A door station is the outdoor half of an intercom: a call button, microphone, speaker and camera mounted at an entry. It lets a visitor request admission and lets staff see and speak to them before releasing the door. Video door stations usually integrate with a door release or an access controller.
A door station is often the first security device a visitor meets. What happens after the button is pressed depends on the release, and on who is answering.
What a door station includes
A call button, a speaker and microphone for two-way audio, a camera for a view of the caller, and often a reader for staff credentials. Some units add a keypad or a directory for multiple tenants. Housing and weather rating decide whether it survives an exposed entrance.
Planning the release
The station has to trigger something: an electric strike, a magnetic lock or a door operator. That release needs its own power, fail-safe or fail-secure behavior and a manual exit for egress. Plan the station, the release and the network path together, because each depends on the others.