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ChristineStack's avatar
ChristineStack
Steel Contributor
Dec 11, 2019
Solved

Teams for Calling with front door security system - New Office Planning NEED ADVICE

We are "all in" with Microsoft 365 and Teams Calling (using computers and mobile phone apps).  Our office is serverless.  We are renovating a new location and I want to plan for a front door entry and security system.  What do I need to know now (currently we are in the early stages of demolition) for planning.  We rent in our current location so I have not needed to purchase my own front door system in the past.  Can this all be done wirelessly or via POE these days connected to WHAT?  I really need to know what I need to plan for in terms of wiring (if anything).  What 3rd party technology or partners would do this type of work or at least consult on it?

 

Thanks for any tips.

  • Moon1234's avatar
    Moon1234
    Jul 26, 2023

    Stewart_Ross 

    multiple options:

    1. Viking door phone controller with Valcom door phone (this is analog equipment).  This is connected to an AudioCodes Media Pack MP-112FXS or MP-114FXS. 

    The Audio Codes media packs work fine with teams and each port can be registered with a separate account providing a “line” of service.  

    The Viking door phone controller connects to your door strike OR to a relay port on your access control system that activates the door strike.  When a person comes to the door they push the button on the VALCOM door phone.  This is connected to the VIKING door phone controller.  The door phone controller goes off hook and gets dial tone from the Audio Codes media pack (which is connected to Teams).  The Meida Pack auto dials the configured endpoint (user, call queue, phone number, etc.). 

    A Teams users answers, speaks with the visitor and then the teams users can dial a digit sequence that the Viking door phone controller will hear and activate the relay to unlock the door.

     

    2. Algo door phone controller.  

    Algo has integrated Teams capabilities into their door controller.  This eliminates the need for the AudioCodes media pack.  The rest is the same.

     

    The only upside to the Audio Codes media pack and the analog path is that it is a more “open” system.  If a component fails analog is compatible with other equipment.  

    The Algo solution is a little cheaper, maybe a couple hundred dollars.  

    I have multiple deployments of the Audio Codes solutions and it is rock solid.  That has been the case though for Media Packs for a long time.  I’m sure Algo is fine as well.  We use their paging adapter for overhead paging and multiple offices.

     

    Third option would be to register a session border controller to Teams.  Then you can use any SIP based device you want.  Register it to the SBC, setup a dial plan in the SBC and in Teams so calls flow between the two.  An SBC only makes sense if you have a lot of SIP devices that need to be integrated and want to avoid the Teams phone system fees and don’t need to use the Teams platform to make PSTN calls.  You have to run the SBC somewhere.  Either a device like a ribbon or a virtual machine in Azure, on-prem, etc that runs compatible phone system package that can act as a session border controller.

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