DoorKing intercom: changing the phone number your unit dials
A DoorKing entry panel stores one phone number for each directory code, and only someone with the master code or the building’s programming software can change it. Ask your property manager, and give your unit, your directory code and the new number with its area code. The 3,000 figure quoted for the DoorKing 1835 and 1837 counts residents across the whole building, not numbers per apartment.
DoorKing is one of the most common entry systems in North America. You see the name on apartment lobbies, gated townhouse complexes and parking gates. Newer units carry the DKS logo instead.
If yours is calling the wrong phone, or only one of the phones in your apartment, the fix starts with knowing what the panel stores for you. It is less than most people expect.
Which DoorKing model is in your lobby?
- DoorKing 1837. The big one. An eight line screen that shows resident names, with A, Z and CALL buttons to scroll and dial.
- DoorKing 1835. The same family and the same owner’s manual as the 1837, in a different cabinet. It is programmed the same way.
- DoorKing 1810 Access Plus. A small panel for small buildings. It is quoted for up to 27 residents, with an expansion unit adding 23 more.
The model number is not always printed where you can see it. So go by the faceplate and the screen, or ask the building. How to identify your intercom covers the other brands too.
How many phone numbers does a DoorKing store for one apartment?
One. A DoorKing panel works from a list of directory codes. Each code is one to four digits, and each code has one phone number and one name attached. A visitor keys in your code, and the panel dials the number filed under it.
The DoorKing 1835 and 1837 are sold as storing up to 3,000 phone numbers. That is the figure people misread. It means 3,000 residents across the building, each with one number. It does not mean your unit can have several. Older 1835 and 1837 units shipped with smaller memory, from 25 numbers up, and the rule was the same.
| Field | What it does | Who can change it |
|---|---|---|
| Directory code | The one to four digits a visitor keys in to call you | The building, rarely changed |
| Name | What a visitor scrolls to on the screen | The building |
| Phone number | The one number the panel dials for that code | The building |
| Area code | Kept in a separate list on the panel and attached to your number | The building, and older boards hold only 10 of them |
| Talk time and door digit | How long the call lasts and which key opens the door | The building, set for the whole panel |
There is no spare slot under your code for a second phone. Every dial-out panel works this way, and this is why your buzzer only rings one number.
Who can change the phone number on a DoorKing intercom?
The building, not you. A DoorKing 1835 or 1837 is programmed in one of two ways. Someone stands at the panel and enters a four digit master code on the keypad. Or someone uses a PC running DoorKing’s Remote Account Manager software, connected by modem, cable, the building network or the internet.
The 1810 Access Plus is programmed from a PC as well, with its own account manager software. In every case the person doing it is your property manager, your superintendent or the gate and access company the building hires. There is no resident login.
- Find your directory code It is the number beside your name on the lobby screen or the printed directory. It is often not your unit number.
- Email whoever manages the panel Give your unit, your directory code and the new phone number in full, area code included. Ask for the name to be fixed in the same message if it is wrong.
- Ask which key opens the door It is set per panel. Find out before a courier is standing outside.
- Test it from the lobby Key in your own code, answer the call and open the door once. A call that rings but will not release the lock is half a job.
If the building drags its feet, put the request in writing and keep it short. What to do when a landlord will not change the buzzer number.
How do you get a DoorKing to ring more than one phone?
Not at the panel. A DoorKing places an ordinary phone call to the one number under your code. It has no idea what happens after the call leaves the building. So the answer is in what that one number does next.
| Approach | Does every phone ring? | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| A BuzzMeBro number under your directory code | Yes. Up to 4 phones ring at once and whoever answers first opens the door | $9.99 a month per apartment, and a local number has to be available for your building |
| One person’s mobile under your directory code | No. One phone rings and everyone else finds out later | Free, but every delivery depends on one person being awake and near their phone |
| Asking the building for a second directory code | No. A visitor has to know to try the second code | Free if the building agrees, but drivers key in the unit on the label and leave |
| A Google Voice number under your directory code | It can ring several phones, but the door key often fails | Free, and you answer the buzz unable to let anyone in |
| Carrier call forwarding from the number on file | No. It moves the call to one other phone | Whatever your carrier charges, and the first phone stops ringing |
BuzzMeBro gives your apartment its own local phone number. You hand that number to the building once, and they store it under your directory code like any other number. When a visitor buzzes, every phone registered to your apartment rings at the same time. Whoever answers first gets the call and can open the door.
