U.S. County Jail Deploys New IP Intercom System, Saving Over $180,000 While Improving Safety for Staff and Inmates

3-minute read time

Summary 

• A U.S. county jail needed to replace its outdated analog intercom system to provide safe and reliable communication for staff and inmates. 

• They felt trapped, thinking IP modernization was economically unfeasible due to the assumed need to rip-and-replace their network infrastructure, leaving them stuck with non-IP solutions. 

• Northland Business Systems, Commend Americas, and NVT Phybridge partnered to deliver a cost-effective and robust IP intercom solution based on Modern LAN principles. 

• NVT Phybridge Power over Ethernet (PoE) innovations helped reduce project complexity, disruption, safety concerns, and network readiness costs by an estimated $180,000 by leveraging existing infrastructure assets. 

• The county jail used modern network design strategies and PoE switch innovations to prevent over 1,400 pounds of electronic waste, aligned with the county’s broader sustainability commitments. 

Problem 

A U.S. county jail in the Midwest is a modern, 50,000+ square-foot direct supervision facility built in 2010, designed to house up to 135 inmates across all security levels, with a focus on safety and rehabilitation. To ensure everyone’s safety, the facility needed to upgrade its outdated analog intercom system to ensure reliable communication between officers and inmates. However, tight budget constraints made the traditional rip and replace process – which requires new cabling, disruption, and significant labor – financially and logistically unfeasible. The jail turned to trusted partner Northland Business Systems to identify a more cost-effective and less disruptive approach. 

Solution 

Northland Business Systems, working with Commend Americas, recommended the NVT Phybridge PoLRE (Power over Long Reach Ethernet) managed switch solution that delivers Ethernet and power over a single pair of wire with over 1,200ft (365m) . After a few simple setup steps, the PoLRE switches transformed the facility’s existing, point-to-point single-pair UTP infrastructure into a secure, robust, and high-performance network without the high costs, complexity, or disruption of the traditional rip and replace approach. 

NVT Phybridge PoLRE switches enabled the deployment of over 200 Commend IP intercoms. The facility maintained a physically separate network for intercom communication, ensuring secure and reliable connections across the facility. The simple plug-and-play nature of the PoLRE switch innovation minimized installation complexity and accelerated the deployment, helping the project stay on schedule. 

Result 

The county jail used modern network innovations to achieve a seamless IP migration that delivered better return on investment, improved safety, and other long-term operational benefits. The county avoided an estimated $180,000 in infrastructure and labor costs while gaining a robust Commend IP intercom system critical to ensuring safe, quick, and reliable emergency response. 

Michael Diamond from Commend Americas noted, “Together with Northland Business Systems, NVT Phybridge switch innovations allowed us to deliver an efficient and cost-effective IP intercom deployment for the county jail. Most importantly, it ensures that communication works every time, because in this environment, lives depend on it.” 

Sustainability 

The modern network design strategies and innovations used in this project support the county’s commitment to sustainability and responsible governance. By reusing the facility’s existing network infrastructure, the county prevented over 1,400 pounds of electronic waste. 

About Northland Business Systems 

Northland Business Systems is a leading provider of secure communications and recording solutions, serving public safety, corrections, and enterprise markets. With a reputation for excellent service, they specialize in integrating voice, video, and data systems that meet mission-critical requirements. Their experienced team ensures projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with client goals. Northland is committed to innovative solutions that improve operational efficiency and safety. 

About Commend Americas 

With our headquarters in New Jersey, we have been delivering reliable communication solutions and dedicated support to our customers for over 20 years. From day one we have been committed to our goal and mission to serve enterprise customers with exceptional, secure communication technology and related support they can trust. As an agile small-sized organization, we love the challenge of meeting our customers’ expectations to perfection – not just in terms of technical excellence, but also when it comes to quick response times, overall quality of service and local, personalized support. It’s our way of living up to Commend’s global WHY: “Trusted. Communication. Always.” 

About NVT Phybridge 

Our mission is to help organizations maximize their IP migration return on investment by providing high-quality network solutions that are robust, secure, simple to implement, and environmentally responsible. NVT Phybridge is a global leader in PoE network innovations that eliminate the reach and cable type limitations of traditional PoE switches. Our diverse and award-winning portfolio of long-reach PoE switches and extenders help organizations deploy the latest IP technologies over any new or existing single-pair UTP, coax, multi-pair UTP, or 2-wire infrastructure without high costs, complexity, business disruption, or security concerns.