Can two people be on an apartment buzzer?
Two people cannot both be listed in an apartment buzzer, because the lobby panel stores one phone number per unit and has no second field. The building is not refusing, it has nowhere to put a second number. Two people can both be reached if the one stored number rings several phones, which is what a service like BuzzMeBro does.
This is the first thing everybody asks and the answer is short. It is worth understanding why, because knowing why tells you what the working answers have in common.
What a panel row actually holds
A telephone entry panel keeps a directory. Each unit gets one row, and that row holds a display name, the code a visitor presses, and one phone number.
When somebody presses the code the panel places one phone call to that one number. There is no list, no group, and no second number field to populate. The chain in detail.
So where does the second person go
Behind the number. The panel dials one number, and what that number does afterwards is not the panel business.
| Approach | Rings both at once | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| A number built to ring a group, like BuzzMeBro | Yes | A monthly cost for the apartment |
| Carrier call forwarding | No, it moves the call | The first phone stops ringing |
| A landline with extensions | Only inside the apartment | Useless when either of you is out |
| Google Voice | Sometimes rings | The door digit often does not get through |
Only the first row does the thing the question is actually asking for. Why forwarding is not sharing.
What to ask the building instead
Do not ask them to add a second number, because the answer is no and it uses up the conversation. Ask them to change the number they hold to the one you give them.
That is a request they can action, it is routine, and it is the same request whether the number behind it rings one phone or four. How to word it.
BuzzMeBro gives the apartment a number that is local to your building and rings up to 4 phones at once, for $11.99 a month. Get your number.
Questions people ask
Is this different in newer buildings?
No. Touchscreen directories in new condos hold the same one number per unit as a panel from the eighties. The interface a visitor sees changed and the directory row did not.
My friend has two names on their buzzer. How?
That is the display name field, which can hold whatever the building types into it. It is what a visitor reads while scrolling. It has no effect on which number gets dialled.
Could the building program a second call if the first is not answered?
A few panel models support a rollover number and most buildings do not configure it. It is also sequential rather than simultaneous, so the visitor waits through the first attempt before the second starts.
Does this mean I need my own number for the buzzer?
You need the stored number to reach you. If you live alone with a local mobile, that can simply be your own number and it costs nothing.
What is the simplest thing that rings both of us?
One number stored on the panel that fans the call out. BuzzMeBro rings up to 4 phones at the same time, so whoever is free answers rather than whoever happens to be listed.