AIPHONE Telephone Intercom Access Control Terminology

All Call : (Top of Page)
On systems with this feature, by pressing the All Call button, then the Talk button, the announcement will be transmitted throughout inside intercom stations in the system. Some systems have this feature built in. All Call is provided through additional equipment on the LEF and LEF-C systems.

All Call Adaptor: (Top of Page)
Adapter that adds All Call to an Aiphone system. An All Call Adapter may also add chime and background music input features.

All Call Button: (Top of Page)
The button on a station that activates the All Call feature. In some systems, press the All Call button and make an announcement. With the LEF masters, press the All Call button, then the TALK button to make the announcement.

All Page: (Top of Page)
Paging all zones in a system simultaneously.

Apartment/Office Station: (Top of Page)
Intercom station used to communicate with the visitor, and equipped with a door release button to allow the visitor entry into the building.

Audio Monitoring: (Top of Page)
The ability to "listen in" to a door or sub station without that station being aware that they are being listened to.

Audio Only Door Station: (Top of Page)
An intercom unit designed for outdoor use, able to call and communicate with an intercom station inside.

Auxiliary Light Control: (Top of Page)
The ability to turn on and off an outside light that will illuminate the area surrounding a door station.

Background Music:  (Top of Page)
Music (AM/FM Radio, or music from an external source) heard through the inside intercom stations. Available as a feature on the Master Sentry System (LEF-C) with specified equipment. (BGM is a common abbreviation for background music.)

Bathroom Pull Cord: (Top of Page)
A call station located next to a toilet or shower, allowing a person to call for help. The call from the bathroom pull cord must be reset at the station itself.

Call Button:  (Top of Page)
A button for placing a call to the master station. This can either be built into the intercom station or it can be a remote device, depending on the system and the remote station requirements.

Call Reset Switch: (Top of Page)
A switch allowing a call from the remote station to be canceled at the calling location, rather than at the master station only.

Call Tone: (Top of Page)
Mono electronic tone heard when a sub calls a master station. This tone can also be heard when a master calls a sub by depressing the designated buttons for calling by tone.

CCD: (Top of Page)
Charged Couple Device

CCTV Camera Call-up: (Top of Page)
Ability to activate a CCTV camera at the same time that an intercom remote station is selected.

Chime Extension: (Top of Page)
Hearing the chime when a person calls from a door at a remote inside location.

Chime Tone (Door Chime): (Top of Page)
A multi-stroke chime heard through the system as it is designed. This feature is standard on some systems, and an option on other systems.

Common Area Call Stations: (Top of Page)
Station for use where bathroom pull cord stations are required, but no patient station is installed. Equipped with two corridor lamps.

Composite Video Output: (Top of Page)
Standard 1 volt peak-to-peak video signal. Compatible with CCTV systems.

Concierge Station (Security Guard Station) : (Top of Page)
Intercom station allowing calling and answering communication with each Entry Panel in the system, as well as selective calling and answering capability with all Apartment/Office stations in the system.

Corridor Light: (Top of Page)
An indicating device installed above a doorway in a healthcare environment. An illuminated lamp indicates that a call has been placed in that room.

Daisy-chained Wiring:  (Top of Page)
The wiring method where the wire path is in and out of each station from the first to the last location. Most Aiphone systems are designed to be wired in a daisy-chained fashion, unless otherwise specified.

Desk Mount: (Top of Page)
An intercom unit that can be placed on a desk or counter.

Door Release Relay: (Top of Page)
Relay to interface electric door strike to intercom system. Required on some systems.

Door Release: (Top of Page)
Activating an electric door strike or a magnetic lock from the inside intercom system. Aiphone systems are designed to activate an electric strike, with a relay required on some systems. Activation of a magnetic lock can be done by using a different type of relay contact.

Door/Gate Station: (Top of Page)
Weather resistant sub station. Designed to be used at doors, gates, or any outside area. Pressing call button activates a tone and/or LED at the master station(s). When the master answers, communication is hands free at door, controlled by the master.

Dry Contact Closure: (Top of Page)
A closure where no voltage is present. Commonly used for door release contacts, either directly out of a unit or the relay being used for interface between the intercom and door strike.

