There are many advantages of installing a wireless access control system as a method of communication within a property.

They are extremely cheap and easy to install and maintain as they do not rely upon complicated and expensive underground wiring.

They are very cheap to run as there are no ongoing operating costs as there would be access control systems that use regular telephone lines.  The only costs involved after purchasing the system are occasionally changing the batteries (unless you AC or solar power them).

They are very reliable and not susceptible to outages that seem to affect the public telephone grid or to wire cuts caused by digging, rodents, or other causes.

Wireless access control systems are extremely easy to operate as they generally only involve the push of a button to facilitate direct communication with other connected devices.

There are also numerous advantages of installing a wireless access control system as a property security measure.  The wireless system means that you don’t need to alter the property in any way by digging trenches for complicated wiring.  It also means that there is no need to maintain and repair wire connections, which have a tendency to become worn and damaged over time.  Fitting property entrances with a video or voice communication system means that any visitors to the property can be easily identified prior to being granted access.  And finally, the remote control gate opening function adds an additional level of convenience by eliminating the need to manually open the entrance for guests.

There is a wide variety of wireless access control systems that can be installed in homes or businesses and technological advances have made these systems much more affordable in recent years.  Some of the most popular wireless access control systems that are currently available include the following:

The Outdoor Intercom Callbox

Wireless Call Box

This is a heavy duty, weather resistant wireless system that provides easy communication between a callbox that is situated at a specific fixed location, and other handheld intercom devices.  It allows for long range communication between the devices over a distance of up to one-mile.  This distance can be increased with the addition of an external antenna.  These systems have become very popular for businesses where reliable and easy to operate two-way communication must be available at all times.

The Intercom Callbox with Gate Relay

This system has a lot of the same features as the Outdoor Intercom Callbox outlined above, with the addition of the “gate relay” element.  This basically means that the callbox, or any of the handheld devices that are connected to it, can be used to remotely open a gate for a visitor.  A switch output is built into the callbox that enables it to perform a range of functions where an on/off switch is used.  These situations include opening or closing a gate or magnetic door, turning on a light or sounding an alarm.

Another useful feature of these systems is the “listen in” function.  When the “listen in” button is pressed a transmitter in the callbox is activated which enables the user to listen for any sounds that are coming from the area surrounding the callbox for a period of 30 seconds.  In this way they are able to discretely monitor activity in the vicinity of the callbox location.

The Door Access System

This is quite a simple door answering and opening system that is very popular for both commercial and residential properties.  These systems generally comprise of two main components.  The first is known as the “door station” and this is fitted outside the entrance.  The second component is called the “master station” and this is fitted inside the property.  Depending upon the size and general layout of the property it may be more convenient or practical to have more than one master station.

When a visitor arrives at the door they press a button on the door station and this triggers a short alarm at the master station(s).  Someone inside the property then answers this alarm and the two parties are able to communicate with one another through the wireless device.  An optional additional feature of these systems is a door release system which enables the door to be opened remotely by the person operating the master station.

The Digital Video Intercom System

These innovative systems use digital technology to provide the best possible monitoring of property entrances.  These systems also typically consist of two components.  The first is a wide angle lens (generally with a 170 degree view) that is fitted above the door or gate at the entrance to the property.  This unit is weather and vandal resistant.  The second component is fitted inside the property and is made up of a screen and a control panel.  This high resolution screen displays the image from the camera and the controls enable the operator to perform a wide range of functions.

The outdoor camera is triggered by a sensor alert which also activates a sound alarm within the property.  The video system uses sophisticated digital technology to allow the operator to alter the camera angle and zoom in on the subjects.  Based on the images, the operator can then chose whether to communicate with the visitor via the speaker system or to open the gate remotely and allow them to enter the property.  Both of these actions can be realized by the simple push of a button.  A significant new development in this line of products is its ability to operate in a variety of light conditions and to record and store the images for later use.

The wireless access control systems outlined above significantly improve modern homes and businesses by providing greater communication, security and remote control over the property.  Technological advances in the field of property security and wireless communication have led to an incredible new range of affordable, exciting and innovative products which will increase the value of the property, while also enhancing its security and convenience.

The purpose of OSHA’s Emergency Evacuation Systems standard 29 CFR 1910.165 is to provide an early warning system for implementing emergency action and to give employees time to safely escape a building or area in the event of an emergency situation.

Below are some examples of instances that require an emergency evacuation system, including links to OSHA’s website for more information.

