How much does a wireless intercom system cost compared to a wired intercom system?
Legacy wired intercoms often require on-site programming and manual credential management, resulting in labor-intensive and inefficient workflows. Although wired intercoms are still applicable in certain cases, the required labor hours, technician visits, and credential replacements can increase ongoing labor requirements. As a result, property managers are led to higher operating expenditure (OpEx) over time.
If property managers are coming from new construction, a wireless intercom system is a worthwhile investment, thanks to its labor-saving centralized management and remote access.
The breakdown below explains what drives intercom costs across hardware, software, and installation, and how wired and wireless systems fare over a 5-year period, to ensure you choose the right system for your building.
Key Takeaways
- A wireless intercom system costs roughly around $2,500 to $7,000 per entry point based on vendor pricing benchmarks, but this figure varies based on several cost factors and does not neatly fit per-unit or per-door pricing.
- A wireless intercom’s cost is affected by hardware prices, installation costs, and ongoing fees from software subscriptions, credential provisioning, and technical support.
- Wireless intercom systems are more cost-effective in the long term, regardless of how big or small an apartment property is.
Table of Contents: Quick Navigation
- How Much Does a Wireless Intercom System Cost for Apartment Buildings?
- What Drives Intercom Costs in Multifamily Properties?
- Wireless vs. Wired Intercom Cost for Apartments: 5-Year Comparison
- Swiftlane: A Cost-Efficient Wireless Intercom System
How Much Does a Wireless Intercom System Cost for Apartment Buildings?
Drawing on 20 hours of research into vendor pricing benchmarks, a rough ballpark price for basic wireless intercom systems (without retrofitting) is $2,500 to $7,000 per entry point. However, this figure can vary drastically depending on many factors.
When evaluating the total cost of a wireless intercom upgrade, consider hardware costs, installation labor, and ongoing fees. Hardware prices and labor costs make up the upfront intercom investment, called capital expenditure (CapEx), while ongoing subscription fees and on-site service calls make up the recurring operating expenditure (OpEx).
Per-unit or per-door pricing is often considered enough to judge intercom costs. Yet these estimates usually fail to take into account variables that affect hardware, installation, and ongoing fees. To understand what your property should realistically budget, you need to learn what drives the cost of intercoms at every stage.
What Drives Intercom Costs in Multifamily Properties?
Hardware Costs for Apartment Intercom Systems
Hardware accounts for the bulk of the CapEx in a multifamily apartment intercom project. Wireless intercoms come with a range of features depending on the vendor, so your choice will drive hardware pricing up or down.
Hardware usually consists of:
Intercom Devices
Main intercom devices will be the highest but most important driver of wireless intercom system costs. Basic devices with one-way video feedback can be as low as $150 to $800. More advanced units can cost $1,300 to $4,500.
Auxiliary Modules
In some cases, manufacturers offer modular options for added functionality to intercom devices. Intercom devices that do not already come with cameras can be fitted with a camera module for around $200 to $500 on top of the intercom device cost. In turn, access readers can cost around $300 to $900.
Access Control Hardware
Access control hardware includes electronic door locks and controllers. Costs can go from $250 to $600.
Physical Credentials
When supported, physical credentials usually cost around $5 to $10 for RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) cards and $50 to $100 for encrypted key fobs.
Network Infrastructure
Finally, the network infrastructure that allows wireless intercoms to function can be PoE (Power over Ethernet), Wi-Fi, or cellular-based. PoE networks can be around $2,000 to $7,000, while Wi-Fi and cellular networks can cost from $1,700 and $1,800 to $5,900 and $5,500, respectively.
Installation Costs in Apartment Retrofits and New Construction
Installation and labor costs take up the other portion of CapEx in an apartment intercom deployment.
The complexity of installation, due to unique building conditions, usually increases installation costs. The existing electrical panel may be outdated, or the IT closet may have insufficient space.
Whether the deployment involves a retrofit or a new construction also drives costs up or down. In a retrofit installation, when usable power and network cables already exist, the installation cost may go down. However, if new Ethernet cabling or openings in walls and ceilings are necessary, costs can go up.
Installations from the ground up can also be varied depending on building requirements. Generally, new construction installations have lower costs than retrofits, yet unique building conditions that require workarounds may still drive costs up.
For a basic apartment intercom installation cost, estimates can be around $1,000 to $2,000.
Ongoing Costs: Software, Resident Credentials & Support
OpEx greatly varies based on the recurring fees of your chosen intercom. Recurring fees may be classified into three kinds: software subscriptions, credential management, and ongoing support.
Software subscriptions are essential for the continuous service of wireless intercom systems. These are typically paid per unit on a per-month basis. The subscription usually includes remote access management, web dashboards, mobile applications, and, depending on the intercom, security logs.
Credential management, particularly physical ones, can also drive OpEx upwards. RFID fobs require programming when residents move in and replacement and deactivation when residents move out. However, costs for credentials can be mitigated by using mobile credentials instead, if your residents are comfortable with it.
Lastly, wireless intercom systems still require ongoing support, yet you will rarely need on-site service calls. Any troubleshooting that needs to be done may be accomplished by remote teams. Software updates can be done remotely as well.
All in all, operational expenditure can be $30 to $300 per month.
Wireless vs. Wired Intercom Cost for Apartments: 5-Year Comparison
Wireless intercom systems may appear to have higher CapEx compared to older, wired systems, yet the overall cost of ownership of a wireless intercom becomes more cost-efficient over time because of lower OpEx.
Check out the table below for an example of the wireless intercom system cost vs. wired intercom system cost. These figures are merely estimates; actual pricing for your properties is best left to professional teams.
For a small apartment building with 30 units, one main entrance with one intercom device, without any pre-existing physical wiring, over a period of five years, the cost estimates of fixed and recurring expenses can be as follows:
Swiftlane: A Cost-Efficient Wireless Intercom System
Swiftlane offers wireless intercom systems with end-to-end solutions for upgrading your building security and access control. It comes with extensive support for biometric, mobile, and physical credentials—access keycards, mobile applications, and face recognition.
Swiftlane helps property managers from planning through deployment to ongoing support, all bundled in a predictable, cost-efficient pricing scheme that is worth the investment for many years ahead.
Contact our team and get instant pricing now.
