Parker Custom Security installed an Elvox video intercom system at 218 Gates Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, for property management company Lemle & Wolff. The system has three parts: an outdoor Elvox video door station mounted on the steel mesh entry gate at the sidewalk, a second video door station surface-mounted on the brick wall at the building entrance, and an Elvox video monitor inside the building. When a visitor or delivery driver presses the call button at either station, staff at the indoor monitor can see who is there and talk with them before letting them through. Putting a station on the gate as well as the building means visitors are screened at the property line, before they reach the front door. Elvox is the door entry brand of Italian manufacturer Vimar, and its compact single-button stations suit both mounting types. Parker provides commercial intercom system installation and repair across Brooklyn and the rest of NYC.
The Elvox video door station on the entry gate at 218 Gates Avenue, Bedford-Stuyvesant.
An Elvox Video Intercom at the Gate and the Door on Gates Avenue
Many Brooklyn apartment properties have two entry points, not one. There is the front door of the building, and in front of it a fenced yard with a gate at the sidewalk. If the only intercom is at the front door, anyone can walk through the gate, cross the yard, and stand at the entrance before anyone inside knows they are there.
218 Gates Avenue, between Franklin and Classon Avenues in Bed-Stuy, has exactly that layout. Lemle & Wolff, the property management company responsible for the building, brought in Parker Custom Security to put a video intercom at both points and connect them to a monitor inside.
Project Details
The Challenge: Two Entry Points, One Building
A gate at the sidewalk and a door at the building each need a way for visitors to announce themselves, and each sits in a very different spot:
- The gate: a steel frame with expanded-metal mesh panels, fully exposed to rain, snow, and summer sun, and swinging open and closed all day.
- The building entrance: solid brick, where the station has to be anchored to the masonry and the wiring kept neat and out of sight.
- Inside: one place where staff can answer calls from either entry point without leaving their post.
The goal was one system that covers both entry points and reports to a single monitor, rather than two separate buzzers.
Sound Familiar? Intercom Problems Brooklyn Property Managers Hear About
If you manage a multi-tenant building in Bed-Stuy, Clinton Hill, or anywhere in Brooklyn, you have probably heard some of these from tenants or staff:
- "Packages keep disappearing." When no one can see who is at the gate, delivery drivers and strangers walk straight up to the building.
- "I buzzed someone in and had no idea who it was." Audio-only buzzers make you guess. Video lets you check before you open.
- "The buzzer at the gate stopped working years ago." Older outdoor intercoms corrode and fail, and the gate ends up propped open.
- "Visitors are already at the front door before we know they're here." Without a station at the gate, the yard is open to anyone.
A video intercom at both the gate and the building handles all four.
The Solution: An Elvox Video Door Entry System
Parker installed an Elvox video door entry system with three components:
- Gate door station: a compact Elvox video station with a camera, speaker grille, call button, and name label, set in a steel housing on the gate frame at the sidewalk.
- Building door station: a matching Elvox video station surface-mounted on the brick beside the building entrance.
- Indoor video monitor: a white Elvox monitor with a color screen inside the building. When a visitor presses either call button, the monitor shows the camera view so staff can see and speak with them.
The Elvox indoor monitor, showing the live camera view from outside the building.
Does Your Building Have a Gate Nobody Can See?
Parker will look at your entry points, from the sidewalk gate to the lobby door, and recommend the right video intercom setup. The estimate is free.
Gate-Mounted vs. Wall-Mounted Intercom Stations
This project uses both of the most common mounting types for outdoor intercom stations. Each comes with its own installation details.
Gate-mounted intercom station
- Mounting: the station sits in a steel housing fixed to the gate frame, so it moves with the structure without working loose.
- Wiring: the cable has to reach the station along the gate frame and be protected where it crosses from the fixed post to the gate.
- Weather: a gate station has no wall or overhang to shelter it, so outdoor-rated equipment and a sealed housing matter more here than anywhere else.
- Placement: mounted at a height visitors can reach easily, close to the latch, so the camera sees the visitor's face.
Wall-mounted intercom station
- Mounting: on brick, the station is anchored into the masonry with fasteners suited to the material, keeping the panel flat and secure.
- Wiring: cable is brought through the wall or in a tidy surface run so nothing hangs loose or is easy to tamper with.
- Placement: beside the door at a comfortable height, positioned so the camera has a clear view of whoever is standing at the entrance.
The second Elvox door station, surface-mounted on the brick at the building entrance.