• 29 CFR 1910.37, Maintenance, safeguards, and operational features for exit routes
• 29 CFR 1910.38, Emergency action plans
• 29 CFR 1910.66, Powered platforms for building maintenance
• 29 CFR 1910.106, Flammable and combustible liquids
• 29 CFR 1910.120, Hazardous waste operations and emergency response
• 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable fire extinguishers
• 29 CFR 1910.160, Fixed extinguishing systems, general
• 29 CFR 1910.161, Fixed extinguishing systems, dry chemical
• 29 CFR 1910.162, Fixed extinguishing systems, gaseous agent
• 29 CFR 1910.164, Fire detection systems

What is an emergency evacuation system? According to OSHA, “An employee alarm system can be any piece of equipment and/or device designed to inform employees that an emergency exists or to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 72, National Fire Alarm Code, requires a fire alarm signal to be distinctive in sound from other signals and can not be used for any other purpose.”

Wireless Emergency Evacuation System

The OSHA Standard goes on to say that you can use audible alarms that “include bells, horns, sirens, voice announcement systems, and other devices that can be distinguished above and apart from the normal sound level within the workplace.” They say the most effective means are voice signals or an interrupted steady sound (off and on sound).

One of OSHA’s recommendations is a “Workplace Announcement System.”  Here’s how they define that: “Speakers can be used to play a live or recorded voice message. They are often ideally suited for large workplaces where phased or guided evacuations are needed.”

See OSHA’s Employee Alarm Systems web page for more information on these requirements.

In businesses that have large buildings or cover a lot of ground, installing a wired emergency evacuation system can cost tens of thousands of dollars. What you will learn here is how to do it for a fraction of the normal cost.

The heart of this system is a Wireless PA System. A wireless PA system consists of a wireless receiver box connected to a horn PA speaker via a cable, and then some sort of wireless transmitting device, which could be a two-way radio or base-station intercom.

Someone who wants to make a page to the Wireless PA system just has to set the transmitter to the same channel as the wireless PA and then press the push-to-talk button on the transmitter.

The system has a range of up to a mile or more and the range can even be extended by adding an external antenna to either the Wireless PA, the transmitter, or both. If you have a wired PA system already, you can also get a Wireless PA System Interface device that will receive transmissions from radios and then broadcast those transmissions over your wired PA system.

There are several devices that can communicate with the Wireless PA system. The indoor or outdoor Customer Service Call Box is one of them. It  can be used as a panic button that when pressed sends a recorded message to two-way radios, base-station intercoms, or to a wireless or wired public address system.

You can record whatever message you want, or you could simply record a siren sound that plays when the button is pressed. If you have multiple areas where you need a panic button, then you’ll want to make sure you can distinguish between the recordings so you know where to send help.

There are other devices you can add to your system such as Wireless Call Boxes if you have locations outside that need to broadcast emergency messages from a fixed location.

A wireless call box is essentially a two-way radio in a heavy duty water-resistant housing. When its button is pressed, the person pressing the button can talk to other hand-held radios, base station intercoms, and even the Wireless PA system.

There are some situations where placing a phone call to notify an emergency response team is just not fast or reliable enough. With a wireless call box, a simple press of a button notifies everyone that needs to know.  Probably the best way of using it would be to have it contact emergency personnel who then make pages over the employee alarm system.

Keeping your employees safe in any way you can should be a top priority of yours. Using all of these devices as an employee alarm system is one way to do that, while saving thousands of dollars over the cost of a wired system.

All of these devices can be found at www.IntercomsOnline.com . Call 615-852-6161 to speak with a product expert.

Instead of going it alone through this process, we recommend that you use a licensing coordinator that handles all of the paperwork and processing.  During this process, they’ll ask some questions about your location, the radios you’re using, and how they’ll be used. Then they fill out all the forms and get them submitted to the FCC for approval.

The cost for this is usually in the $400-$700 range per frequency for a 10 year period generally.  Below is contact info for three licensing agencies that we use most often.

CARA Enterprises, Inc.
Doug Thompson
1383 Farm Meadow
Salt Lake City, UT 84117
(801) 278-9728

Atlas License Company & Data Services
Linda Simons
7202 North Shadeland Avenue, Suite 215
Indianapolis, IN 46250
(800) 252-0529

http://www.alcds.com

National License Corporation
9050 Briarclift Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46256
317-849-5866

http://www.nationalicense.com/

If you want to obtain a license yourself, below is some helpful information:

How to Obtain an FCC License Yourself

Radios that operate on Private Land Mobile frequencies, are subject to the Rules and Regulations of the FCC, which requires all operators of these frequencies to obtain a station license before operating their equipment. Make application for your FCC license on FCC Forms 600 and 159.

