Door Entry System Not Working? Common Faults and Fixes

Fault-by-fault: what's usually behind it

• Door won't release on the buzzer: failing lock release or PSU under load — listen for the click; click-but-no-open is mechanical (keep alignment, door dropped), silence is electrical
• One flat doesn't ring: that flat's handset (cords break, switches stick) or its leg of the riser — handset swap is the cheap test
• Visitors can't hear/be heard: panel microphone weathering or handset earpiece — panels on exposed doors fail first
• Video dark or absent: failed camera module, direct sun blinding it at certain hours, or degraded coax/riser joints
• Whole system dead: the power supply, almost always — the single most replaced component in door entry
• Intermittent everything in rain: water in the entrance panel or a junction — needs resealing before it corrodes further

Repair or replace an ageing system?

Parts for 1980s–2000s analogue systems (handsets, panel modules) are increasingly obsolete; one obsolete handset model can strand a whole block's repairs. The arithmetic we walk clients through: a third consecutive call-out on a 25-year-old system usually exceeds the monthly-equivalent cost of a modern GSM replacement that ends in-flat hardware problems entirely. Conversely, a single failed PSU or one bad handset on an otherwise healthy system is a straightforward repair — replacement pitches for every fault are a sales reflex, not engineering.

What managing agents should log before calling

• Which flats are affected (all = power/panel; some = riser/handsets)
• Does the lock click when flats press release?
• Any recent works in the building (electricians and decorators disturb risers constantly)
• Weather correlation (wet-day faults = water ingress)
• Panel damage or vandalism visible at the door
• This triage turns our first visit into the fix visit far more often