Need Advice Home / shop intercom

[creasman]

My new workshop will be detached from the house. I would like to hear from others regarding what you do for an intercom between the house and workshop. I buried a 2" conduit between the house and shop during the foundation phase and have the ability to pull a wire through this. I plan to run a CAT 6 cable for internet through this. These are some questions I have.

• If you have an intercom system, what brand did you use? How is it working out for you?
• Are you using a wired or wireless solution?
• With shop noise it can be hard to hear when someone calls on the intercom. Do you have a flashing light or other means of getting attention when a call comes in?

When the kids were young we had three of the two-legged intercoms ("Go tell your dad it's time for supper"). That's no longer an option.

 

[pop-pop]

We use our Panasonic land line stations which feature a wireless intercom.

And sometimes I don’t hear the ring signal due to noise. To speak over noise, I step outside.

 

[Mike Davis]

Phone or watch.

 

[Wilsoncb]

I think the only advantage of an intercom system would be if it could activate a flashing light. Otherwise a cellphone and/or smart watch would give you a vibration along with a ringtone…as well as a missed call or message notification when neither of those get your attention. Sometimes you can’t just stop mid-cut to respond even if you do hear it.

 

[rcarmac]

since you are running internet, setup a wireless router in the shop and then by something like an Amazon Alexa. It functions like an intercom but you can answer and respond just with your voice. The higher end Alexa even has video

 

[KenOfCary]

Echo Dot or other Alexa enabled device. As long as WiFi is available in both locations it can be used as an intercom and also provide music, timers, reminders, etc. Can even be used as a remote camera from device to device. And it can work with your smart phone as well.

 

[Echd]

Not sure how long the wire run you're planning is, but you can get ubiquiti point to point wireless transmitters instead of burying line if you want a connection out there. They're really easy to set up and don't cost much.

Honestly though i'd just use my cell phone / smart watch. If the noise is a concern (it is) you have haptic feedback from the phone or watch anyway.

 

[pop-pop]

Remember when you could go to a nearby Radio Shack and have to choose which one?

 

[creasman]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Cell phone and/or smart watch are not options for me. I stopped wearing a watch as a teenager... never have liked wearing one. I've occasionally used a pocket watch, but the cell phone has replaced the need for that. As for cell phone I keep the ringer off and don't always feel the vibration, especially when working.

I'll look into using Alexa. I already have Alexa in my shop that I use for music and radio. I should also say that we plan to have 2-3 intercom stations in the house. I want to have a fully-integrated system.

 

[mkepke]

Sounds like the smart phone already checks most of the boxes for you except you are bound to miss it since you keep it in your pocket in a noisy environment.

Consider something like this to make the alerting more obvious instead of reinventing the entire wheel . Amazon.com

-Mark

 

[Geezermag]

I don't have any experience with the intercom systems, but in terms of getting your attention without annoying alarms, maybe installing a small siren-style light would work.

In college, my wife lived in an apartment that was fitted with accommodations for the hearing impaired. The doorbell in this apartment had a chime, but also featured what I can only describe as a ceiling-mounted version of one of the orange flasher lights that rural mail carriers put on top of their personal vehicles.

It got your attention, but not in a “startles you every time someones at the door” kind of way.

Food for thought.

 

[bowman]

You can find older Nortel Norstar phone systems that have intercom function built-in. $5-600 with 3 phones. Each phone uses a single pair of wires for it's RJ11 connector. Phones can be desk or wall mounted.

 

[oldtexasdog]

I use Alexa and Ring along with a Fire big screen TV that shows an announcement if it is coming through. If I want to holler I just say "Alexa announce everywhere" The Ring small camera monitor has the ability to talk over but it is more of the Apple culture. The set up also alerts me if someone comes to the front door of the detached house and shows me who they are.

 

[kserdar]

I personally use the cell phone option ... but have had a very pissed off wife when I didn't answer 3 back to back calls. FYI - If you are sanding with hearing protection on and dust collection on. You can't hear your phone or feel it vibrate.

 

[creasman]

FYI - If you are sanding with hearing protection on and dust collection on. You can't hear your phone or feel it vibrate.

Exactly... that's something I want to solve with the new solution. I'll likely go with something like what @Geezermag describes.

 

[bobsmodels]

We still have a landline as cell service is terrible. Simple intercom is dial your own number, get fast busy hang up. Phone starts to ring, whoever initiated the call waits for it to stop ringing and picks up, and now you can talk as long as you like. It a test function used by installers of land line days gone by.

 

[creasman]

We still have a landline as cell service is terrible. Simple intercom is dial your own number, get fast busy hang up. Phone starts to ring, whoever initiated the call waits for it to stop ringing and picks up, and now you can talk as long as you like. It a test function used by installers of land line days gone by.

That takes me back to childhood when we had a party line. You had to follow a similar process to call your neighbor who was on the same line... call their number, wait to hear the ring, hang up and feel for the phone to vibrate, then pick up and wait for them to answer. Fun times.

 

[NCPAPAOF2]

They used to make a system that you plugged the units in for power and they used the power wires for transmission. Only requirement was they had to be on the same transformer. I'd search Amazon.

 

[Jim M.]

I repurposed our unused lamppost power feed to connect to my pole barn. I added several light sockets around the woodshop with a red bulbs so my wife could signal me to check my phone for a message. I also put a door bell chime connected to it in the equipment maintenance side of my barn.

 

[drw]

Jim, I do not have an intercom but I would suggest some sort of flashing light to grab your attention, When I first built my shop my Adele would occasionally drop in just to see what was going on. I certainly don't mind her dropping in, but if I happened to be busy on a machine that creates a lot of noise there were several instances that she scared the heck out of me by simply appearing unexpected. After a few of these encounters, I asked her to turn the shop lights off and on whenever she entered and I was working at a noisy machine...simple but effective.