Apartment Intercom Systems in Single-Villa Projects

Let’s find out what the standard single villa project needs and discover how 2N brought premium access to a luxury single villa project in Prague!

An overview of devices: what should you install?

To ensure robust access control in single-villa residential projects, integrators should install a range of devices designed to protect and monitor entry points. These may include:

• Video intercoms: Many single villa projects are happy with only audio communication – however integrating a camera, speaker, and microphone at their front door or front gate in the form of a video intercom allows homeowners to view and communicate with visitors at their doorstep, providing an additional layer of security and convenience.
• Access control readers: This isn’t a must-have as such, especially if the intercom installed at the front door has sufficient access capabilities. However, access control readers are great at securing areas such as gyms, swimming pools and garages (common in luxury projects)
• Indoor panels: A vital part of any apartment intercom system – no matter the size! Single villa projects still need indoor panels to allow users to answer their doors conveniently. The best have award-winning design and offer video calling (when paired with a video intercom) as well as integration with home automation platforms.

Demands from End-Users (Homeowners):

Homeowners in single-villa residential projects have specific demands when it comes to access control and intercom systems. Some common expectations include:

• Security: It goes without saying that homeowners prioritize the safety of their property and family members. Ones with particularly valuable properties that are willing to spend more on access control seek advanced measures to prevent unauthorized entry and monitor activity around their homes! But it doesn’t mean that simple access is the same as unsafe access. Prioritise the quality of devices no matter the scale of the project, and always choose a provider that adheres to all security standards and makes cyber security a priority too!
• Convenience: Seamless integration and ease of use are essential. Homeowners desire access control systems that provide hassle-free entry and simplify daily routines, such as keyless entry using mobile (see more below) and full integration with home automation.
• Customization: Single-villa projects often cater to homeowners with diverse lifestyles and preferences. Customization options, such as personalized access permissions and flexible scheduling features, allow residents to tailor their access control systems to their specific needs.

The best way to meet these demands? Prioritise future-proof access control with modern features

The evolution of technology has brought several modern features to access control and apartment intercom systems, which can greatly benefit single-villa residential projects. These features include:

Mobile access: The best thing to give any end-user, no matter the size of the project, is mobile access. People these days never leave the house without their phones – and how many times have we all forgotten our house keys?! Make sure to use the best technology – Bluetooth – and remember that mobile access can be fast, reliable, and secure if you choose the right one!

Remote door answering: Another benefit of mobile technology is the ability to answer your door from anywhere! Using a good mobile app that allows residents to remotely grant access to authorised visitors (or deny it to unknown ones), communicate with couriers, and check up on their homes via the feed from IP cameras and/or their video intercom is a benefit that everyone will appreciate. Remember - such an app is a good supplement to the usual indoor panels installed inside the homes but shouldn’t be a replacement for them.

Seamless integration with home automation: Seamless integration with home automation systems allows homeowners to use their indoor panels to control not only access but also lighting, climate control, and other smart home devices through a unified platform. Connecting their IP intercom and/or access control readers to existing security systems is also a great benefit. To make sure you’re not limited when it comes to integration, choose a provider that partners with multiple third-party systems and bases their devices on open protocols!

Other features include customisable touchscreen intercom displays, using indoor panels to stream video feeds from up to 16 IP cameras installed all around the house (garage, backyard) for great security, and the possibility to have multiple access credential options – great for expected visitors and temporary guests like cleaning staff or dog walker.

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What are the differences between large apartment intercom systems and single-villa ones?

Scale and Complexity: Large apartment complexes typically house multiple units and residents, resulting in more complex apartment intercom systems. The scale of the system is significantly larger, with multiple entry points, common areas, and shared amenities. Single-villa projects, on the other hand, have a simpler access control setup, typically focused on securing the main entrance and perimeters of the property – with extra access control added on as an extra should the project need it.

Configuration & management: In single-villa projects, the access control system is usually much simpler with fewer devices, and therefore the configuration can usually be done directly in the device’s interfaces. In contrast, in large apartment complexes, the access control system needs to be configured and managed remotely by the property manager – often they will have portfolios of different complexes with large numbers of devices, each on their own network, which means a cloud-based infrastructure suits them. However, even the smallest projects can set up things like cloud-calling via remote management platforms; it just depends on your time and what the project needs.

Access Permissions: Single-villa projects often have a limited number of occupants, usually the immediate family and occasional guests. Access permissions are primarily granted to family members, trusted individuals, and service providers. In contrast, large apartment complexes need to manage access permissions for a more diverse resident population, including tenants, staff, and visitors. This requires a more intricate system for granting and revoking access, managing visitor access, and ensuring the security of common areas.

System Maintenance and Upgrades: With multiple units and residents, large apartment complexes necessitate regular maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting of the access control system. This is typically managed by a dedicated maintenance team or service provider. In single-villa projects, system maintenance and upgrades don’t need to be done so often. Users don’t change often – and neither do access rights and call set-up. Despite this, or maybe even because of this, we suggest you get homeowners to do their system maintenance and upgrades with the assistance of a professional integrator.

Can single-villa projects have luxury access?

Yes – check out how 2N gave a luxury homeowner access on another level!

Project Overview

Premium, sustainable, smart: three things the owner of a luxury single villa in Prague wanted when designing their future home – and the result speaks for itself. The property is powered by one of the most sophisticated, cutting-edge smart home solutions on the market: Loxone. It’s entirely energy-independent and capable of completing a huge 55,000 tasks every single day – so to fit in with this modern system, the owner needed access control that meets these futuristic standards, works alongside the home system, and reliably secures the property’s valuable contents.

Premium access for a premium project

The 2N® IP Style was chosen to be the property’s main video intercom for good reason: it’s a high-end, luxury device that both reflects the clean aesthetics of the villa and boasts cutting-edge technology.

The 2N® IP Style gives the villa’s owner all the decision intelligence they need at their door – plus a heightened level of security thanks to the strong processing power of Axis’ Artpec 7 chip and the flexible nature of edge IP devices. Its 5MPx, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) capable camera ensures full-HD image quality which makes visitor identification a breeze - even in darkness.

The video intercom also supports cutting-edge access methods: most notably (and conveniently) mobile access powered by WaveKey, the most reliable, secure, and fast Bluetooth-enabled mobile access technology in the world. For guests and visitors, the 2N® IP Style can also allow for QR code access – so the owners can allow people temporary access whenever they need it by sharing a QR code.

Of course, homeowners usually want something on their front door that looks good. Thankfully, the 2N® IP Style has won two high-profile design awards – an iF Award and a Red Dot Design Award – and the 10” ‘smartphone-style’ touchscreen LCD display with instant response and smooth animations enhances the look of this high-end project.

A complete solution brings ultimate convenience

The 2N® IP Style was, crucially, designed and manufactured with a commitment to open protocols. This means it can be integrated with third-party systems. In this property, the video intercom is integrated with a camera system that can recognise the number plate, colour, and type of car before opening the entrance gate – working both for the owner’s car and other people who visit the villa regularly. They don’t even need to leave the car to enter the gate which is a great benefit of adding this kind of powerful device to single villa projects.

The video intercom is also connected to the alarm system, which is provided by Jablotron. The alarm system is automatically operational when the owner’s family are not at home, and, at night, it automatically covers everywhere in the house that they’re not sleeping in.

To conclude – whilst most single-villa projects don’t demand something as high spec as the example given, it doesn’t mean you should rule out offering premium features. Modernity, security, and convenience are still key demands from homeowners, and they also want devices that last and look good! Offer your customers all this by choosing an access provider that prioritises open integration, premium devices, and 21st-century features.