It’s 2025, and it’s time for you to cross that access control upgrade off your bucket list. We understand that you want something specific—made precisely for your property. The best way to find that perfect solution is to compare the best apartment intercom systems out there. And if you’re considering BAS-IP as one such option, read this BAS-IP intercom review to discover use cases for various models and customer experiences with its mobile app.
Table of Contents
- What is BAS-IP?
- AA-14FBIS – Advanced Features with Touchscreen
- AA-07FBI – Buttoned Panel with Many Variants
- The Obelisk – A Bollard-Style Intercom
- BAS-IP Mobile Applications–A UX Breakdown
- Comparison with Top Intercoms
What is BAS-IP?
Founded in 2008 in Edinburgh, UK, BAS-IP is a frontrunner in the Internet Protocol (IP) industry delivering access control solutions. Specifically working around IP video technology and cross-communication, BAS-IP manufactures and markets IP-based intercom systems to fulfill varied requirements.
BAS-IP intercom systems ship worldwide and offer audio and video capabilities with mobile integration options. Each model has advantages and limitations and is suitable for a specific building type. This BAS-IP intercom review explores a mix of BAS-IP intercom offerings and their suitability, feature set, and overall review.
AA-14FBIS – Advanced Features with Touchscreen
BAS-IP’s AA-14FBIS model is ideal for people who want a sleek build combined with a modern feature set. With a 10” touchscreen display and automatic facial recognition capabilities, this intercom matches the latest market technology. BAS-IP video intercom systems pride themselves on offering highly customizable products. You can find a system with the exact functionalities you want, no more, no less.
Today, the most convenient and wire-free connectivity type for intercoms is a POE cable, which provides power and internet through a single source. The AA-14FBIS has this capability to help users quickly retrofit legacy systems. Built in an aluminum body, the intercom is available in black and silver.
Key Highlights
- In addition to a two-way video call to residents through a digital phone book, you can also call a concierge or elevator from the intercom panel.
- For people with hearing disabilities, the panel offers an output for connecting induction loops.
- A backlit display, wide camera angles, and an IK06 rating contribute to hardware functionalities.
- You can enter through multiple opening mechanisms: QR, passcode, license plate recognition, face ID, mobile app, and key card/ fob (supported through in-built proximity sensors).
- The panel can store up to 10000 unique faces and 20000 other entry credentials (fobs/ passkeys).
- The intercom is IP65-rated for dust and water protection.
- Mount the intercom easily using flush or wall-mounting options.
It’s important to note the overhead cost you need to bear (key fobs, rain shields, lift controllers, and power supply units) to complete your access control experience.
You also need to choose whether the video from the intercom will be transmitted to monitors placed within residences (additional cost) or to your mobile phones through a dedicated mobile application.
AA-07FBI – Buttoned Panel with Many Variants
The AA-07FBI BAS-IP intercom panel features a stainless steel body with an IK08 rating for durability in all commercial and residential settings. The only highlight is a touchscreen panel is replaced with mechanical backlit buttons in this panel.
This BAS-IP intercom review recommends surfing the website for variations of this model. You can choose between colors, connectivity type, and build quality to get a product you like.
Key Highlights
- Powered by a POE cable, you need minimum wires for installation.
- Install as per your requirements, and choose from flush/ surface mounts/ all-weather brackets, rain hoods, etc.
- Similar to the previous model, this BAS-IP intercom features an IP65-rated system that logs all access events and calls the concierge or lift for you.
- Multiple opening mechanisms are available, such as face ID, QR codes, PIN, key fob/ card, license plate recognition, and dedicated mobile apps like UKEY, Intercom app, and LINK software.
The Obelisk – A Bollard-Style Intercom
BAS-IP’s Obelisk Column is an anomaly among classic intercom hardware. Its 10” touchscreen display fits into a bollard affixed to the floor, which can be placed at building entrances. Accredited with the Red Dot design award, the column can easily complement different architectural styles and buildings.
