SIM - cheapest available top up - intercom activation!

tikkitakki

Colleague and I need to keep a phone in office solely to be rung when clients arrive in order to let them into office building.

Does anyone know of a SIM card I can order that needs minimal credit on it (no ongoing monthly top ups) solely for this reason? We won't be making calls from it, just accepting clients' calls from building intercom

Apparently the system can only be activated on one phone so we can't have both our work mobiles connected to intercom (which would have solved the issue)

flaneurs_lobster

What a very, er, interesting way to set up an intercom. 

You had better say which of the mobile networks have good coverage at your office location, then suggestions of cheap SIMs may be more focussed.

Mark_d

I think your best bet might be PAYG SIM from Giffgaff.  Their T&C say:

13.5. Your SIM Card will be disconnected unless, at least once every six months, your Account is used to:

• a) make at least one call, SMS or MMS to another number (not including calls to emergency services or Member Services or 0800 numbers or texts/calls to free rated numbers);
• b) make at least one connection to the Internet;
• c) make at least one airtime credit or Plan purchase

13.6. If your SIM Card is disconnected due to inactivity, you will lose any remaining credit or Plan balance on your Account. giffgaff recycles numbers and we will not be able to reconnect once a number is disconnected and recycled. giffgaff may reconnect you if any disconnection was due to our negligence.

PHK

flaneurs_lobster said:

What a very, er, interesting way to set up an intercom. 

You had better say which of the mobile networks have good coverage at your office location, then suggestions of cheap SIMs may be more focussed.

These type of intercoms generally direct to a specific phone number on the automated “switchboard” which can then be directed to an extension or group of extensions. For example, at the company I work for when a visitor presses the visitor button on the intercom then the phones in the admin department ring. When a visitor presses the delivery button then the phone in the mailroom rings etc. 

savergrant

This sounds like a job for the rwg £1 credit sim;

https://www.rwgmobile.wales/webshop/offers/order-a-sim/

If you don't make a call or text (5p) every 90 days there will be a restriction on your account. They have been very good at removing it if you call them to ask them to (but remember past performance is not an indication of future performance). If you send one text every 90 days you will run out of credit in July 2029 and will need to topup £5 (which at current rates will keep you going until 2054 when circumstances might have changed.)

Runs on basic ee network

flaneurs_lobster

PHK said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

What a very, er, interesting way to set up an intercom. 

You had better say which of the mobile networks have good coverage at your office location, then suggestions of cheap SIMs may be more focussed.

These type of intercoms generally direct to a specific phone number on the automated “switchboard” which can then be directed to an extension or group of extensions. For example, at the company I work for when a visitor presses the visitor button on the intercom then the phones in the admin department ring. When a visitor presses the delivery button then the phone in the mailroom rings etc. 

Yes, that's how I remember these things working, the intercom was basically an extension on the office PBX.

On the OP's setup, how does the intercom connect to the (mobile) phone network? Does it have it's own SIM and if so what network and who's paying for it? 

savergrant

It sounds to me as though when a visitor press the button it dials the registered number, either to patch through to the door mic/speaker or to simply give a recorded message. I guess this is a building with multiple usages.

PHK

flaneurs_lobster said:

PHK said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

What a very, er, interesting way to set up an intercom. 

You had better say which of the mobile networks have good coverage at your office location, then suggestions of cheap SIMs may be more focussed.

These type of intercoms generally direct to a specific phone number on the automated “switchboard” which can then be directed to an extension or group of extensions. For example, at the company I work for when a visitor presses the visitor button on the intercom then the phones in the admin department ring. When a visitor presses the delivery button then the phone in the mailroom rings etc. 

Yes, that's how I remember these things working, the intercom was basically an extension on the office PBX.

On the OP's setup, how does the intercom connect to the (mobile) phone network? Does it have its own SIM and if so what network and who's paying for it? 

Most now are networked devices, as are the phones (which is why I put switchboard in quotes because it’s likely to be a service rather than a physical piece of equipment. Calls are then routed either out onto the public phone network or direct to the destination ) 

But they also are made with an IoT SIM that makes a call either via data or the mobile networks. 

tikkitakki

Thank you all.

It's a building with privately leased offices, maybe 12 in all. My understanding is that clients will buzz the office number at the front door and it will connect with a phone in the appropriate office.

We don't know what features a phone needs to have (I will call the security company to check this) and if we need to download an app or anything. I have sourced a couple of old phones from family.

I am with GiffGaff, but I think we would have to top up £10 on a new sim. 

The rwg mobiles link looks promising, thank you so much. That's what I've been trawling the internet to find, a sim that needs minimal top ups!