The property sector is being reshaped by a rising wave of innovation in the form of PropTech – Property Technology. The new industry leverages the latest innovations to upgrade purchasing, selling, managing, and living between homes. No fad, PropTech is transforming modern lifestyles, with tenants' need for high-tech amenities at an all-time high. Along with this revolutionary shift, one of the key ingredients is not slow to evolve from a specialty security product to an integrated, integral component of buildings nowadays: smart entry system in the form of luxury video intercoms.
The Smart Entry Revolution: PropTech’s New Core
PropTech is actually revolutionizing the property industry by introducing new technology to make buildings smarter, greener, and more accessible. It encompasses everything from smart building management systems and virtual tours of properties to sophisticated tenant engagement systems. It's all fueled by evolving tenant expectations for convenience, security, and connectivity and pushing property owners and managers to develop solutions that not only simplify life, but redefine the quality of life in their buildings.
In this revolution, video intercoms are today the norm of contemporary property technology, so much more than ever their initial function as mere door communication systems. They are not so much thought of as coveted PropTech features adding so much to safety and convenience. In providing visual recognition of visitors, enabling far-off control of entry, and offering higher-order solutions to package delivery, such systems are addressing grave pain points for residents and property managers and firmly at the center of a true smart building.
The increasing needs of today's renters, who are more and more focused on security, ease, and technology-enabled living environments, are among the most important forces behind the rapid embrace of smart entry solutions. Smart technologies have today become a requirement to be competitive, rather than a luxury, and an integral part of leasing and retaining tenants. Their installation is part of a broader industry trend to utilize technology to build safer, more convenient, and ultimately more efficient living spaces, and a smart entry system is an integral component of any property strategy that looks to the future.
From Basic Buzzer to Essential Building Amenity
For decades, the standard multifamily intercom has been a simple audio-only buzzer, with few features and often not satisfying security and convenience needs of today. These systems lacked visual verification capability, offered no remote control, and offered no audit trails, diminishing residents' security and confusing property managers with a lack of management. The limitations of those older technologies necessarily translated to growing interest in more sophisticated and feature-rich access solutions.
The intercom video was a move in the future, revolutionizing the entrance experience with visual identification. This precious amenity allows residents to visually recognize exactly who is requesting to enter before opening, providing an incalculable amount of added security that no traditional buzzer system could ever hope to provide. Joined with the ability to manage access remotely via mobile apps and be networked with other building systems, video intercoms have really turned the function of what a building entrance system does into much more than communication.
And that has placed video intercoms on a plane above security upgrades to vital building amenities that have a direct impact on the tenant living experience and add value to the property. They address todays concerns like stolen packages, offer unprecedented convenience with remote control, and introduce a sense of increased personal security. To their tenants, they are not just a means of opening the door, but part of an overall integrated, secure, and convenient way of living, solidifying their place as a "must-have" amenity in today's competitive rental market.
How Smart Intercoms Elevate Resident Living
The most significant impact of smart intercoms on residents is the massive impact on personal security and feeling of security. Compared to the conventional audio systems where identity verification can be doubtful, video intercom systems allow residents to visually identify visitors first before allowing them to enter, thereby discouraging unwanted visitors from accessing the property. In addition, the glaringly apparent visibility of video recording hardware at the front door is an audible deterrent, preventing possible offenders and protecting residential areas for everyone. Aside from security, the systems introduce into everyday life a level of convenience that is unmatched.
One such ability is unlocking remotely, which can be done from the mobile phone app, allowing homeowners to allow guests, delivery personnel, or maintenance personnel even when they are not in the house. This ease eliminates the daily headache of being locked out and gives the luxury to type temporary one-time passwords for anticipated visitors, making day-to-day life easy and giving homeowners increased mastery over the house. The convenience of on-line shopping has made secure package delivery a top priority for multifamily communities, and smart intercoms provide one solution to the pandemic of package theft.
Through the capability to see a delivery driver and enabling immediate opening of the front door to secure drop-off inside, such systems keep packages from sitting outside unattended. These also have the feature of providing unique, time-specific PINs to property managers or residents of large courier companies, another step in the delivery process which ensures residents with peace of mind upon receiving crisis packages.
Strategic Gains for Property Management & Value
To owners and investors, investing in smart video intercom systems is a forward-looking strategic investment with returns far greater than security. For rental apartments in today's competitive market, retrofitting PropTech solutions like video intercoms can increase rents as well as secure a better renter class. Offering improved access control places a building at the forefront of the competition, making it more salable and future-proofing the asset by anticipating and keeping ahead of evolving tenant expectations.