A buzz arrives as an ordinary inbound phone call, so there is nothing to install to receive one. Setup happens once on the website. It is $9.99 a month or $95.00 a year, billed per apartment and not per person. The subscription is the only thing BuzzMeBro is paid for, so your data is never sold and no call audio is recorded. The full wording is at /privacy. Check availability for your building.
Two limits, said plainly. A local number is checked at signup, and a building with no number available goes on a waitlist. And the cap is 4 phones per apartment.
If you live alone and the DoorKing is just dialling a number you no longer use, you do not need to buy anything. Email the building, get the number under your code updated, test it, done. That is free and it is the right answer for you. How to find out what number your buzzer calls.
Google Voice on a DoorKing: free, but the door often will not open
A DoorKing opens the door when it hears a DTMF tone come back down the call. Google Voice re-encodes call audio, and the tone often arrives too distorted for the panel to recognise. In the lobby that looks like this. Your phone rings, you hear the courier, you press the key, and nothing happens. The longer version. A BuzzMeBro number is built for this one call, door tone included.
Which key opens the door on a DoorKing?
Usually 9, but do not assume it. DoorKing calls this the tone open number. On the 1835 and 1837 the main relay leaves the factory set to 9, and a second relay is set to 5. Both can be changed at the panel, and some buildings do change them. A building with a lobby door and a parking gate on one panel may tell you to press different keys for each.
The call is also on a timer. The factory talk time on a DoorKing 1835 or 1837 is 60 seconds, and the building can set it anywhere from 1 second to 255. If your calls cut off mid sentence, ask what it is set to.
If the right key does nothing, the fault is usually the audio path and not the panel. Why the door digit fails.
If the faceplate turns out to say something else, the answer is close but the details differ. There is a Mircom TX3 version and an Enterphone version. On any of them the panel holds one number for your unit, and BuzzMeBro is how that one number rings up to 4 phones at once.
Questions people ask
Can I change the phone number on a DoorKing intercom myself?
No. A DoorKing panel is programmed with a four digit master code at the keypad, or from a PC running DoorKing’s programming software. Residents have neither. Your property manager, superintendent or the building’s access contractor makes the change, so send them your unit, your directory code and the new number with its area code.
Does the DoorKing 1837 store 3,000 numbers for each apartment?
No. The DoorKing 1837 stores up to 3,000 phone numbers in total, one for each directory code in the building. Each apartment gets one number. To ring several phones from that one entry, the number on file has to ring them all, which is what a BuzzMeBro number does for up to 4 phones.
Can a DoorKing intercom call a cell phone?
Yes. A DoorKing 1810, 1835 or 1837 places an ordinary phone call and does not care what kind of phone answers. The building does need your area code in the panel’s area code list, and older 1835 and 1837 boards hold only 10. Ask the building to confirm yours is there.
What number do I press to open the door on a DoorKing?
The factory setting on a DoorKing 1835 or 1837 is 9 for the main relay and 5 for a second relay, and the 1810 Access Plus also uses 9 by default. Buildings can change these. Ask your building which key to press, then test it once from the lobby.
Can a DoorKing ring two phones at the same time?
Not on its own. A DoorKing dials the one number stored under your directory code. To ring two or more phones together, that one number has to do the ringing. BuzzMeBro gives your apartment a local number that rings up to 4 phones at once, and whoever answers first can open the door.