Out of the two segments of the column, the intercom is made of unspecified metal with a relatively low IK rating of 06. The base of this BAS-IP intercom system can be made of different materials as required by building managers (wood, granite, stainless steel, moss, glass, etc.).
The IP65-rated bollard column increases the intercom’s capabilities as a whole. Here are a few top-use cases for the Obelisk column as per this BAS-IP intercom review:
Key Highlights
- The intercom’s intuitive panel can help you call residents and even display directions to reach them. The Obelisk has an integrated navigation system of the complex where it is installed.
- The panel has a multi-purpose camera (for surveillance) and a backlight (for clear night vision).
- You enjoy an extra layer of security through restricted elevator access. Visitors are only allowed to visit floors permitted by the building resident.
- On the intercom display, you can find options to call a concierge, open an address book, or log in through a password or face ID if you’re a resident.
- You can even unlock the entrance using the UKEY mobile application, which provides keyless access by holding your phone to the panel.
- The rest of the column can be innovatively used. You can customize it to blend with the rest of the building or display customized information, such as your building’s name.
BAS-IP Mobile Applications–A UX Breakdown
BAS-IP offers three mobile applications that integrate with intercoms to provide access control vis-a-vis the BAS-IP Intercom, UKEY, and LINK. Here’s what each of them can do:
BAS-IP Intercom
The BAS-IP Intercom application serves mobile access control purposes by notifying you of visitors through a video call and allowing you to unlock the door through a button within the app. You would get push notifications about incoming calls. But there’s also a Do Not Disturb mode if you don’t wish to entertain visitor requests. While seeing who’s at the entrance, you can save images transmitted from the camera, access call archives, and log all access events on your phone.
BAS-IP UKEY
BAS-IP UKEY replaces key cards or fobs by opening doors through BLE and NFC technology. The outdoor panels have readers that can detect these identifiers and unlock doors when the proximity range is met.
UKEY is more convenient than key cards because you almost always have your phone in easy access, and it’s impossible to copy the ID on your phone. Your phone can also work in longer ranges than a key fob or card credential (you can open doors to your garage or parking spaces from within the car using the mobile application).
Users of BAS-IP UKEY have given mixed reviews on the App Store. While some praise its convenience and the ability to unlock entrances by simply unlocking their mobile phone, others criticize the app for asking location permissions and being unreliable in opening doors (“works one time out of three”).
BAS-IP LINK
The BAS-IP Link is another mobile application by BAS-IP that’s more advanced in its capabilities but also depends on a cloud-based server for functioning. This server, working over SIP, offers unified remote control over the entire access control system and can be operated from a desktop or a web browser.
Apart from all the regular video-calling features the BAS-IP Intercom app provides, the LINK app also helps you create passes for anticipated guests so entry to the building is seamless. You can video-call visitors, issue QR codes/ passkeys for personnel, access call logs, and manage multiple properties from one platform (if you’re a property manager).
Comparison with Top Intercoms
As this BAS-IP intercom review shows, if you’re looking for multiple variants of intercom systems with flexible connectivity options, you can try BAS-IP. They support a range of protocols and standards, including ONVIF and SIP, ensuring that they can easily integrate with systems you may already have in place.
If you’re looking for something more scalable and ahead of the curve for your building, you can explore other top offerings in the market, like Swiftlane. Like BAS-IP, Swiftlane uses Internet Protocol (IP) to wirelessly connect the intercom panel over the internet to tenants’ mobile devices. That way, building tenants can respond to calls from wherever they are, even when not in the building.
Here are some highlights of the Swiftlane Video Intercom:
- Touchless access control with facial recognition
- Large 8” full-color touchscreen with 2-way video calling capabilities
- Multiple access methods – QR, PIN, Siri voice activation, key fobs, and ID badges with cellular internet fallback
- IP65 and IK10 ratings – highest ratings for weather protection and vandal resistance
- Mobile access control via personal devices
- Power over Ethernet (PoE) connectivity
- Two-year limited warranty and 24/7 technical support
- 100% Satisfaction Return Guarantee
- Seamless property management integration with cloud-based management software