To have forms and instructions faxed to you by the FCC, call the FCC Fax-On-Demand system at 202-418-0177 from your fax machine and request Document 000600 & Form 159.

To have Document 000600 & Form 159 mailed to you, call the FCC Forms Hotline at 800-418-FORM (800-418-3676).

For help with questions concerning the license application, contact the FCC at
888-CALL-FCC (888-225-5322).

You must decide which radio frequency(ies) you can operate on before filling out your application. See the table below for available frequencies in the UHF and VHF business bands.

A wireless IP intercom extender receives transmissions from your two way radios or wireless base intercoms and then it converts it to a signal that can be transmitted across your network via a Radio Gateway or RoIP Router.

If the radios on both ends are incompatible such as one side uses VHF and the other side uses UHF radios, you can use these devices to convert the transmissions. You simply use the model of wireless IP adapter that matches the frequencies you are using on either end. These intercoms can be programmed to work with virtually any brand of VHF or UHF business band radio.

You can find these wireless IP intercom units at IntercomsOnline.com

Some of our wireless products (Callboxes and base stations) do have IC approval (Canada’s equivalent of the FCC).  As part of that, radios we ship directly to Canada must have only the specific agreed upon frequencies available for field programming.

In other words, we have models that have a default freq. of 151.0550 MHz and 151.1150 MHz available for the customer to select between.

Note that there will be a few day delay on shipping these units out since we have to program them.

Below is a sample of the products you can order, but we will replace them with the Canadian version. The lower-cost MURS Multi-Mile products cannot be reprogrammed so we cannot ship them to Canada.

MURS Commercial Intercom (1 unit)

MURS 110 Commercial Handheld Two-Way Radio (1 unit)

MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom

MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom with Gate Relay

MURS Basic Commercial Callbox

License-free usage in U.K. requires that radios have a fixed antenna and our radios have a removable antenna.  So to use our wireless intercoms, you will be required to get a license. See the Business Band link below for more information.

License Free
http://radiotechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/pmr446_cb_2way_radio_in_the_uk

Business Band
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing/applications08/changes/

Outdoor intercoms are available in both wired and wireless versions. The wired intercoms are most often used at external doors where people at a fixed location inside the building need to monitor the door for visitors.

Wireless outdoor intercoms not only have the benefit of not requiring installation of cable, they also allow for mobility of the person or people monitoring the outdoor wireless intercom. Some of these devices communicate with handheld two way radios and others with portable wireless intercoms.

A wireless outdoor intercom faces some difficult challenges. Most obvious is the weather. Not only is there moisture to worry about, but also extreme heat and cold. You need a wireless intercom that can withstand exposure to the elements.

Another factor is the range you need to cover. How far apart are the intercoms going to be? But it’s more than just distance. Building construction can greatly reduce the distance a wireless intercom will communicate. A wood-framed building with siding will reduce the range less than a concrete or brick building.

Depending on where you put the wireless exterior intercom you may also have to worry about vandalism. You need to ask yourself whether someone will attempt to steal or destroy the unit. If so, then you need a unit built to resist vandalism.

There are several wireless outdoor intercom systems that can handle being used outdoors. See the links below:

Light-duty, short-range intercom:

WireFree Outdoor 900MHz Intercom

Light-duty, short-range hands free doorbell:

WireFree Wireless 900MHz Doorbell and Intercom

Light-duty, long-range intercom/callbox that communicates with two-way radios:

MURS Basic Commercial Callbox

Heavy-duty, long-range, vandal-proof intercom/callbox that communicates with two-way radios:

MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom

Heavy-duty, long-range, vandal-proof intercom/callbox with gate opener (communicates with two-way radios):

MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom with Gate Relay

Many businesses rely on cell phones for emergency communication. In most cases this works well, but in cases of natural disasters or even a major snowstorm, the cell phone network can go down or get overloaded with calls. That can leave you without communication on your workplace property.

You can also get wireless public address (PA) speakers that work with your two way radios. These wireless PA systems receive transmissions from your two way radios at up to two miles away. You can use these to quickly get emergency messages out, or to just keep your employees informed.

Another two way radio safety device is the wireless call box. These call boxes are essentially a two way radio in a wall or post-mounted box. A user simply presses a button to make a call. You can place these in areas where an emergency could happen so someone can quickly report it. These wireless call boxes can also be placed at entry doors or on loading docks so visitors can contact you for entrance. You can also place these wireless call boxes in your employee parking lot to increase safety there. When your workers need assistance they are glad to know that a call box is nearby.

