
• All network, power and access-control wiring must follow the applicable PIERRE project documentation, connected device documentation and electrical safety requirements.