DSP: (Top of Page)
Digital Signal Processing

Dual Patient Stations: (Top of Page)
Patient station with two call button jacks.

Entry Panel:  (Top of Page)
Device used at the entry of a building, usually providing selective calling and communication to offices, condominiums, or apartments inside the building.

External Signaling Device: (Top of Page)
A supplemental sounding device tied in with an intercom system for remote or louder indication of a call being received. (Requires additional equipment.)

External Signaling Relay: (Top of Page)
The relay required to activate an external signaling device. Choose the relay specifically designed for that purpose on the system being installed.

Flush mount: (Top of Page)
Mounting the intercom station into a backbox or opening in the wall, where the majority of the unit is in the wall. The faceplate and call button will be on the surface of the wall, having a low profile.

Handheld Call Switch:  (Top of Page)
A call button on a cord, usually for healthcare applications. Cord either plugs into a wall jack or the intercom station, depending on the system.

Hands Free Reply: (Top of Page)
Respond without touching the intercom station when called by a master station.

Handset Communication: (Top of Page)
Using a telephone style handset to talk to another person, who is using a similar handset or an open voice door station.

Handset Master: (Top of Page)
Intercom master station equipped with a handset. Pick up handset to communicate with remote station. (Some systems also provide a push-to-talk button, in which case either method can be used to communicate with the remote station.)

Handset Sub: (Top of Page)
A unit designed to be used as a sub station. Used like a telephone, but communicates with the intercom master station.

Homerun Wiring: (Top of Page)
Wires from stations all run to a designated unit or location. Use this method only for stations and systems that specify homerun wiring.

Infrared LED Illuminator:  (Top of Page)
Built-in LED’s that project infrared light to illuminate a caller located within a foot of a video door station.

Instant On: (Top of Page)
When a call is placed from a door station, the inside stations will automatically turn on and allow audio and video monitoring.

LED Call Indicator:  (Top of Page)
When a call is placed from a door or sub station, the corresponding LED station light will light up on the master(s) for approximately 20 seconds. The lights will not light up when a master calls another master. The station LED light will come on when a master depresses a station selector button.

Locator LED: (Top of Page)
An LED that is always lit to show the location of a door station. (Lights up when the system is powered.)

Low Capacitance Cable: (Top of Page)
Cable with capacitance rating of 17pF per foot or lower.

Master Station:  (Top of Page)
Station where communication is initiated and controlled. The features of a master station may include selective calling, All Call button, Privacy, Occupied light, Monitoring Capability, Door Release and other features provided from components included in a system. (All Call for the LEF system requires additional equipment.)

Master to master communication: (Top of Page)
Communication between master stations. Calling master presses TALK button. Responding station speaks hands free

Mid Capacitance Cable: (Top of Page)
Cable with capacitance rating of 24pF per foot or lower.

Monitor (video): (Top of Page)
The video monitor unit used in conjunction with the intercom to provide audio/video door answering.

Multi-conductor Cable with Overall Shield: (Top of Page)
Cable that has multiple wires in a single jacket. Every wire will be a different color, and they are not paired. Shielding is an aluminum covering over all wires just inside the outer jacket along with a bare metal stranded wire (called a drain wire). If the lines indicating wires are parallel on the wiring diagram, that indicates the use of a multi-conductor cable.

Normally Closed Contact:  (Top of Page)
A contact for door release that is in the closed position when not activated, and opens when the door release button is pressed. This type of contact is typically required to activate a magnetic lock device.

Normally Open Contact:  (Top of Page)
A contact for door release that is in the open position when not activated, and closes when the door release button is pressed. This type of contact is typically required to activate an electric door strike.

Open Voice Communication:  (Top of Page)
Speaker type communication without having to pick up a handset. Open voice communication normally requires the person initiating a call from a master station to press and hold a talk button while speaking, then releasing to listen. The responding person simply speaks toward the intercom station without touching it.

PanTilt:  (Top of Page)
The term used to describe Aiphone's video door stations with a movable camera built in. Pan indicates horizontal movement, and Tilt indicates vertical movement.

