Intercom installation

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
socal78

socal78

Well-known member
Does anyone here have an inside / outside intercom on their house? I wonder if some of the new homes come with them. I am thinking about picking one out for Mr. SoCal to install. It would be one incorporated with the door bell. If there is a kind you like let me know. I have yet to research them.

I do not answer the door when I am home alone or with my children. It is partly a safety issue. I watch far too many IDHD / Investigation Discovery shows to consider opening the door to a stranger. It's also partly a waste of time issue. I don't want to sign your petition, become a Mormon, or buy anything. A lot of people come to the door. I pretty much ignore them all unless it is the UPS driver / mailman or someone I am expecting. But the other day some Mexican guy was ringing the door bell and when I did not answer, he walked out to the sidewalk in front of the house and hollered up to the second floor, "Hello! PLEASE answer!! Hello! PLEASE!!" I was like, "Qwerty?!?! Is that you?" But he could not hear me. He finally walked away. It seemed unusual and had me a little concerned. I figure if I had an intercom, I could press it and say, "Who is it?" No danger there. One day a neighbor was clipping his trees and accidentally dropped his tool over our wall. Good thing Mr. SoCal happened to be there to answer and help him. If it was me, he wouldn't have gotten it back right away. I definitely don't want to encourage people to walk into my yard without warning. They will get a kitchen knife in the back.

Anywho!...

 
irvinehomeowner said:
I think there are wireless ones with a camera.

So not only can you ask them who they are, you can see who they are too.
Click to expand...

Do you have an intercom on your house?
 
SoCal said:
Does anyone here have an inside / outside intercom on their house? I wonder if some of the new homes come with them. I am thinking about picking one out for Mr. SoCal to install. It would be one incorporated with the door bell. If there is a kind you like let me know. I have yet to research them.

I do not answer the door when I am home alone or with my children. It is partly a safety issue. I watch far too many IDHD / Investigation Discovery shows to consider opening the door to a stranger. It's also partly a waste of time issue. I don't want to sign your petition, become a Mormon, or buy anything. A lot of people come to the door. I pretty much ignore them all unless it is the UPS driver / mailman or someone I am expecting. But the other day some Mexican guy was ringing the door bell and when I did not answer, he walked out to the sidewalk in front of the house and hollered up to the second floor, "Hello! PLEASE answer!! Hello! PLEASE!!" I was like, "Qwerty?!?! Is that you?" But he could not hear me. He finally walked away. It seemed unusual and had me a little concerned. I figure if I had an intercom, I could press it and say, "Who is it?" No danger there. One day a neighbor was clipping his trees and accidentally dropped his tool over our wall. Good thing Mr. SoCal happened to be there to answer and help him. If it was me, he wouldn't have gotten it back right away. I definitely don't want to encourage people to walk into my yard without warning. They will get a kitchen knife in the back.

Anywho!...
Click to expand...

lol  - that was not me.
 
Oh btw, I think a security camera looks kind of ghetto. Don't you?

I have also been thinking about hiring someone to gate the front porch. That way they can't even approach the door. One time when I was standing on the other side of the door looking through the peep hole and not answering, the guy was looking into the sidelight window. He was telling Guy #2, "It doesn't look like anybody is home." I do not like that. Little did he know I could hear everything he was saying.
 
SoCal said:
Does anyone here have an inside / outside intercom on their house? I wonder if some of the new homes come with them. I am thinking about picking one out for Mr. SoCal to install. It would be one incorporated with the door bell. If there is a kind you like let me know. I have yet to research them.

I do not answer the door when I am home alone or with my children. It is partly a safety issue. I watch far too many IDHD / Investigation Discovery shows to consider opening the door to a stranger. It's also partly a waste of time issue. I don't want to sign your petition, become a Mormon, or buy anything. A lot of people come to the door. I pretty much ignore them all unless it is the UPS driver / mailman or someone I am expecting. But the other day some Mexican guy was ringing the door bell and when I did not answer, he walked out to the sidewalk in front of the house and hollered up to the second floor, "Hello! PLEASE answer!! Hello! PLEASE!!" I was like, "Qwerty?!?! Is that you?" But he could not hear me. He finally walked away. It seemed unusual and had me a little concerned. I figure if I had an intercom, I could press it and say, "Who is it?" No danger there. One day a neighbor was clipping his trees and accidentally dropped his tool over our wall. Good thing Mr. SoCal happened to be there to answer and help him. If it was me, he wouldn't have gotten it back right away. I definitely don't want to encourage people to walk into my yard without warning. They will get a kitchen knife in the back.

