Intercom and Video Entry: Visitor Reception and Screening

Screened reception is a de facto requirement in 90% of the office buildings in Paris and the regions monitored by Kytom. IP video entry has progressively replaced analog 2-wire systems on new projects, with a 120-degree wide-angle camera and 720p to 1080p resolution as the market standard.

IT department challenges break down into four operational areas:

• Visual identification of the visitor before unlocking the electric strike
• Call archiving with a 30-day retention period recommended by the CNIL
• Interconnection with badge access control for traceable temporary unlocking
• SIP compatibility (RFC 3261) with mobile terminals such as the receptionist’s smartphone

Medium-sized office floors generally require 1 main panel on the ground floor and 1 to 3 indoor stations distributed between reception, the executive secretariat and the security control room. The Labour Code (articles L1222-4 and L2312-38) as well as the GDPR require prior notification of employees in the event of video recording, a point addressed with the client’s DPO during the specifications phase. Visitors benefit from a legal notice clearly visible on the street panel.

Kytom Method in 5 Phases: 12 Weeks from Audit to SIP Acceptance

The Kytom method is structured in five phases over an average lead time of 12 weeks, calibrated for projects of 5 to 50 panels.

1. Existing audit: survey of technical ducts, measurement of distances between the street panel and the technical room (100 m limit in Category 6A), identification of raised-floor reservations.
2. Design: choice of protocol (SIP RFC 3261 or proprietary IP), sizing of the installed base, day, night, weekend and mobile forwarding call scenarios.
3. Structured cabling pre-wiring: Category 6A cable trays in the raised floor, dedicated 12V or 24V power supplies, reservations on floor landings for future additions without disrupting finishing works.
4. Deployment: installation of panels (flush-mounted or surface-mounted), configuration of indoor stations, integration with visitor management software, BACnet or OPC UA gateway to the BMS.
5. Acceptance: two-way audio tests, video quality under variable lighting from 50 to 1000 lux, network outage scenario and PoE backup switchover.

Low-voltage certified technicians handle commissioning and delivery of the digital as-built documentation to the project owner.

Measured Benefits After Commissioning IP Video Entry

Operational feedback from the office stock monitored by Kytom highlights several qualitative benefits after switching to IP video entry coupled with badges: a significant reduction in opportunistic intrusions thanks to visual screening, faster visitor identification through the display of the photo stored at the time of the call, retention of access logs for GDPR traceability, and renewed mobility for the receptionist thanks to SIP forwarding to a smartphone.

Smooth reception is explained by the instant display of the photo stored at the time of the call, which avoids repetitive audio qualification questions.

GDPR traceability relies on archived logs used in the event of an incident or dispute, in accordance with retention periods that can be justified to the CNIL.

The return on investment is observed on multi-building headquarters equipped with extended installed bases, thanks to the pooling of a single guard station instead of guards multiplied per building.

CNIL and GDPR Compliance: 30-Day Retention by Default, DPIA if Biometrics

Any video recording from an intercom panel must be the subject of a CNIL notice visible on the street panel, an entry in the register of processing activities under article 30 of the GDPR and a justified retention period. The market rule, aligned with CNIL recommendations, sets the default retention at 30 days, with a cap of 90 days without documented enhanced justification.

Any biometric data, such as facial recognition coupled with the panel, falls under article 9 of the GDPR and requires an impact assessment (DPIA) prior to deployment, validated by the DPO and liable to be presented to the CNIL in the event of an inspection.

Employees are informed via the works council (CSE), in accordance with articles L1222-4 and L2312-38 of the Labour Code, before any go-live. Visitors are informed by a legal notice affixed to the panel. The register of processing activities specifies the recipients of the images (security control room, receptionist, DPO in the event of an access request) and the procedures for exercising GDPR rights.

Preventive Maintenance and Scalability: 150 to 400 Euros per Panel per Year

Preventive maintenance of an IP video entry installed base covers three recurring operations: optical cleaning of the camera (urban soiling and UV), checking of dedicated 12V or 24V power supplies, and firmware updates against the CVEs published by manufacturers. The annual budget ranges between 150 and 400 euros per panel, with a global contract including corrective interventions within 24 business hours.

Scalability relies entirely on the initial pre-wiring. The Category 6A cable trays in the raised floor, sized during the tender documentation by the low-voltage engineering offices, allow the future addition of secured doors, biometric readers or visitor management terminals without removing partitions or redoing finishing works. Reservations on floor landings anticipate installed-base extensions linked to headcount growth.

Centralized supervision via a BACnet or OPC UA gateway reports faults to the building’s BMS: IP link loss, power fault, panel tamper alarm. The indicators are integrated into the facility manager’s operations dashboards for SLA management.