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An emergency elevator phone connects a trapped passenger to a live responder with voice, text, and video. Here is what current code requires, the four types of devices, and how to choose one.
An emergency elevator phone is the two-way communication device inside an elevator car that connects a trapped passenger to a person who can help. Under the current safety code, ASME A17.1-2019 / CSA B44-19 (adopted across most of the U.S. and Canada), that device has to do more than carry a voice call. It has to support two-way voice, two-way text messaging for passengers who cannot speak or hear, and a video means so responders can see into the cab. It has to re-route automatically if nobody answers within 45 seconds, and it has to keep working for at least four hours if the building loses power.
If your question is whether your building legally needs one, the answer is almost certainly yes. We cover the legal frameworks, code editions, and when upgrades are triggered in Do I Need an Elevator Phone in My Building?. This guide covers the next question: what these devices actually are, and how to choose the right one.
The word “phone” suggests a handset on a cord. A few devices in the category still look like that, and they have their place. But a modern emergency elevator phone is an IP communication device: a speaker and microphone built into or behind the car operating panel, often with a touchscreen that displays messages, a camera feed for responders, and a network connection instead of a telephone line. It is closer to a purpose-built intercom computer than to a telephone.
That shift is what the 2019 code drove. A voice-only box cannot show a text message to a passenger who cannot hear, and it cannot give responders a view into the cab. Most voice-only devices cannot be upgraded to do those things, which is why most modernization projects replace the in-car device entirely.
Nearly every compliant setup uses one of four device types, sometimes in combination across a building.
1. Touchscreen audio-visual-text phones.
The most complete option, and the one new modernizations usually specify. LiftComm’s LC-1300EAV mounts behind the car operating panel with a 7-inch touchscreen. It carries full-duplex HD audio, shows the responder’s text messages on screen, and lets the passenger answer with on-screen responses, satisfying the voice and text requirements in one device. When idle, the screen can display building-approved images.
2. Surface-mount versions.
Same capabilities, different mounting. When the existing car operating panel cannot be modified, or you want to avoid touching it during a modernization, a surface-mount audio-visual phone adds compliant communication without panel work.
3. Integration kits that reuse your existing panel.
If the car already has a good panel with a phone button, speaker, and microphone, LiftComm’s LC1200E-GLD integration kit connects that existing hardware to the building network from behind the panel. It supports up to 16 buttons, drives the panel’s indicator lights, and turns a legacy panel into a networked communication device without replacing the rider-facing hardware.
4. Rugged handset phones.
For machine rooms, parking structures, platforms, and other locations where vandalism or weather is the main threat, a stainless-steel ring-down handset like the LC1200R-GLD survives abuse that would destroy consumer hardware. Pick up the handset and it dials its programmed destination automatically.
One more piece completes the in-car picture: the camera. The 2019 code requires a video means so emergency personnel can observe passengers. A compact IP camera, ceiling-mounted or panel-mounted where ceiling mounting is not preferred, pairs with any of the devices above to satisfy it.
Every LiftComm device above is an IP device. The call, the text messages, the camera feed, and the device’s power all travel over the building’s own network: a single network connection with Power over Ethernet. There is no analog phone line to lease for the elevator, and no cellular subscription.
Two pieces of infrastructure make that work in an elevator environment:
Code requires the call to reach a staffed answering point: a person, around the clock, trained to respond. There are three ways buildings do it:
There are two cost models in this market, and the difference compounds over an elevator’s 10-to-15-year service life.
Subscription systems bundle the device, the connection, and the monitoring into a recurring fee: per car, per month, for as long as the equipment is in service. That can make sense for a small unstaffed property.
Owned systems flip the math. You buy the hardware and the installation once. The devices run on your network, the routing server carries no per-user licensing fees, and if your own staff answer the calls there is no monthly monitoring line item at all. For portfolios with many cars, or buildings that already staff a desk, ownership usually wins, and you are never dependent on a vendor’s cloud staying in business to keep a life-safety system working.
Ten questions that separate a compliant, ownable system from a subscription box:
LiftComm builds the complete system: in-car touchscreen phones, surface-mount units, integration kits, rugged handsets, in-car cameras, the on-premises routing server, the security-desk video phone, and the network extenders that tie it together. Everything is an IP device on your network, compliant with ASME A17.1 2019 and 2022, 2020 BCNYS, CSA B44, and IBC requirements. The platform runs today across the MTA New York City Transit elevator fleet and in government, healthcare, and municipal buildings where cloud systems are not approved.
What is an emergency elevator phone?
It is the two-way communication device inside an elevator car that connects a trapped passenger to a live responder. Under ASME A17.1-2019, it must provide two-way voice, two-way text messaging, and a video means for responders, plus automatic re-routing at 45 seconds and four hours of backup power.
Are emergency elevator phones required by law?
Yes. Passenger elevators are required to have a two-way emergency communication means under ASME A17.1 / CSA B44, which is adopted into law in most U.S. states and Canadian provinces. Which edition applies to your building depends on your jurisdiction. See Do I Need an Elevator Phone in My Building? for the full breakdown.
Do elevator phones need a phone line?
No. LiftComm elevator phones are IP devices: the call travels over the building’s own network through an on-premises routing server, with power delivered over the same connection and a four-hour battery requirement covered by the system design. There is no analog phone line and no cellular subscription.
Can I keep my existing elevator panel?
Often, yes. If the panel’s button, speaker, and microphone are in good condition, an integration kit like the LC1200E-GLD connects the existing hardware to the network from behind the panel. A camera and, where required, a text display still need to be added to meet the 2019 code.
Who answers when a passenger presses the button?
A staffed answering point: your own security desk or concierge, a monitoring service, or both in a hybrid arrangement. If the first answering point does not pick up within 45 seconds, the system must re-route the call automatically to a backup.
What happens if the building loses power?
The code requires the communication system to keep working for at least four hours on backup power, with the audible signal available for at least one hour, and the transfer to backup power has to happen automatically.
If you are specifying, replacing, or modernizing elevator phones, schedule a 30-minute technical walkthrough with our integration engineers. We will look at your cars, your network, and your answering setup, and map the right device to each elevator.
Request a technical walkthrough · (212) 732-4658 · info@liftcomm.com
This article is general information about elevator emergency communication codes and is not legal advice or a substitute for review by the project AHJ. Code adoption status and enforcement vary by jurisdiction. Confirm specific requirements for your project before purchasing, specifying, or installing equipment.
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