Keeping your employees safe in any way you can should be a top priority of yours. Using two way radio devices is one way to do that. With these devices you can get the added benefit of increased productivity. Look around your business and I’m sure you’ll find a way you can integrate two-way radios.

There are several varieties of these outdoor wireless intercoms available. You can get heavy duty, tamper resistant devices that communicate over long range, or lighter duty devices that communicate a few hundred feet. Some devices communicate using a proprietary method that only allows devices from the same manufacturer to talk to each other, while others are more open and allow mixing devices from different manufacturers. If you have existing two way radios you use, you can also get outdoor wireless intercoms that talk to them.

One system available is the WireFree Outdoor 900MHz Intercom. This is a proprietary system that will only communicate with other devices in the WireFree product line. It has a range of up to 1000 feet, but with obstructions in between is more likely to be a few hundred feet. These outdoor intercoms communicate with other WireFree outdoor intercoms or with the WireFree Portable 900MHz Wireless Intercom for inside use. These outdoor intercoms work in walkie talkie fashion where a button push is required to talk.

If your outdoor wireless intercom application is taking calls from visitors at your front door or security gate, then a wireless doorbell intercom is what you need. The WireFree Wireless 900MHz Doorbell and Intercom works with the entire WireFree product line.  When visitors arrive at the door or gate they press the button on the outdoor wireless intercom and it sounds a doorbell tone on the inside and outside units. The person on the inside presses a button to talk while the person outside can talk hands free. This unit has the same range of a few hundred feet as the other WireFree products.

If you need an outdoor wireless intercom that communicates over long distances, then a wireless call box like the MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom is needed. These devices use UHF and VHF frequencies to communicate over long range. Some of the wireless frequencies require an FCC License, but the MURS Radio frequencies are unlicensed and very lightly used. These callboxes communicate with two way radios or base station intercoms.

If your application requires unlocking a gate or door from a remote location, then the MURS Callbox XT Outdoor Intercom with Gate Relay is what you need. This call box has a relay that can be controlled by pressing a button on a wireless intercom like the MURS Commercial Intercom or any two way radio with the 2-tone encode feature.

These outdoor wireless call boxes are also built for more commercial or industrial environments. The XT version of the call box is also vandal-resistant so it is good for use in public locations.

Choosing the right wireless outdoor intercom for you depends on your application and your budget, but you can usually find one that will work for you.

You can get a heavy duty outdoor wireless intercom or Callbox that you install at the gate. When people press its button it sounds a tone on a handheld two-way radio or wireless base station intercom. You can then press a button that activates a relay, which opens the gate or performs some other action. These Callboxes can work up to a mile or more away.

This Callbox has a switch output that can be used to open or close a gate, turn on a light, sound an alarm, or any application where remote control of an On/Off switch is required. The switch can be programmed to operate in several ways:

• On/Off Code: The switch will close when a preprogrammed code is received, and open when it is received again. The switch will also open by itself when the Callbox’s preprogrammed Automatic Turn Off feature is activated.
• Switch On When Called: The switch closes when the callbox first receives the call and it remains on until its Talk button is pressed, or a programmable timer expires (1-255 seconds).
• Switch On When Callbox In Use: The switch will close when the Callbox first sends or receives a call and remains closed until a preprogrammed timer expires.
• Switch On When Active Includes Turn-Off Code: Switch closes when the Callbox sends or receives a call with the added ability to open the switch when the Callbox receives a preprogrammed code.
• Momentary Close: Switch will close for 1-255 seconds when a preprogrammed code is received.
• Alternate Open and Close: Switch will toggle between open and closed when it receives a preprogrammed code. The Callbox transmits a single beep when open and a double beep when closed.

The MURS Callbox with Gate Relay also has a Sensor Input that allows it to also operate as a motion, gate entry, tamper or vehicle detection device. It will send a tone alert when optional switch/sensor status changes. The Callbox will send a warning tone when a change in the Sensor Input is detected. The Sensor Input will respond to an OPEN or CLOSED switch.

You can get these wireless outdoor intercoms that work in FCC licensed UHF or VHF frequencies or on the unlicensed MURS frequencies. See the free book called Two-Way Radio Success: How to Choose Two-Way Radios, Commercial Intercoms, and Other Wireless Communication Devices for Your Business for more information about MURS and these security gate control wireless intercoms.