2N Intercoms: IP Style, IP Verso 2.0, IP Force 2.0, Access Units and Access Commander

Identify

Which 2N model do I have?

2N's US site lists nine IP intercoms. This page covers six of them: the IP Style, IP Verso 2.0, IP Force 2.0, IP One, IP Base and IP Solo. It also covers the Access Unit 2.0 and Access Unit M readers and Access Commander, but not the IP Safety, LTE Verso, IP Audio Kit, indoor stations or the My2N platform.

The IP Style has a 10.1-inch touchscreen, and the IP Verso 2.0 is built from separate modules. The IP Force 2.0 has one, two or four backlit buttons or a keypad; the IP One and IP Solo have one button, and the IP Base has one or two. The table gives each model's buttons, versions and camera.

For symptoms on any maker's building intercom, such as no call or no door release, see the guide to apartment intercom troubleshooting. For how a controller, power supply and lock work together, see how commercial access control works.

Source 2N's US intercoms and access readers pages, and the technical specifications on each door station's US product page.

Power and ratings

How is it powered, and what are its temperature, dust, water and impact ratings?

Each of the eight device pages lists Power over Ethernet and a 12 V DC supply. PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at) is the higher-power version of standard PoE (802.3af). In a cover rating, the IP figure is protection against dust and water, and the IK figure is resistance to impact.

The IP Verso 2.0, IP One and both access unit product pages give the power type as PoE and/or 12 V DC. The IP Solo, IP Base and Access Unit M installation manuals each say the device cannot be fed from an external power supply and PoE at the same time, and that a combined supply might result in a device damage. The same warning covers Access Unit 2.0 units with hardware (HW) version 599v4 or lower.

Source 2N's US product pages, with the data sheets and installation manuals where their figures differ.

Switch outputs

What switch outputs and inputs does each model have?

2N lists two kinds of output. The passive switch, which the installation manuals label a relay, is a contact. NO means normally open and NC means normally closed. The active switch output supplies its own low voltage, given in the table.

The IP Base installation manual names OUT1 as the active output, and says of the RELAY terminal: "Used for connection of non-critical devices only (lights, e.g.)."

2N sells a Security Relay (01386-001). The IP Base installation manual says it "prevents tampering with the intercom and forced opening of the lock" and is installed between intercom and lock, powered by the intercom. The manuals for the IP Style, IP Verso 2.0, IP One, IP Solo and Access Unit 2.0 each list it among the modules that can be connected.

Source 2N's US product pages, with the data sheets and installation manuals where their figures differ; the IP Base installation manual for its terminals and the Security Relay; each model's installation manual for its connectable modules.

Credentials

What cards and phones do the door stations read?

An RFID reader reads cards by radio, at 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz or both. Wiegand and OSDP are two ways a reader can report to another maker's access control panel.

The IP Verso 2.0 page says the intercom offers PIN, RFID, mobile access and QR codes, and the IP Force 2.0 page describes QR code access. On the IP Style, card type compatibility depends on the order number. Its 125 kHz line reads: "EM4xxx, HID Proxy – versions with 125 kHz support and S in Order No. Only".

The IP Style and IP Verso 2.0 pages list two 13.56 MHz reader lines, a standard one and a secured one. The table gives the cards each reads.

Source The IP Style, IP Verso 2.0 and IP Force 2.0 US product pages, and the IP Base installation manual.

Access units

Access Unit 2.0 and Access Unit M: the reader holds the controller

On these readers the door controller, the part that decides whether to grant access, is inside the reader. The Access Unit 2.0 page says of controllers: "They are already an integral part of every reader."

The Access Unit M has an in-built controller and needs a single network cable (UTP, unshielded twisted pair) for connection and power. Its data sheet says it also works without the need to communicate with a server.

Several Access Unit 2.0 versions come in a standard and a secured version. On the Access Unit M's 13.56 MHz line, UID (CSN) means the reader reads each card's serial number.

Source The Access Unit 2.0 and Access Unit M US product pages, and the Access Unit M data sheet.

Access Commander

What is 2N Access Commander?

Access Commander is 2N's software tool for access system bulk management, used through a web browser. 2N describes it as on-premises management of commercial access control systems; its cloud option, the My2N Management Platform, is for residential installations.

It comes as an image for server installation (the Access Commander Virtual Machine) or pre-installed on a mini-PC (the Access Commander Box 2.0). The virtual machine is an .OVA package for virtual systems such as Oracle VM VirtualBox, VMware (v6.5) or Microsoft Hyper-V.

Devices (2N intercoms, access units, electronic locks and answering units) are grouped into zones, each device in only one zone. Users are gathered in groups, and time profiles set when a device grants access. One installation can be divided into companies managed separately, whose administrators have no access to each other's information.

2N's documents disagree on the Box's device limit. The product page and the Box 2.0 data sheet list 7,000 connected devices, 200,000 users and 1,500 users per group; the installation manual says the Access Commander Box solution is limited to 2000 connected devices.

The Box 2.0 includes a basic licence for up to 5 devices, and larger installations use one of the paid licenses. 2N's leaflet names the licences Trial, Basic, Advanced, Pro and Unlimited.

The manual lists eight device statuses, including Online and Offline; the table gives the other six.

Source 2N's management platforms page, the Access Commander product page, installation manual and leaflet, and the Access Commander Box 2.0 data sheet.

Firmware

Firmware, warranty and older models

Each of the eight device pages lists a warranty length of 5 years. 2N's About page offers the entire product portfolio with a 5 year warranty and a minimum of 8 years' firmware support, including feature updates and security patches.

2N's US manuals page files the 2N IP Verso and 2N IP Force, the models without 2.0 in the name, under Discontinued, along with products such as the 2N Analog Vario and 2N Indoor Touch. Their US product addresses lead to support pages in a discontinued section, which carry firmware, manuals and other documents.

Source Each US product page, 2N's About page, and 2N's US manuals and support pages for discontinued products.

Service

Help with a 2N intercom or access unit

Elwin Security installs, repairs, replaces and supports 2N IP intercoms and access units through its video intercom installation service for commercial and multifamily properties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Calls are answered 8:00 AM-8:00 PM daily at (408) 539-0535.

FAQ

2N intercom questions