Page 12 - Security Today, May 2018

The Evolution of Intercom y Ralph C. Jensen
BI
n 1970, intercoms were all about convenience. They made it easy for secretaries to communicate with their boss and for company employees to connect between offices within the same build- ing. At home, parents could simultaneously call kids scattered throughout the home to come to dinner.
culturally in the U.S. with many families not even locking the front door, let alone adding a video intercom. At that time, the security industry hadn’t started to look at video intercoms as a way to secure commercial buildings, government institutions or schools.
There was more coming—and soon. Intercom engineers soon eliminated the initial need for coax cable, creating an easy-to-install, two-wire system. They kept going with more improvements, intro- ducing the first multi-directional, pan-and-tilt video system. Other developments followed with a color system in 1998, video intercoms were becoming a standard part of the security toolbox.
So, where can you find hack-proof, wired video intercoms installed today? They’re protecting exterior and interior doors at schools, col- lege and university campuses; local, state and government facilities; hospitals; commercial buildings; and multi-tenant residential and mix-use structures. Wired systems are preferred in most commercial, industrial or multi-residential installations as they are far less vulner-
In the years since intercoms were brought to North America, the technology behind them has evolved from a simple communications device to a vital part of any organization’s security plan.
“Many of those early home systems had built-in radios to share music in each room making them in some ways the first attempt at a home theater experience,” said Paul Hefty, technical sales and sup- port engineer and a 30-year employee of Aiphone.
The intercom, however, was meant for bigger and better things. The addition of a black-and-white camera and inside video screen created the first video door answering system in 1984. It was a big hit with homeowners in Japan and Europe. It never really caught on
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