--- title: "How Does the Rently Access Panel with Intercom Use W5500 for Wired Cloud Access Control?" url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/ElenaLee/resellers/how-does-the-rently-access-panel-with-intercom-use-w5500-for-wired-cloud-access-control/" markdown_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/ElenaLee/resellers/how-does-the-rently-access-panel-with-intercom-use-w5500-for-wired-cloud-access-control/md" type: "VAR: Value-Added Reseller Products" author: "ElenaLee" author_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/ElenaLee/" original_author: "Rently (Consumer 2.0, Inc.)" original_url: "https://fccid.io/2AH4JPANEL420" published: "2026-09-30" language: "en" hardware: ["WIZnet W5500"] likes: 0 views: 27 comments: 0 source: "WIZnet Makers (https://maker.wiznet.io/)" --- # How Does the Rently Access Panel with Intercom Use W5500 for Wired Cloud Access Control? > Rently's UL294 access panel for rental communities combines Wi-Fi, LTE-M, and BLE with a WIZnet W5500 that gives it a wired 10/100 Ethernet path to the cloud. Original author: Rently (Consumer 2.0, Inc.) (source: https://fccid.io/2AH4JPANEL420) ## Components - **WIZnet W5500** x 1 ([docs](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/Chip/Ethernet/W5500)) WIZnet parts: W5500 ([Datasheet](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/Chip/Ethernet/W5500/datasheet?utm_source=maker&utm_medium=project&utm_campaign=w5500), [product hub](https://maker.wiznet.io/products/w5500/)) ## Documents and links - [FCC ID 2AH4J-PANEL420 filing](https://fccid.io/2AH4JPANEL420): Original source: FCC equipment authorization for the Rently Access Panel with Intercom - [FCC internal photos (W5500 evidence)](https://fccid.io/2AH4J-PANEL420/Internal-Photos/Internal-Photos-7352396): Board photos showing WIZnet W5500, ESP32-C3-MINI-1U, Quectel BG95-M3, nRF5340, FM17622 - [Rently Access Panel user manual v1.8](https://fccid.io/2AH4J-PANEL420/User-Manual/User-manual-7352394): Official product documentation: connectors, specifications, wiring, internet connection priority - [Rently Access Panel with Intercom product listing](https://www.securityinfowatch.com/access-identity/access-control/control-panels/product/55089674/rently-rently-access-panel-with-intercom): Trade press product listing, 2024-06-18 - [Rently launches new access panel with intercom](https://securityjournalamericas.com/rently-launches-access-panel-intercom/): Launch coverage: features, UL294, IP65, connectivity options - [ButterflyMX review of the Rently intercom](https://butterflymx.com/blog/rently-intercom-review/): Third-party (competitor) review with cited pricing; observed 2026-09-29 - [WIZnet W5500 overview](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/iEthernet/W5500/overview): WIZnet product documentation ## Article ## 📌 Overview Rently is a Los Angeles proptech company, co-founded in 2010 by Merrick Lackner and Clark Li, that built its business on self-guided rental home tours and now sells a broader rental lifecycle platform with its own smart locks, hubs, and access hardware. In mid-2024 it added the **Rently Access Panel with Intercom** (model PANEL420): a weatherproof, UL294-certified entry panel for gates, pools, gyms, garages, and elevators in multifamily and build-to-rent communities. One panel replaces what used to be a keypad, a card reader, an intercom, and a door controller. Residents open a door with a code, a 13.56 MHz fob, or the Rently app. Visitors scan a QR code on a small E-ink screen to start a video call with a resident or the leasing office. The panel then switches a dry-contact relay that drives a gate operator, door strike, or maglock. The panel reaches the Rently cloud over three paths: Wi-Fi, LTE-M cellular, and a 10/100 Ethernet port driven by a WIZnet W5500. The W5500 is confirmed by the chip marking in the product's FCC internal photos, filed on 2024-05-29. ![Rently Access Panel with Intercom front view with keypad, fob reader, and E-ink QR intercom screen](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/528774563%5F1790743905%2Epng) *Rently Access Panel with Intercom (PANEL420). Image: Rently user manual v1.8, FCC ID 2AH4J-PANEL420.* > **Key takeaway:** A commercial property-access product that already carries Wi-Fi, LTE-M, and Bluetooth still puts a W5500 hardwired Ethernet path on the board, so installers can give the panel a cabled uplink where the site allows it. ## Why Shared Doors in Rental Communities Need Cloud Access Control Rental operators manage many doors that are not inside any one apartment: community gates, pool and gym doors, parking garages, and elevator call buttons. Traditional access control solves this with a central controller room and long wire runs from every door. Rently's approach is the opposite. Each panel stores up to 2,000 codes and fob credentials locally and syncs with the cloud, so a manager can add or revoke access from the Rently web app and every panel picks up the change. Two terms help here: - **UL294** is the U.S. safety standard for access control system units. Rently lists UL294 certification and an IP65 enclosure rating for the panel. - **REX (Request-to-Exit)** is the input for an inside push button or motion sensor that lets people leave without a credential. ## System Configuration: What the Panel Connects To The user manual lists every field connection on a single pigtail harness: - **DC 12-24 V power input** (24 W minimum, UL294 Listed Class 2 supply). The panel is not PoE powered, so power and Ethernet are separate runs. - **Relay output (NO/COM/NC)**, dry contact rated 1.0 A at 12 or 24 VDC, for gate operators, door strikes, and maglocks. - **REX input and door contact input**, so the panel knows when a door is held open. - **Wiegand input/output**, the two-wire credential interface used across the access control industry. - **LAN port, Ethernet 10/100**, with CAT5e or better cable up to 328 ft (100 m). - **Co-ax antenna connector** for a 4 in or 6 ft adhesive Wi-Fi antenna. ![Connector definition diagram showing Wiegand, REX, power, relay, Ethernet LAN, and co-ax antenna leads](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/528774563%5F1790743875%2Epng) *Connector definition from the Rently user manual, including the LAN lead for the W5500 Ethernet path.