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Rebuilding a proven access intercom for the fibre era.
The challenge
When the network
moves, the product
must follow.
Comb Communications' access intercoms control the gates of townhouse complexes across South Africa — and increasingly handle self-service access for short-stay rentals.
The first generation, designed by Nuteknix founder Willem La Grange in 2008, communicated over GSM. For years that was the right choice. Then the ground shifted: load-shedding and network congestion made GSM connections unreliable, and airtime costs kept climbing.
The older design also spread its electronics across multiple PCBs joined by wiring harnesses — more assembly time, more cost, more points of failure. Comb needed a new platform built for how complexes are connected today: fibre at the gate and VoIP instead of GSM — without losing anything that made the original trusted.
What Nuteknix engineered
One board that
replaces a
box full of them.
A single controller that runs the whole intercom — designed for Comb's own firmware team to bring to life.
VoIP-native communication
Calls run over WiFi or Gigabit Ethernet through the complex's fibre router. No SIM cards, no airtime, no waiting for the GSM network to come back.
One cable does everything
With PoE+, a single network cable delivers both data and power. Where PoE isn't available, the board accepts anything from 10 to 57 volts, AC or DC.
Minimal wiring by design
A single PCB with connectors placed where installers need them — eliminating the wiring harnesses of the previous generation.
Everything at the gate, handled
Five relay outputs and four isolated inputs drive gates, doors, locks and sensors. A built-in receiver works with residents' handheld remotes — and every opening is recorded.
Designed for hand-over
Debug console, boot options and in-field update support were design requirements, not afterthoughts. Nuteknix delivered the hardware; Comb's developers brought it to life.
The result
Type-approved.
Ready for launch.
The new controller has passed ICASA type-approval testing and is production-ready, launching as Comb's new flagship once the injection mould for its housing is complete.
It succeeds a flagship product line with thousands of units installed across Gauteng — hardware that has been opening gates reliably for years. Seventeen years after the first board, Comb came back for the next one. That's the result we're proudest of.
In the client's words
“Nuteknix proved to be more than a hardware design partner—they became an extension of our engineering team. Their expertise, practical approach and commitment to quality helped us deliver a robust next-generation platform while allowing our software team to focus on what we do best. We look forward to continuing our partnership on future innovations.”
Siska Van Rooyen
Comb Communications
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