Replacing an old apartment intercom in Chicago
If your building runs a buzzer panel, an audio intercom with a handset in each unit, or a telephone-entry panel that dials residents over a phone line, you can replace it with a ButterflyMX video intercom without rewiring the apartments. The new panel goes at the entry, residents answer on their phones, and the old handsets come off the wall. If your panel uses an AT&T copper line, plan the change before that line is retired.
Signs your intercom is done
- Residents can’t see who’s at the door, or can’t hear them.
- Handsets are dead in some units and replacement parts are hard to find.
- The panel calls residents over a phone line, and the line keeps getting more expensive, or a carrier notice has arrived.
- Changing a code or a name in the directory means someone drives to the building.
- There’s no record of who came in, or when.
- Couriers buzz every unit until someone lets them in.
Is your intercom on a phone line? What AT&T’s Illinois change means
Many older telephone-entry panels reach residents by dialing out over a copper landline. AT&T is retiring that copper network in Illinois:
- AT&T stopped taking new orders and changes for traditional copper landline service in affected Illinois areas on October 15, 2025.
- AT&T’s letters to Illinois landline customers give a discontinuation date of on or after March 15, 2027.
- AT&T plans to retire most of its copper network nationwide by the end of 2029.
An entry panel that depends on that line stops calling residents when the line goes. Read the notice for your building’s line and ask your carrier which date applies to it.
ButterflyMX connects over the internet, so the replacement doesn’t need a copper line. Your elevator phones and fire alarm communicator may be on the same kind of line. Those have their own code requirements, so bring your elevator and fire alarm vendors into the plan too.
Sources: Citizens Utility Board, NBC Chicago, and WMOK reporting on AT&T’s Illinois notices.
What comes out, what stays, what goes in
Comes out
The old entry panel, the handsets in each unit, and any phone line the old panel needed.
Often stays
The door, and frequently the existing strike, conduit, or wire to it if they’re in good shape.
Goes in
An 8-inch or 12-inch panel, a power supply, a network connection, new locking hardware or exit switches where needed, and fobs for residents who want them.
How a replacement goes
Site walk
We look at each door, the old panel, and what’s in the walls.
Proposal
A written scope with the panel, door hardware, and price.
Installation
We plan the cutover so the entry stays secure the whole time.
Residents
Everyone gets an app invite. Residents without smartphones get a landline or fob set up.
Handoff
We train your manager or board and leave written instructions.
Getting every resident on board
The switch goes smoothly when every resident has a way in on day one. The app is free and most residents are set up from an email invite. For the rest:
- No smartphone: the intercom rings a landline or basic cell phone, and the resident presses 9 to open the door.
- Prefers a key: a fob or key card at the built-in reader, or a personal PIN.
- Expecting guests: a visitor pass sent from the app, good for the times the resident sets.
- Getting deliveries: couriers use a delivery PIN, and every release is logged with a photo.
Intercom replacement questions
Can we reuse our old intercom wiring?
Sometimes. The wire or conduit that runs to the door strike can often be reused. The wiring to each apartment is simply abandoned, because ButterflyMX doesn’t need it.
What happens to the handsets in each unit?
They come off the wall. Owners can patch and paint, or we can leave the box with a blank cover plate.
What about residents who don’t want to use an app?
ButterflyMX can ring a landline or a basic cell phone, and the resident presses 9 to open the door. They can also keep using a fob or a PIN.
Who manages the system after it’s installed?
Your property manager or a board member runs the directory and permissions from an online dashboard. We train them before we leave and stay available for service.
Does the new intercom need a phone line?
No. ButterflyMX connects over the internet, so it doesn’t depend on a copper phone line.
Tell us about the building
We’ll walk the entries with you, look at the doors and what’s in the walls today, and send a written proposal with the panel, door hardware, and a price. There’s no charge for the walk.
- Citizens Utility Board: AT&T letters announce end of landline service in 2027
- NBC Chicago: As AT&T plans to end landline service in Illinois
- WMOK: AT&T has begun phasing out landline service, including Illinois
- ButterflyMX: How to use ButterflyMX without a smartphone
- ButterflyMX: Cost and pricing
Manufacturer specifications and prices are as published in September 2026 and can change. We confirm current figures when we quote.