Anywho!...
Click to expand...

Probably a guy selling pest control.. they are PUSHY...burglars and criminals usually don't shout at you outside the house.. they wait till they're inside..
 
SoCal said:
Do you have an intercom on your house?
Click to expand...
I live in Irvine, I don't need one. :)

But seriously, I would like one... mostly for my kids and if I have one of those WiFi capable ones (like NQ mentioned), I can look at who is there even if I am upstairs or... uh... ruling my empire... since I can use my smartphone to look.

I actually don't care if a camera looks ghetto, I think of it as more of a deterrent, like a security alarm. And at Halloween, I can tell which kid stole all the candy I left out.  >:D
 
No Quarter said:
SoCal said:
Oh btw, I think a security camera looks kind of ghetto. Don't you?

I have also been thinking about hiring someone to gate the front porch. That way they can't even approach the door. One time when I was standing on the other side of the door looking through the peep hole and not answering, the guy was looking into the sidelight window. He was telling Guy #2, "It doesn't look like anybody is home." I do not like that. Little did he know I could hear everything he was saying.
Click to expand...

You can get the "eye in the sky" models that no one can see since they can be mounted on the ceiling of the porch:

http://www.amazon.com/ARRIVAL-HooToo%C2%AE-HT-IP006N-Outdoor-Wireless/dp/B00ADI6RFQ/ref=sr_1_37?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1374254385&sr=1-37

I think it would look better if the front yard was gated (e.g. white picket fence or black iron, New Orleans style).  Putting bars on the windows and doors of your own house makes it look like a jail.

120 lb dog and dog door sized to match works even better.
Click to expand...

Thanks! That "Eye In The Sky" looks good... a lot less ghetto than I was expecting. I will put this on my short list.
 
SoCal said:
ps9 said:
@Socal.. is FR patrolled by Lake Forest PD?  Or OC Sheriff?
Click to expand...

L.F.P.D.
Click to expand...

It's actually OC Sheriff contracted by Lake Forest.

The City of Lake Forest joins nine neighboring cities in South Orange County and two cities in North Orange County that contract with the Orange County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement. Lieutenant Patrick Higa, a 25-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, serves as the Chief of Police Services.  He manages a staff of five Sergeants, three Investigators, 38 Deputies, an Investigative Assistant, five Community Services Officers, and a Crime Prevention Specialist.
 
SoCal said:
Oh btw, I think a security camera looks kind of ghetto. Don't you?
Click to expand...
:'(  I was a bit offended when I read that, as my last house had 8 cameras set up around it.  But then my last house was in the ghetto, so I'll just suck it up I guess.  I did have 1 of those pan/tilt/zoom cameras, and they are pretty cool. I could read license places on cars that were pretty far away.  I still want to set up my system in my current house, and for some of the same reasons.  I still want to see who's at the door without answering it, and I would like to know if someone is snooping around the property.  Breakins have been on the rise around here, though it's still a very safe city.  My wife just likes to know that the hummingbirds are frequenting the feeders. 
The newer systems will work with smart phones, and you can set up triggers where it will alert you when your conditions are met.  E.g., you can have the DVR send you an alert if it senses motion on your front porch (you determine the area within the field of view, and the sensitivity), and then you can view that camera real time from your phone. 
Having a camera/DVR system is pretty cool.  I was amazed at the crap that went on around my old house when I wasn't home.  You would not believe some of the stuff I caught on video-seriously.  The ghetto is a lot more exciting than OC.

