Brooklyn
Brooklyn is home base for Douglas Security System (DSS). Our office is on East 46th Street in Brooklyn. For over 35 years, we’ve been repairing and installing intercoms across the borough. So from brownstones in Park Slope to large apartment buildings along Ocean Parkway, we know how Brooklyn buildings are wired. We also know what tends to go wrong.
Maybe one apartment’s buzzer is dead. Maybe the lobby panel has stopped working, or you’re ready to move from an old audio system to video. Either way, we can help. Every job starts with a free quote, so call (212) 262-2820 to talk to a Brooklyn technician.
Brooklyn has almost every type of residential building in the city, so each one needs a slightly different approach:
After decades of work in Brooklyn, we see the same problems again and again:
We test the wiring along with the equipment. That way, we fix the real cause and not just the symptom. Learn more about intercom repair.
Many Brooklyn owners call us about one broken apartment and learn the whole system is near the end of its life. Here’s how we help you decide:
For small Brooklyn buildings, the gap between fixing one part and replacing the entrance panel is often smaller than owners expect. So ask us to quote both. You’ll see the numbers side by side before you decide.
See all of our services.
For brownstones and small walk-ups, a compact video entrance panel with phone access is often the best upgrade. The Comelit Ultra Touch works alongside existing intercom units in many buildings, so you can add video without opening walls. Larger elevator buildings with many apartments need more. For them, a multi-tenant system like the Aiphone GT Series handles long wire runs and name directories well. For houses, a durable video door station like the Aiphone JP-DV is a common choice.
Many Brooklyn owners also add a Aiphone AC-10S keypad for back doors and service entrances. They often put security cameras over the front door too.
Prices depend on the building, the number of apartments and entrances, and the condition of the wiring. Most single repairs cost about $250 to $600. For example, that could mean replacing one apartment unit or fixing a door release. A video intercom for a small building with one entrance typically costs about $4,000 to $5,000 or more. Still, these are average New York prices, not a fixed price list. See our intercom cost guide for more detail, and ask about our no monthly fee systems.
Brooklyn buildings follow New York City’s rules. Class A multiple dwellings built or converted after January 1, 1968, with eight or more apartments must have a working intercom. It also needs two-way voice and door release from each apartment. Older buildings must add one once a majority of tenants ask for it in writing. The rule comes from Section 50-a of the New York Multiple Dwelling Law. Read our guide to NYC intercom requirements.
We repair and install intercoms in every Brooklyn neighborhood, including:
Our office is in Brooklyn, so we’re close to most of the borough. That helps when a building needs a technician quickly.
We also serve Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Long Island.
Brownstones and walk-ups without a doorman see the same problem every day. Couriers can’t get in, and packages sit on the stoop. As a result, tenants buzz in strangers to avoid missing deliveries. A video intercom with phone access lets tenants see the courier and open the door from anywhere. Temporary delivery codes let a courier in once without sharing a permanent code. Also, a camera over the entrance or vestibule adds a record of who came and went. See our video intercom installation page and our security cameras.
In Brooklyn walk-ups, the most common complaint is “the buzzer rings but the door won’t open.” That usually means a worn electric strike, a failed relay, or a door that has shifted in its frame. Heavy original doors are especially hard on strikes. So we test the whole chain, from the apartment button to the strike. Then we adjust the door so the new parts last. See our full guide to door buzzer repair.
Brooklyn co-op and condo boards usually want three things from an intercom. They want a clean-looking entrance, easy management when residents move, and predictable costs. Touch screen panels with a digital directory are easy to update. Also, app access cuts down on missed deliveries. We work with boards and managing agents on equipment choices, finishes, and scheduling. Then we give the board a written plan to review before approving the work.
An intercom works best as part of a complete entrance. Many Brooklyn buildings also add a camera over the front door and vestibule. Some put another camera in the mailroom or package area. Residents can get key fobs or a keypad. You can turn off a fob when a tenant moves out, so you don’t have to change locks. See our security cameras and Aiphone AC-10S keypad.
If your intercom or buzzer stops working, tell the super or landlord right away. Ideally, do it in writing. Note which apartment is affected and what happens when you press the buttons. Then ask neighbors if their units work too. Also, don’t prop the entrance door open. If the problem isn’t fixed, tenants can report it through NYC 311.
