(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Home security systems often include an intercom with either external or internal capabilities. There are many advantages to installing an intercom. They include safety, communication and increasing the resale value of a home. When integrated with other alarm systems they can provide added protection for a home or business.

1. Intercoms and Home Security

Many apartment complexes install external intercom facilities to increase security. In these cases, the intercom can either be audio or visual. The intercom is usually installed in a living area of a unit to ensure it is readily heard and easily accessible.

The advantages of installing an intercom in this situation are many. Firstly, the facility complements existing alarm systems to provide added security. When a person approaches the apartment building, they can be screened for identity. By restricting access, security is increased for all residents.

Intercoms provide a similar advantage for homes. By screening visitors through an intercom system, a resident can determine who has entry to the house. With a visual intercom, they can check credentials of utility workers or other visitors. These checks increase home security.

2. Intercoms and Monitoring the House

In large homes, an internal intercom can supplement an external intercom and other alarm systems to provide complete home security. An internal intercom is a system where rooms of the house are connected either visually or via audio through a speaker system. The central control can be located in a busy living area of the house.

One advantage to an internal intercom system is that it can monitor children at play, or babies while they sleep. Additionally, it may monitor obscure areas of the house, such as a garage, for illegal activity. In the later case, it can prevent the necessity to investigate a disturbance in person and thus protect occupants of the home from possible harm.

3. Communication Through Security Intercoms

An internal intercom system can function as a communication device throughout the home. Through the intercom, help can be summoned from other parts of the home. Or alternatively, occupants can be called for group activities such as dinner or evacuate in an emergency.

4. House Resale Value and Insurance

Intercom systems also increase the resale value of a residence. Most home buyers will look at security features of a home to determine its attractiveness. For families, safety is a prime consideration when buying a house or apartment. The increase in security provided by an intercom system attracts buyers and leads to a better price.

In addition, an intercom system could lead to lower insurance premiums. A residence with an external system is likely to pay less insurance than a home in the same area without one. Therefore insurance costs can be lowered.

Security in the home is greatly increased by the installation of a home intercom system. Their advantages include safety, lower costs for insurance and greater control of the home. It is wise to include intercom systems when considering residential security.