Viking Special Software in Circuit Programming that Controls When the Speaker is Turned On - E16PMBI

Viking Electronics E16PMBI SIP VoIP Indoor Entry Phone

The Viking Electronics E16PMBI is a SIP 2.0 VoIP entry phone engineered for commercial doors, gates, and access-controlled entry points where reliable two-way audio and relay-triggered locking are non-negotiable. Running entirely on PoE Class 1 (under 4 watts), it draws power from your existing PoE network switch — no local power wiring, no transformer, no junction box power supply. If you're wiring a lobby door, warehouse entrance, or secure interior vestibule and need a device that registers on your SIP PBX like any other extension, the E16PMBI is built for exactly that application.

Key Features

• SIP 2.0 RFC 3261 Compliance: The E16PMBI registers on any standards-compliant SIP PBX or hosted VoIP platform — Cisco, Avaya, FreePBX, 3CX, Asterisk. No proprietary controller required, which means it slots into your existing phone system without a separate door-phone server or gateway appliance.
• G.722 Wideband Audio + 90 dB SPL Output: G.722 delivers HD-quality voice at 7 kHz bandwidth — noticeably clearer than narrowband G.711 in a noisy lobby or loading dock. At 90 dB SPL measured at 1 meter, the speaker cuts through ambient noise in reverberant commercial spaces without a separate horn or amplifier.
• PoE Class 1 Power (Under 4W): Drawing less than 4 watts via IEEE 802.3af, this device puts minimal load on your PoE switch budget. A single 8-port 802.3af switch can power dozens of these units simultaneously — relevant for multi-door deployments across a campus or warehouse facility.
• 2-Amp Relay Contacts: The onboard relay supports door strikes, magnetic locks, or Viking's SL-2 strobe light — wired directly, no relay module required. 2A contacts handle most commercial electric strikes without an intermediate relay board.
• 5 Programmable Call Destinations: Configure up to five dial-out numbers — front desk, security station, manager extension, mobile fallback. Useful when coverage needs to cascade across shifts or departments without reprogramming the device each time.
• -40°F to 140°F (-40°C to 60°C) Operating Range: That temperature floor handles unheated vestibules, cold-storage facility entries, and northern climate installations where a standard commercial intercom would fail in winter. The 140°F ceiling covers sun-exposed metal enclosures in direct southern exposure.
• Up to 100% Humidity (EWP Models): Standard configurations handle 5–95% non-condensing humidity. EWP-suffix variants extend to 100% — relevant for covered outdoor entries, car wash facilities, or coastal environments where condensation is routine.
• Viking Device Manager Integration: Parallel programming, firmware updates, and device polling via Viking Device Manager software — you can provision and update multiple units from a single workstation rather than touching each device on the wall. Critical for multi-site or high-door-count deployments.
• 100BASE-Tx with Auto-Crossover: Auto-MDI/MDIX means you can use a straight or crossover cable without reterminating — eliminates a common installation error when running new drops to entry points.
• FCC Part 15 / CE / Canada ICES-3 Class A: Regulatory compliance across North American and European markets means the same SKU deploys in US, Canadian, and EU facilities without modification or separate country-specific procurement.

Integration & Compatibility

The E16PMBI integrates with any access control or telephony infrastructure built on SIP 2.0 standards. It pairs with Viking's E-Series entry phone line and is programmable via Viking Electronics Device Manager software, which supports bulk firmware updates and parallel configuration — important when managing more than a handful of doors. The 2-amp relay output connects directly to standard door strikes or Viking's SL-2 strobe, keeping wiring simple at the door frame. For complete entry systems, pair with a door controller or integrate relay output into an existing access control panel. Audio codecs G.711u, G.711a, and G.722 ensure compatibility with virtually every SIP platform on the market — narrowband G.711 for legacy PBX compatibility, G.722 for HD audio on modern unified communications platforms. Review our VoIP entry phone selection guide for side-by-side comparisons of the E-Series line and help sizing deployments by door count and call-routing requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What SIP platforms is the E16PMBI compatible with?

A: The E16PMBI complies with SIP 2.0 RFC 3261, making it compatible with any standards-based SIP PBX or hosted VoIP platform including Cisco, Avaya, FreePBX, 3CX, and Asterisk. No proprietary gateway is required.

Q: Does the E16PMBI require a separate power supply?

A: No. It draws power via IEEE 802.3af PoE at under 4 watts (Class 1). Any 802.3af-capable switch or midspan injector will power the unit — no separate transformer or local AC wiring needed.

Q: Can the E16PMBI control a door strike or magnetic lock?

A: Yes. The E16PMBI includes 2-amp relay contacts that can directly drive most commercial electric door strikes, magnetic locks, or Viking's SL-2 strobe light without an intermediate relay module.

Q: What audio codecs does the E16PMBI support?

A: G.711u (ulaw), G.711a (alaw), and G.722. G.722 provides wideband HD audio at 7 kHz bandwidth for noticeably clearer voice quality on modern SIP platforms.

Q: Is the E16PMBI rated for outdoor or cold-environment use?

A: The operating temperature range is -40°F to 140°F (-40°C to 60°C), making it suitable for cold-climate vestibules and unheated entries. Standard models support up to 95% non-condensing humidity; EWP-suffix models handle up to 100% humidity for exposed or high-moisture environments.

Q: How many call destinations can be programmed on the E16PMBI?

A: Up to 5 programmable call destination numbers, allowing calls to cascade across front desk, security, manager extensions, or mobile fallback numbers based on your routing configuration.

Karl Wilson

The Viking E16PMBI is the unit I reach for when a site needs a door phone that behaves like a standard SIP extension — no dedicated controller, no proprietary app, just a device that registers on the existing PBX and rings the front desk like any other call. The PoE Class 1 draw (under 4W) is genuinely useful: on a 30-door campus deployment, that's under 120W total door-phone load on your PoE infrastructure, leaving headroom for cameras and APs on the same switch plant.

Technical Highlights:

• G.722 Codec: Wideband audio at 7 kHz — the difference is audible in lobbies with hard floors and high ceilings where G.711 intelligibility degrades. Worth calling out to the end-user during commissioning so they understand why this unit sounds different from an analog intercom.
• 2A Relay Contacts: Rated for 2 amps, which covers the vast majority of fail-secure electric strikes (typically 300–600mA) and most fail-safe mag-locks (500mA–1A) without an outboard relay board — one less failure point in the door hardware stack.
• -40°F Floor: The E16PMBI's -40°F lower operating limit means it survives unheated entries in Minnesota or Alberta winters without a heater kit — a real BOM reduction on cold-climate projects versus units that spec out at 14°F or 32°F.

Deployment Considerations:

• Viking Device Manager supports parallel programming — if you're deploying more than 3–4 units, set up Device Manager first and configure a template before touching individual devices. Doing it unit-by-unit at the door is slow and introduces config drift across a large install.
• The 5-number programmable destination limit is adequate for most single-site installs but can be a constraint on large multi-tenant or multi-department buildings — plan your call routing in the PBX (hunt groups, ring groups) rather than trying to cover every destination from the device's dial plan.

For a multi-entry commercial facility — office building lobby, warehouse personnel gate, cold-storage facility entrance — where the goal is native SIP integration, minimal PoE draw, and direct relay control of the door hardware, the E16PMBI is a well-specified, practical choice that avoids the complexity of a separate door-phone gateway.