Yes, our office is at 1541 E 46th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234, and we’ve served Brooklyn buildings for over 35 years. The office is in south Brooklyn, so you are dealing with a company based in the borough rather than one traveling in. Years in the borough mean we know the common building types: brownstones, prewar elevator buildings, and two-family houses, each with its own typical intercom problems.
Yes, we repair and replace intercoms in brownstones and rowhouses, including stoop-mounted panels, and we choose finishes that suit historic entrances. Brownstone systems often fail from weathered panels, worn buttons, or cable damaged where it passes through the stoop or vestibule. Repair is worth trying first when the wiring and panel are sound. If the panel is beyond saving, a replacement in a matching finish keeps the entrance looking right.
We cover all of Brooklyn, including Park Slope, Bay Ridge, Flatbush, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy, Williamsburg, Sheepshead Bay, Canarsie, and more. The borough mixes brownstones, prewar apartment buildings, newer condo buildings, and two-family houses, and each uses different intercom equipment. We look at your system before quoting, so the price reflects what is on the wall rather than the neighborhood. Areas not named here are covered as well.
Water in the basement or a leaking entrance panel is a common cause. Corroded wiring or connections react to moisture, so apartments go dead or buzz. We test and replace the damaged runs. Heavy rain pushes water into basement junction boxes and past worn gaskets around outdoor panels. Moisture bridges contacts that should stay separate, which causes the buzzing. The system may work again once things dry, but the corrosion remains and the fault usually returns with the next storm.
Yes, we give each building its own quote and work with boards, managing agents, and supers to schedule the work. Boards usually want a written scope they can vote on, and agents need dates for resident notices. The super knows where the panel, power supply, and riser closets are, which saves time at the start. Separate quotes matter because two buildings on the same block can have very different wiring.
Yes, we choose panel sizes, finishes, and mounting that suit the entrance, and we reuse existing openings when possible to avoid extra work on the facade. A compact panel in a dark or brushed finish can sit quietly beside original doors and ironwork. Reusing the opening left by the old unit means no new drilling into brick or brownstone, which is hard to patch cleanly. Cable can often follow the old path too.
Yes, our office is in south Brooklyn, and we work on elevator buildings, walk-ups, and houses throughout the area, including Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park, and Canarsie. The Ocean Parkway corridor has many large elevator buildings with long cable runs and several entrances, which need more testing than a small walk-up. Houses in Marine Park and Canarsie often need only a door station and a door release.
Most single repairs cost about $250 to $600, and a video intercom for a small building with one entrance typically costs about $4,000 to $5,000 or more. These are average New York prices. We give you a free quote after an inspection. A repair figure usually covers a failed button, a dead apartment unit, or a door release. An installation costs more because it adds new equipment and wiring work across every apartment, so these figures are not a fixed price.
In many buildings, yes. Our Comelit video intercom works with the intercom units already installed, which lets you add video and phone access without pulling new wire through the whole building. In Brooklyn, that saves opening plaster in brownstone halls and prewar corridors. At the inspection we test the existing cable and apartment units, and any run that fails gets replaced while the rest stays.
Not with our Comelit systems. You pay once for the equipment and installation, and no subscription follows. The only add-ons are optional: property management software and call-log servers are sold separately, and a building needs them only if the manager wants call records or central tenant administration. Before signing any intercom proposal, check for recurring charges, since some cloud-based products bill every month for each door.
On Comelit video intercom installs, we offer a 3-year guarantee on Comelit material and a 1-year guarantee on service and labor. In practice, the 3-year term applies to the parts we supply, such as a panel or monitor that fails. The 1-year term applies to the work our technicians perform, such as how a unit was mounted or connected. Keep your written quote and invoice, since they record what was installed.
Call (212) 262-2820 or use the form on this page. Describe the property, roughly how many apartments and entrances it has, and what is failing, such as dead buzzers, a cracked panel, or no audio. We then schedule an inspection of the building. The price comes afterward as a written quote at no charge, because wiring condition and unit count change the cost too much to guess by phone.