Operationally, smart intercoms deliver significant efficiencies, essentially automating access management and reducing employees' workload. Cloud-based dashboards allow property managers to monitor tenant directories, access permission control, and monitor activity remotely, releasing significant time and resource previously occupied in manual updates. The process of tenant turnover is significantly automated with physical keys replaced by real-time electronic credential management and off-site access by vendors and contractors which eliminates on-site monitoring requirements with measurable operating cost savings.
In addition, the systems provide property managers with robust measures of security management and liability protection. Video intercoms' long audit trails, often in the form of time-stamped photos or video logs of every entry event, are of great use in investigation of security breaches, dispute resolution, and being able to offer valuable evidence in case there is a court case. The additional documentation and transparency not only assist in making the building safer but also assist in avoiding possible property liability and overall security stance of the asset.
The Tech Behind the Door: Evolving Intercoms
Modern intercom systems use a range of connectivity modes with distinct installation, cost, and performance considerations. Hardwired systems are very reliable but entail advanced and costly installation, especially in retrofit applications. Wireless (Wi-Fi) systems reduce cabling but at the cost of the network's integrity and signal level. IP-based systems using Ethernet and the internet are the norm in today's world because they are scalable and very functional. Lastly, cellular systems are fairly installable in rural areas at the cost of constructing internet but not data plan fees.
Beyond connectivity, a list of not-so-essentials defines the operation and user interface of current video intercoms. Crisp two-way audio and high-definition video with night vision allows identification and communication. Their mobile app is central to this application, utilized as the point of single contact through which residents are able to take and make calls, access live video, and remotely open doors. Technology of this sort also supports multiple entry credentials such as PINs, RFID fobs, cellular Bluetooth/NFC-based entry, and more recently, biometric-based such as facial recognition, introducing unmatched amounts of convenience and flexibility.
IP and cloud technologies' procession is redefining video intercom functionality and integration into a building's fabric. Cloud platforms provide remote management consoles for building personnel, secure activity logging storage, and automated software updates. Maybe most crucial of all, today's systems are high-level integration compatible with other building technologies, including property management software (PMS) for automatic tenant directory synchronization, smart locks, security cameras, and even smart home systems. This seamless convergence turns the single-use intercom system into a hub in an actually networked smart building.
Future Forward: AI and IoT Reshape Access
The video intercom market is moving towards continuous innovation, and the biggest disruptor will be artificial intelligence. Future systems will have more sophisticated AI for security than is currently being applied like face recognition for access control, for instance, behavioral analysis for observation of suspicious behavior and more sophisticated liveness detection for anti-spoofing. AI will also provide operational efficiency with predictive maintenance alerts and AI-powered virtual concierges that are able to respond to resident inquiries 24/7 and usher in an age of actual intelligence to access management.
This evolution is naturally connected to increased Internet of Things (IoT) integration, with video intercoms becoming part of a broader smart building system. They will be exchanging information seamlessly with smart locks, lighting, thermostats, security sensors, and building management systems via IoT protocols. This integration enables more efficient building automation and control with one management of building assets and greater responsiveness to residents' needs for truly adaptive and intelligent homes.
Convergence of dramatic market drivers will define a robust video intercom market, for example, increased security needs, increasingly converging technologies in IP networks and AI, and shifting demands from the tenants themselves for smarter, less painful living. Future intelligent entry systems are touchless ones ever more predictive with full integration into more holistic building intelligence solutions. This revolution will persist to reshape expectations for multifamily security, convenience, and operational effectiveness, cementing smart entry systems as a central element of tomorrow's smart, connected multifamily communities. The transformation of the video intercom from modest buzzer to sophisticated PropTech standard is a sea change in how multifamily properties are secured and managed.
As we’ve explored, these smart entry systems deliver a tangible increase in personal safety and unprecedented convenience for residents, while offering property owners and managers significant strategic gains through increased property value, streamlined operations, and robust security oversight. They are no longer just an amenity but a core component of a modern, competitive building. But this strategic requirement to deploy these systems is paired with a necessity to actively confront some very serious problems. Managed privacy problems with open policies, robust data protection against the cyber threats, system availability, and ADA compliance are paramount to successful deployment and resident confidence. Careful planning, strict vendor procurement, and conscientious maintenance are essential to the realization of the highest possible of these potent technologies.
Lastly, video intercoms will even more be integrated into future smart buildings.
With repeated shots of AI, additional IoT connectivity, and the continued need for touchless solutions, they will be extremely smart access and communications hubs. These visionary owners and operators who embrace and implement these innovative solutions ahead of their time will be poised to address the needs of tomorrow's multifamily living environment, deliver the best quality of living experience, and maximize asset value in the era of smart real estate.