Video Intercoms in the UK: How to Choose the Right Intercom
A video intercom lets you see, speak to and let in whoever is at the door, from a screen indoors or from your phone. This guide explains the choices UK buyers face: IP or 2-wire, villa or apartment, which brand, and what else you need. We're a security supplier in Wolverhampton and stock Dahua, Hikvision and Uniview intercoms.
Already know what you want? Use our intercom kit builder to put a complete, compatible system together with live prices and stock.
A door station outside, with a camera, speaker, microphone and call button. Some add a keypad, card reader or face recognition.
An indoor monitor (also called an indoor station), a screen to see and talk to the visitor and press a button to let them in.
Cabling and power to link them: network cable and PoE for IP systems, or a 2-wire distributor for 2-wire systems.
Most modern intercoms also connect to an app, so you can answer the door from your phone anywhere. To open the door, the door station switches a relay that releases an electric lock or gate motor. The lock is a separate item.
IP or 2-wire intercom?
This is the first decision, and it depends on your cabling.
IP intercom
2-wire intercom
Cable
Network cable (Cat5e/Cat6) to each device, or Wi-Fi
Any existing two-core pair
Power
PoE switch or plug-in adapter
2-wire distributor, over the same pair
Best for
New builds, extensions, anywhere you can run network cable
Replacing an old doorbell or intercom without new cables
Extras you need
A PoE switch, unless your router has PoE
A distributor and its power supply
Starting from scratch? Choose IP. It is simpler to expand and works with standard network equipment. Replacing an old system and the walls are finished? Choose 2-wire, and reuse the old bell wire.
Be careful with Hikvision 2-wire: Hikvision makes 2-wire IP (model numbers ending in Y, such as the DS-KD8003Y-IME2, DS-KH6320Y-WTE2 and DS-KAD706Y) and 2-wire HD (ending in EY, such as the DS-KIS704EY kit). The two do not work together. Many Dahua door stations and monitors, such as the VTO2202F-P-S3, work on both PoE and Dahua 2-wire through the VTNS2003B 2-wire switch.
Villa or apartment intercom?
A villa door station is for a house or small business with one to four call buttons. It is compact and usually all in one unit. Examples: the Hikvision DS-KV6113-WPE1, the Dahua VTO2311R-WP and the Uniview OEU-201S-HMK-W.
An apartment door station is for blocks of flats and multi-tenant offices. It is either modular, so you add button, keypad and card modules to a camera unit, or has a keypad and screen to call any flat. Examples: the Hikvision KD8 modular range such as the DS-KD8003-IME1/S, the Dahua VTO4202F-P modular unit, and the Uniview OEU-301S-HMKA with screen, keypad and card reader. For larger sites, Hikvision also makes face-recognition door stations such as the DS-KD9633-WBE6.
Dahua, Hikvision or Uniview?
Dahua
Hikvision
Uniview
Systems
IP, Wi-Fi, 2-wire IP
IP, Wi-Fi, 2-wire IP, 2-wire HD
IP and Wi-Fi
App
DMSS
Hik-Connect
Uniview's own app
Range
Villa kits, modular apartment panels, Android smart panels
The widest: villa, modular KD8, TalkVu, face recognition, Android indoor stations
Focused villa and apartment range with card readers
Need a second monitor, a different door station or a rain hood? Start from a kit in the intercom kit builder and add the extras. It only shows parts that work with what you've already chosen.
How much does a video intercom cost?
For a house, expect to pay roughly £230 to £480 including VAT for a complete Dahua kit (prices on our site in November 2026; the product pages always show today's price):
What pushes the cost up: more door stations or flats, modular panels with keypads and card readers, larger Android monitors, face recognition, and the lock or gate release. Installation is on top, and depends on your installer and the cabling. Hikvision is sold at trade prices, which show when you log in to a trade account. For an exact figure, build the system in the intercom kit builder; it shows the live total as you go.
Do I need a PoE switch?
For an IP intercom, usually yes. Each wired door station and monitor needs a PoE port, which powers it and carries its video over one network cable. Count your door stations and monitors and pick a switch with at least that many PoE ports. Intercoms draw little power, so any PoE switch with roughly 7W or more per port is enough.
The builder offers each brand's own PoE switches and Ruijie Reyee switches, such as the 4-port RG-ES106F-P, and marks the smallest one that fits your system. Some kits include a switch already; 2-wire systems use a distributor instead.
Video intercom or video doorbell?
A video doorbell is a single battery or wired unit that rings your phone. It is cheap and quick to fit, but there's no wall screen, and most can't open a door lock. A video intercom has a dedicated indoor screen, works without the internet, can release a lock or gate, and scales to several entrances and flats. For a house where you only want phone alerts, a doorbell may be enough. For gates, flats, offices, or a screen on the wall, choose an intercom.
UK rules to know
Cameras and privacy. A door station camera that records or captures beyond your boundary, such as a public pavement, brings data-protection duties for businesses, and for homeowners in some cases. Angle the camera at your own doorway and check the ICO's guidance on domestic CCTV.
Electrical work. Low-voltage intercom wiring is straightforward. Mains connections for power supplies and locks should be done by a competent person.
Flats. In blocks with a shared entrance, agree the door entry system with the freeholder or managing agent before replacing it.
How to choose: checklist
Cabling: new network cable, Wi-Fi, or an existing two-wire pair?
Building: house (villa) or flats and offices (apartment)?
Entrances: one door station per door or gate.
Answer points: one indoor monitor per flat or room, plus the app.
Access: do visitors or residents need a keypad, card or fob, or face recognition?
Brand: Dahua, Hikvision or Uniview, kept to one brand.
Power: a PoE switch for IP, a distributor for 2-wire.
Mounting: surface or flush box, and a rain hood for exposed doors.
Lock: an electric lock or gate release, if the intercom will open the door.
