Security & low voltage
Security Intercom Cost Calculator
Prices an intercom, where the wiring you already have decides most of the cost.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus equipment and the call-out. Systems range from a simple audio door station and handset to IP video intercoms integrated with access control and answered on a phone. The dominant cost variable in a retrofit is the existing cabling: where a usable multi-wire run exists between the entrance and the units, replacement is straightforward, and where it does not, a two-wire or IP system that works over existing infrastructure avoids rewiring a building.
What moves the number
- Whether existing cabling can be reused, which transforms a retrofit.
- Audio only against video, which changes the station and the wiring requirement.
- Number of units served, which is the main scaling factor in a multi-tenant building.
- Whether it integrates with door release and access control.
Where this one goes wrong
Establish what wiring exists before specifying, because the difference between reusing a run and pulling new cable through a multi-storey building is the difference between a day and a week. Two-wire and IP systems exist specifically to avoid that rewire and are often the right answer in an older building even at a higher equipment cost. In a multi-tenant building, access during installation is the other practical constraint: reaching every apartment to swap a handset needs scheduling and notice, and that coordination is a real part of the job rather than an afterthought.
Before you quote
- Survey the existing cabling before specifying a system.
- Consider two-wire or IP where rewiring would be the alternative.
- Plan tenant access and notice in a multi-unit building.
Questions
About this calculator
Can I replace an intercom without rewiring?
Often, and it is worth establishing first. Two-wire and IP systems exist specifically to work over existing or minimal cabling, which avoids pulling new runs through a finished building. That difference can be a day of work against a week, so the survey comes before the specification.
Is video intercom worth it over audio?
It lets an occupant see who is there rather than relying on a voice, which is the main security benefit and the usual reason people upgrade. It needs more capable wiring or an IP system, so in a retrofit the feasibility question comes before the preference.
What makes a multi-unit intercom job complex?
Access and coordination as much as the technical work. Every apartment needs reaching to swap a handset, which means scheduling, notice and repeat visits for residents who are not home. That coordination is a real part of the cost in a building with many units.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 8 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $115.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $900.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 8 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $115 |
| Parts and materials | $900 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $1,915 |
| Labour | $920 |
| Before tax | $1,915 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $1,915: $920 of labour, $900 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $58 | $1,459 |
| $86 | $1,683 |
| $115 example above | $1,915 |
| $173 | $2,379 |
| $230 | $2,835 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 8 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $115.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $900.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.