How to wire intercom and access

Most of this gear wants Cat 6, the same cable as IP cameras. Not coax. Not doorbell wire. (2-wire Akuvox stations are the exception when you keep old pair.)

  1. Run Cat 6 from a PoE switch to the outdoor station or reader. Leave a service loop in the back box.
  2. Power the switch from the wall. The station or reader takes power from that cable.
  3. The electric lock is a separate run. Follow the lock’s voltage. Do not feed a maglock from a camera PoE port.
  4. A 4-door controller sits inside, in a cabinet or closet, with a network drop and lock wiring out to each door.
  5. Indoor stations get their own Cat 6 (or WiFi if that model allows it). Phones use the building WiFi or cell data.

Stations, readers, and indoor screens share the same network. That is how they mix. Outside: outdoor or burial Cat 6, rain cover, matching back box. Inside a finished wall: a keystone jack and a short premade jumper is cleaner than a dangling crimp.

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