Mircom TX3: changing the phone number your unit dials
A Mircom TX3 entry panel stores a resident directory where each dwelling holds a display name, a directory code and one telephone number to dial. Changing the number is a job for whoever holds the administrator password, normally your property manager, and can be done at the panel keypad or through the TX3 configuration software. Residents cannot change it themselves.
If you live in a Canadian apartment or condo, there is a good chance the panel in your lobby is a Mircom. They are a Toronto company, their TX3 line is everywhere, and the panels are recognisable by the blue and grey display and the scrolling resident directory.
This is what it does with your phone number, and what you can reasonably ask for.
What the TX3 stores for your unit
The TX3 keeps a resident directory. Each entry is a dwelling, and the fields on it are the ones you would expect from a dialler:
| Field | What it is | Can you change it |
|---|---|---|
| Display name | The name a visitor scrolls to in the lobby | Ask the building |
| Directory code | The digits a visitor keys to call you | Ask the building, rarely changed |
| Telephone number | The one number the panel dials | Ask the building |
| Relay and access settings | Which door digit works, timeouts | Building only, usually building-wide |
Mircom quotes capacities by resident count. The TX3 slim line models are specified for buildings up to 200 residents, and the older autodialler range came in 40, 120, 360 and 800 resident capacities. Those are counts of dwellings, each with one number. Why this matters.
Who can change it
Not you. The directory is behind an administrator password, and it is reached either at the panel keypad or through Mircom configuration software over a network connection to the panel.
In practice this means one of three people: your property manager, the superintendent, or the security contractor the building uses. Which one it is decides how long your change takes. A manager with the software does it in minutes. A building that has to book a technician takes a week or two.
What to ask for
- Email your property manager with the unit and the number Ask for the telephone number on your dwelling entry to be updated, and give them the number in full with the area code.
- Ask them to check the display name at the same time It is a separate field on the same entry, and it is often still the previous tenant. One request, two fixes.
- Ask which digit opens the door It is configurable on the TX3 and buildings do not all use 9. Better to know than to find out with someone waiting.
- Ask them to confirm when it is done Then test it yourself from the lobby, including opening the door once.
Can a TX3 ring two numbers?
Not simultaneously. The dwelling entry holds one telephone number, and the panel dials it. Where a second number exists on a system it is a rollover, tried after the first rings out, which by the time it fires has usually cost you the visitor. The difference explained.
The workaround is the same on a TX3 as on any other panel: give the building one number that itself rings several phones. The panel is placing an ordinary phone call and cannot tell the difference. BuzzMeBro is one way to do that, ringing up to 4 phones at once for $11.99 a month. All the options.
Working out which panel you have
Useful before you email anyone, because the answer changes what is possible.
- Look for a brand mark on the faceplate. Mircom, Enterphone, DoorKing, TEC and Aiphone all badge their panels.
- Look at the display. A scrolling directory with arrow keys is typical of a TX3 or an Enterphone. A pure keypad with no screen is usually an older autodialler.
- Ask the superintendent. They will know the brand even if they do not know the model.
- Check for a model number inside the door frame or on a service sticker. Technicians leave them.
Questions people ask
Can I change my own Mircom buzzer number?
No. The resident directory is behind an administrator password and is only reachable at the panel or through Mircom configuration software. Residents have no access to it, which is deliberate.
Can a Mircom TX3 call a mobile number?
Yes. The panel dials an ordinary telephone number and does not care what kind of line answers. Whether the building allows long distance is a separate question, since the building pays for the call.
How many phone numbers can a Mircom hold per apartment?
One telephone number per dwelling entry. Capacities quoted in the hundreds or thousands refer to how many dwellings the panel can hold, not how many numbers each dwelling gets.
What digit opens the door on a Mircom?
It is configurable per building. Nine is the most common in North America, but six, zero and two-digit codes all exist. Ask your building rather than assuming.