Patient Stations: (Top of Page)
Intercom stations for a healthcare application. Standard features include 2-way communication, bedside call button jack(s), and a cancel button (which resets the call to the nurses station).

Pedestal Stand: (Top of Page)
A mounting device that allows the intercom to be installed at the proper height for ease of use.

Picture Memory Unit: (Top of Page)
Aiphone’s KC-32EU, which provides snapshots of visitors every time a call is placed from a video entry system equipped with this unit.

Privacy: (Top of Page)
With the privacy button depressed, station can receive communication, but the response back to the calling station is blocked. To speak from a station in privacy mode, momentarily depress the talk or call button to open up communication both ways. LEF master stations have this feature, as well as LE-series sub stations with an "N" at the end of the model number.

Remote Control:  (Top of Page)
Remote activation or deactivation of devices from an intercom station. Lights can be turned on, alarm contacts disarmed, surveillance cameras activated, video monitors turned on, and door releases activated. Any function controlled with N/O or N/C contact can be done with this feature on specified Aiphone systems.

Residential Station: (Top of Page)
Handset intercom station used to communicate with the visitor, and equipped with a door release button to allow the visitor entry into the building.

Selective Calling :  (Top of Page)
Call a specific station in the system by depressing that station's selector button at a master station. Communication at the calling master is push to talk, release to listen. At the called station, communication is hands free.

Semi-Flush mount: (Top of Page)
Part of the intercom unit is recessed into the wall, but part of it is outside of the wall as well.

Single Patient Stations: (Top of Page)
Patient station with one call button jack.

Sub Station: (Top of Page)
Receives a call from a master station, and can place a call to master(s) by tone and/or light. In open voice systems, the communication is hands free at the sub station, controlled by the master. In handset systems, the communication is simultaneous through the handset.

Sub-master Station: (Top of Page)
Station used to receive calls from a master, make an All Call, and/or answer a call from a door station. (Available as part of the LEF-C system only.)

Surface Mount: (Top of Page)
Mounting the intercom station to the surface of a wall, not having any part of the unit recessed into the wall.

Talkpath:  (Top of Page)
Circuits on which communication takes place. The number of talkpaths, also called communication paths, is generally one unless otherwise specified.

TFT LCD: (Top of Page)
Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Diode. The latest technology in color video monitors, and the type of monitors typically used in laptop computers.

Twisted Pair Cable: (Top of Page)
A type of cable where there are individually twisted pairs of wires within a single jacket. This type of cable is only recommended on a few of Aiphone's systems, and will be indicated on the wiring diagrams by illustrating twisted wires.

Vandal Resistant:  (Top of Page)
A unit made from steel, able to stand up to a more harsh environment than standard units. A stainless steel call button is used, and additional protection is provided for the speaker.

Video Entry Station: (Top of Page)
A unit that includes both a video camera and audio intercom, allowing both audio and video communication from an entry area and an inside monitor/intercom location.

Video Monitoring: (Top of Page)
The ability to activate a video door station camera from an inside location to see the area around the camera.

Volatile Memory: (Top of Page)
Items stored in memory will be lost if power is removed from the unit.

VOX Communication: (Top of Page)
Communication is activated using a voice sensing circuit. Communication is sent (transmitted) when voice or noise is detected above a pre-set threshold. When voice or noise falls below that threshold, communication is received from the other station in the system. This creates a hands free 2-way communication system where each person talks without pressing buttons or using a handset.

Wall Mount:  (Top of Page)
An intercom unit that is designed to be mounted vertically on a wall.

White LED Illuminator: (Top of Page)
Built LED’s that project white light to illuminate a caller at a color video door station.

Wireless Handset: (Top of Page)
A cordless telephone that is integrated with an intercom system.

Zone Indicator Light:  (Top of Page)
Device with four separate lamps, used to indicate if there are any calls in each of four defined zones in the system.

Zone Paging: (Top of Page)
Paging through an overhead speaker system, divided into areas or groups. Most systems allow multiple zones of paging.

Original information can be found directly by the manufacturer at www.aiphone.com.

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