 
daedalus said:
SoCal said:
Oh btw, I think a security camera looks kind of ghetto. Don't you?
Click to expand...
:'(  I was a bit offended when I read that, as my last house had 8 cameras set up around it.  But then my last house was in the ghetto, so I'll just suck it up I guess.  I did have 1 of those pan/tilt/zoom cameras, and they are pretty cool. I could read license places on cars that were pretty far away.  I still want to set up my system in my current house, and for some of the same reasons.  I still want to see who's at the door without answering it, and I would like to know if someone is snooping around the property.  Breakins have been on the rise around here, though it's still a very safe city.  My wife just likes to know that the hummingbirds are frequenting the feeders. 
The newer systems will work with smart phones, and you can set up triggers where it will alert you when your conditions are met.  E.g., you can have the DVR send you an alert if it senses motion on your front porch (you determine the area within the field of view, and the sensitivity), and then you can view that camera real time from your phone. 
Having a camera/DVR system is pretty cool.  I was amazed at the crap that went on around my old house when I wasn't home.  You would not believe some of the stuff I caught on video-seriously.  The ghetto is a lot more exciting than OC.
Click to expand...

:( I'm sorry. Well maybe your cameras are a little less obvious / less ghetto like the style No Quarter posted.

That's cool. I didn't know it could make the DVR kick on and record. Good to know! Thanks!
 
FRguy said:
SoCal said:
ps9 said:
@Socal.. is FR patrolled by Lake Forest PD?  Or OC Sheriff?
Click to expand...

L.F.P.D.
Click to expand...

It's actually OC Sheriff contracted by Lake Forest.

The City of Lake Forest joins nine neighboring cities in South Orange County and two cities in North Orange County that contract with the Orange County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement. Lieutenant Patrick Higa, a 25-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, serves as the Chief of Police Services.  He manages a staff of five Sergeants, three Investigators, 38 Deputies, an Investigative Assistant, five Community Services Officers, and a Crime Prevention Specialist.
Click to expand...


Off topic but maybe useful for those who want to know what's happening in your neighborhood.  There is a free web site called SpotCrimehttp://www.spotcrime.comthat can send you emails on a regular basis of the crimes in your neighborhood.  It's high-level info on type of incident, location and time.  It relies on local police to provide the data.  Data for Irvine and Lake Forest are available. 

For Lake Forest/FR in particular (looks like Irvine PD doesn't provide), SpotCrime will provide you with a link to the OC Sheriff - Lake Forest dispatch log.  Direct link to it is http://ws.ocsd.org/Blotter/  This is where you can see some additional details of the incident including when the OCSD was dispatched and whether someone was arrested.  Example below.

scbdy1.jpg




 
We have one of those circa 70s Nutone Intercoms in the house, built in radio, nice for playing low-fi music outside while working.  Been trying to figure out how to retrofit with an upgrade and replace the large panels on the walls.  No luck so far.

Nutone is now Broan Nutone so they have pieces that look like they'll fit.  They're horribly expensive and frankly, I'd love to have a little video intercom at the front door.  And frankly, if I'm replacing it, I'd love to do the security system, internet monitor thing.
 
FRguy said:
It's actually OC Sheriff contracted by Lake Forest.

The City of Lake Forest joins nine neighboring cities in South Orange County and two cities in North Orange County that contract with the Orange County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement. Lieutenant Patrick Higa, a 25-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, serves as the Chief of Police Services.  He manages a staff of five Sergeants, three Investigators, 38 Deputies, an Investigative Assistant, five Community Services Officers, and a Crime Prevention Specialist.
Click to expand...

I thought the police cars say Lake Forest on them, no?
 
Saratoga homes with a courtyard come with an intercom (with remote unlock) outside the courtyard door standard.

It's a little tricky to get working if you don't have a landline, but it's incredible to have. I've been saved several times from having to talk to door-to-door salesmen because I can just say, "I'm not interested!" and hang up.  ;)

The only problem with mine (not sure how common it is), is that at the intercom they can't hear me very well, so I have to yell really loud to be barely heard.

If you're going to add one yourself, it'd be a worthwhile investment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top