As long as your gate or door is within range of a cell phone tower, then this intercom's range is infinite. You could be on the other side of the Earth and still talk to visitors for as little as 5 cents per visitor if you need to purchase new cell phone service. If you already have AT&T or T-Mobile wireless service, you may be able to just add this intercom to your existing plan with a small monthly fee. Some visitors won't cost anything as you'll see in a bit.

By pressing  keys on your telephone keypad you can unlock a door or activate a gate opener so if the delivery person comes while you're out, you can easily let them in. All you have to do is answer a call from the intercom, and press * to open the gate. If you're having a party or there is some reason you need the gate to remain open, pressing # will keep the internal relay open so your gate should remain open (verify that your gate opener supports this). You can send text messages to the intercom to close the gate or to check the status to find out if it is open or closed.

You can program up to three telephone numbers in the IO1012, whether they are landline telephones or cell phones. When a visitor arrives at the intercom and presses the button, it dials the first number. If the first number does not answer, the intercom dials the second number after the programmed “no answer” time is reached, and it repeats the procedure for the third number. So your visitors should always be able to reach someone and you won't miss important deliveries or visitors.

If you're using the IO1012 at a driveway gate, you and up to 99 other people can also use their cell phone as a gate opener remote control. The intercom allows up to 100 telephone numbers to be stored internally for users to be able to call the system for automatic entry. The IO1012 uses the caller ID of a mobile phone to identify callers, and when it identifies callers on the list, it activates its internal relay, which opens the gate. You can program in numbers for delivery drivers, landscaping personnel, friends, family members, or anyone who needs access to your property. All they have to do is call the phone number for the intercom and the gate opens. Since the system doesn't actually answer the phone call, it doesn't use any minutes from your cell phone plan!  It is also more secure than typical wireless remotes since the gate won't open without the correct Caller ID coming in with a call.

Use Text Messaging to Control Your Gate
You can also use the standard SMS (Short Message Service) text messaging service of your phone to control the gate. If you're having a party and you decide you want to latch the gate open until after the party, just send *34 and whatever your passcode is to the gate and it will open and stay open until you send the *35 code. If you install a sensor switch, you can also check to see if the gate is opened or closed. If you just want to let someone in and have the gate automatically close, just send *33. You won't get this kind of flexibility on standard gate intercoms!

With the IO1012 there is no need to run a telephone line or wires to the system, thereby eliminate the expense and mess associated with that task You can pay for many years of service with the money you'll save, plus you'll get benefits you just can't get from other systems.

Cellular Phone Service

In the United States there are two technologies used for cellular telephone service. One is GSM which stands for Global System for Mobile used by AT&T and T-Mobile, as well as almost every other cellular carrier elsewhere in the world. The other technology is CDMA which stands for Code Division Multiple Access, and is used by Sprint and Verizon in the US, as well as a few other companies in Asia and South America. There are other service providers you can choose besides AT&T and T-Mobile that use GSM (they just contract with these GSM carriers to use their service so you are still using either AT&T and T-Mobile service).

To use the IO1012 you will be required to have a 2G or 3G GSM-based telephone service. GSM-based mobile phone service requires use of a standard-sized (not micro) Subscriber Identification Module (SIM), which is an integrated circuit that securely stores information needed to identify and authenticate subscribers on mobile telephony devices. The one problem you may have in just buying a SIM card with a per minute plan, is that most services require you to enter a PIN (personal identification number) code when it comes time to activate or renew your wireless plan. There is no way to do that from the IO1012. Some providers have an automated service you can call from any phone so that's not a problem with them. For some services you may need to buy a cheap phone so after you activate the card you remove it from the phone and put it in the IO1012. If you need to add more minutes, and you have to do that from the phone, then you just put the card back in the phone until the minutes are added.

At the time of this writing, AT&T has their GoPhone Wireless Prepaid Plans where you can buy a cheap phone for $19.99 and then add a 10 cent per minute plan. They have various other plans as well. If you already have AT&T or T-Mobile, you can also ask them about adding another line to your account. If you want to signup with this service you will find more info here: GoPhone Cell Phone Service

If you have a old AT&T or T-Mobile, you can also get a SIM card from T-Mobile for 99 cents. When you get the card you can activate it online and select from the plans they have. The most basic is 10 cents a minute prepaid and the minutes are good for 90 days. You will need the phone to recharge your account because they send you a text message to get your account setup completed. After that, you can recharge your card online and won't need to remove the SIM card each time. We bought an old T-Mobile phone on eBay for $7 just for getting it set up.

H2O Wireless has per minute plans you can choose from. One thing to watch is that all their per-minute plans have expiration dates on them and some are only 30 days. One of their plans gives you 2000 minutes that expire in 1 year for the cost of $100. That works out to just 5 cents a minute if you use the entire 2000 minutes. That will probably work out to around 2000 visitors since most calls probably won't take a full minute, but you will be charged for whole minutes.

For installation troubleshooting use this guide: Cell-Phone Network Intercom Troubleshooting

Note: We only provide technical support for this product to our resellers. This product is not a do-it-yourself install so if you want to purchase this product, contact a local access control, security, or gate installer dealer and tell them you would like to purchase this product through them. We will give them a discount so you get the unit for the same price.