Come in! Digital access control from Elcom by Hager

Forget your front door key, confusingly labelled bell boards and squawking intercoms. Welcome to the next level and the Elcom motion design outdoor station – a digital door intercom system for residential and commercial buildings from Hager.

The principle of digital access control that is used here is currently on the rise and is likely to permanently change the way we enter buildings. Something similar was probably thought of in relation to the establishment of electric door openers. Or also a good 110 years ago, when a master locksmith from Berlin invented the so-called push-through key. A key with two identical ends was supposed to force the residents of the growing metropolis to always lock their doors behind them. This was done by pushing the key through the door lock and pulling it out on the other side once the door was locked. How things have changed in the intervening years…

With Elcom motion, an intuitive touch or scroll gesture on the rectangular display at the entrance door is all that is needed, similar to what is already commonplace with smartphones. If you are a resident or employee of the building, the door opens after you enter an access code, by presenting an RFID card or even by facial recognition. Postmen and women and visitors select the name they are looking for by scrolling through a digital list or by entering a specific search field.

A portrait-format 8-inch colour display with LED backlighting ensures optimum legibility, both during daylight hours as well as in the dark. At the same time, the integrated brightness sensor helps to minimise energy consumption.

The advantages from an administration point of view are clear to see. Up to 256 individual call stations can be easily adjusted remotely as necessary. When a new tenant moves into a building, for example, the creation of new bell labels and, in principle, key management are no longer required. Because now, the front door key can be dispensed with completely.

This may sound complicated, but it is not. Elcom motion can be installed in new buildings with a reasonable level of ease and can also be retrofitted within existing systems. The system is compatible with existing 2-wire indoor stations from Elcom – proof also that sustainability is not just an empty phrase for Hager, but a principle that is also lived by. Hager Pilot, the tried-and-tested online tool is available to installers for setting up the system and the handover to operators takes place in an equally simple process.

The system's value in terms of interface, compatibility and security proposition are all clear but what also counts in the end, and by no means least, is design. Here, too, Hager does not disappoint. Elcom motion has an elegant black stainless steel frame with concealed screw connections and black tinted glass in front of the touch display, so a universal match for a variety of facade surfaces such as concrete, plaster, slate, brick or even wood. It also harmonises with the Elcom touch indoor stations, which results in a visually unified overall picture. The system can be surface-mounted, flush-mounted or installed in the cavity wall. Designed for long-term use, the device complies with protection class IP65 and has an impact resistance rating of IK10, which reliably protects the digital front-door station against vandalism.

All in all, door communication becomes safer, more economical, easier and more beautiful, too, with the integration of Elcom motion front-door station, particularly in cases where tenant turnover may be high. The administrative benefits for facility management are undeniable. Also leveraging digitalisation and smartification, the system thoroughly optimises the building access process – after all, why shouldn't the modern smart home experience begin right at the threshold?

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