I’ve been looking around and they average around $500 or so. It seems that they are comprised of just some wired transmitters and receivers and use essentially decades old technology. A baby monitor only costs around 30 bucks. What capabilities do these have to warrant this cost?
(BTW, my house has a non-functioning intercom system that looks like it was from the 60s, that I thought about replacing since every room currently has a defective intercom)
As I understand them, the laws of supply and demand suggest that they cost what they cost because the producers can sell a sufficient volume at that price to meet their expenses and satisfy their need for profit.
I would expect that the biggest expense for post-construction installation of a home intercom system is the labor involved in running wires, but that’s a guess.
All the wiring for such a system would have to be coded to be inside the walls, which, as I understand it, can be expensive.
Add to that the apparent low demand to get the high cost. Since you can’t take it with you if you move, and you’re unlikely to get the money spent on it back upon selling the house, the market is limited to only those who actually want such a system to use, and plan on staying in their home for a while.
It would be easier to do with a wireless system, which would be a simple as two baby monitor sets duck-taped together. Or walkie-talkies. Or push-to-talk cell phones.