What a Video Intercom Solves for Tenants
- Visitors are screened at the gate. Guests and deliveries announce themselves at the sidewalk, before they reach the building.
- Every call comes with a face. Staff can see who is at either entry point before letting them through, instead of guessing from a voice.
- One monitor covers both entry points. Calls from the gate and the building door reach the same place inside.
- Fewer propped gates. When the intercom at the gate works, there is less reason for anyone to leave it open.
Video intercoms are also the starting point for adding access control later, such as key fobs or card readers for residents at the same entry points.
The Finished Result
218 Gates Avenue now has a video intercom at the sidewalk gate and at the building entrance, both connected to an Elvox monitor inside. Visitors announce themselves before they enter the yard, staff can see who is calling from either point, and Lemle & Wolff has one system and one contractor to call for service.
Why Brooklyn Property Managers Choose Parker Custom Security
Property management companies like Lemle & Wolff need an intercom contractor who also understands doors, gates, and hardware, because the intercom is only as good as the entry it controls. Parker's Brooklyn work also includes a custom arched aluminum security door for a multi-tenant building, and in the Bronx Parker installed an Aiphone video intercom upgrade for an apartment building.
- In business since 2003: more than two decades of intercoms, entrances, and door hardware in New York City.
- Multiple intercom brands: Elvox, Aiphone, Mircom, ButterflyMX, Comelit, and more, chosen to fit the building.
- Doors and hardware under the same roof: commercial door hardware, entrance doors, and intercoms from one team.
- Licensed, bonded, and insured, serving Brooklyn, all five boroughs, Westchester County, and Northern New Jersey.
Planning a Video Intercom for a Brooklyn Building?
Whether you need a single door station or a system that covers the gate, the entrance, and the lobby, Parker Custom Security will walk the property and give you a clear scope and estimate at no charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who installs Elvox video intercoms in Brooklyn?
Parker Custom Security installs and services Elvox video intercom systems throughout Brooklyn, including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, and Crown Heights. At 218 Gates Avenue in Bed-Stuy, Parker installed an Elvox system with a gate-mounted door station, a wall-mounted door station, and an indoor video monitor for Lemle & Wolff. Parker has served NYC buildings since 2003. Call (212) 491-5627 for a free estimate.
Can an intercom be installed on a gate?
Yes. A gate intercom station is mounted in a sturdy housing on the gate frame, with the cable run along the frame and protected where it crosses from the fixed post to the gate. Because a gate has no wall or overhang to shelter it, the station should be outdoor-rated and sealed against weather. A station at the gate lets visitors announce themselves at the sidewalk instead of at the building door.
Do I need separate intercom stations at the gate and the building entrance?
If your property has a gate and a front door, a station at each one gives you the most control. The gate station screens visitors before they enter the yard, and the building station covers anyone who is already inside the gate. Both stations can connect to the same indoor monitor, so staff answer calls from either point in one place. That is the setup at 218 Gates Avenue in Bed-Stuy.
What is the difference between a single-button and a multi-button intercom panel?
A single-button station calls one destination, such as a monitor at a front desk or a management office, where staff screen visitors. A multi-button or directory panel lets visitors call individual apartments directly. Buildings with staff on site often use single-button stations. Buildings without staff usually need a panel that reaches each apartment. Parker recommends the right type after looking at how the building is run.
Can you repair or upgrade an existing Elvox intercom?
Yes. Parker Custom Security repairs and upgrades Elvox and other intercom brands in Brooklyn and across NYC, including failing door stations, dead monitors, and wiring problems. In many buildings, an older audio intercom can be upgraded to video. Whether the existing wiring can be reused depends on the system, which Parker checks during a free on-site assessment.
How much does a video intercom cost for a Brooklyn apartment building?
Cost depends on the number of entry points, the number of door stations and monitors, whether apartments get their own monitors, the distance and condition of the wiring, and the mounting surfaces, such as a gate, brick, or a door frame. A system with one door station and one monitor costs far less than one that reaches every apartment. Parker Custom Security prices each job after a free on-site assessment.
Are intercoms required in NYC apartment buildings?
For many buildings, yes. New York's Multiple Dwelling Law Section 50-a requires an intercom at the self-locking entrance door of Class A multiple dwellings with eight or more apartments that were built or converted after January 1, 1968, and the intercom must be kept in working order. Our guide to NYC intercom requirements for apartment buildings explains which buildings are covered.