* On the front, users see a 12-key backlit touch keypad, the NFC fob reader, a 3.52 in E-ink QR screen, a pass/fail LED, and a network LED. The rated operating range is -35 to 70°C with 0 to 95% humidity for indoor or outdoor use. ## Inside the PANEL420: One Board, Four Radios, One Wired Port The FCC internal photos show a single main board with clearly labeled communication parts: - **Quectel BG95-M3**, labeled as the 4G module, for LTE-M (Cat-M1) cellular. - **Espressif ESP32-C3-MINI-1U**, labeled as the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi module. - **Nordic nRF5340**, labeled as the Bluetooth chip, used for phone setup and maintenance access. - **Fudan FM17622**, the 13.56 MHz NFC reader IC behind the fob reader. - **WIZnet W5500** (marking `W5500 DUW927 2341`) next to the board's USB area, handling the wired LAN port. ![FCC internal photo close-up of the WIZnet W5500 chip on the Rently Access Panel main board](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/528774563%5F1790743942%2Epng) *WIZnet W5500 on the PANEL420 main board. Image: FCC internal photos, FCC ID 2AH4J-PANEL420, Guangdong Zhonghan Testing Technology.* ## How the Panel Chooses Its Internet Path The manual defines three ways to connect the panel to the internet and states the order: cellular LTE-M activates automatically only when there is no Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, and its priority is lower than both. The panel ships with a SIM card, so it can come online on day one even before the site network is ready. That makes the W5500 port the path an installer chooses when a gate or pool door already has a cable run from the leasing office or IT closet. Once connected, the panel sends access events, visitor photos, and credential updates to the Rently cloud, and a remote unlock from the app returns over the same link to fire the relay. ![Generated technical diagram of the Rently panel connectivity: W5500 Ethernet and Wi-Fi as primary uplinks, LTE-M as fallback, BLE for local setup](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/528774563%5F1790743715%2Epng) *Generated technical diagram: uplink priority as described in the Rently user manual.* ## ⚙️ Role of the WIZnet W5500 The W5500 is the panel's wired network interface: it turns the LAN lead into a 10/100 Ethernet connection with a hardwired TCP/IP stack, so the processor that drives it talks to the network over SPI through sockets instead of running a full software TCP/IP stack for the wired path. For an access panel, this matters in three practical ways: - **A cabled uplink at the door.** Metal gates, stucco with wire mesh, and parking structures are hard places for Wi-Fi. The manual itself warns that the Wi-Fi antenna must be placed away from large metal obstructions. An Ethernet run avoids that problem where cabling exists. - **Cellular stays a backup.** Because Ethernet outranks LTE-M, a wired site does not depend on a cellular plan for day-to-day traffic. - **A clear place in a multi-radio design.** Wi-Fi, LTE-M, and BLE each have their own module on the board, and the W5500 gives the wired option the same kind of self-contained part. The FCC photos confirm the W5500 but do not state which processor on the board controls it over SPI. That detail is not disclosed publicly. > **WIZnet role:** the W5500 is the Ethernet path, not the access logic. Credential checks, relay control, and the intercom run on Rently's firmware and cloud; the W5500 gives that system a wired route to the internet. ## Vendor, Availability, and Price - **Vendor:** Rently, the brand of Consumer 2.0, Inc., Los Angeles, California, United States. Rently describes itself as a resident lifecycle management platform for single-family and multifamily operators. - **Launch:** the FCC grant is dated 2024-05-29, the user manual v1.8 is dated 05/14/2024, and trade press listed the product on 2024-06-18. - **Where to buy:** sold to property operators through Rently's sales team, with installation support from Rently and its technician network. No public web store checkout was found. - **Price:** Rently does not publish a price. A competitor review by ButterflyMX (updated 2026-07-30, observed 2026-09-29) cites $1,299 MSRP for the hardware, $1,448 with the installation kit, and $45 per month plus $4 per unit per month for software. Treat these as third-party figures and confirm with Rently. ## Where It Fits in the Rently Product Family The panel is the shared-space piece of a larger Rently system. Rently's own devices cover the private side of a rental: smart locks (including models co-manufactured with Kwikset), lockboxes for tours, smart home hubs, and thermostats. The access panel covers the community side. Residents use the same Rently Smart Home app for their unit and for the gate, and managers see all access events in one platform. In November 2025 Rently announced new smart locks, access panels, and thermostats as part of this device line. ## Value and Limits **Value.** This is a real, installed commercial product in a market WIZnet rarely shows on Maker: cloud-managed access control for rental housing. It shows a common pattern for field devices: keep cellular for zero-touch setup and backup, and add a W5500 so installers can use Ethernet where cable exists. **Limits.** The panel does not take PoE, so Ethernet sites still need a separate 12-24 V supply. Firmware is closed, and the public record does not name the processor that drives the W5500. ## Related WIZnet Maker Projects If you want to see the same problem solved as an open design, Lihan__'s [4-Door Access Control Panel with STM32G0 and W5500](https://maker.wiznet.io/Lihan__/projects/4-door-access-control-panel-with-stm32g0-and-w5500/) shows a wired, multi-door controller on a Cortex-M0+ MCU with a W5500, which makes a useful contrast with Rently's cloud panel that carries four radios plus Ethernet. For a commercial design still in progress, sophia's [Commercial ESP32-S3 Access-Control Controller with W5500](https://maker.wiznet.io/sophia/projects/commercial-esp32-s3-access-control-controller-with-w5500/) follows an access controller from Bear's Access Solutions at the schematic stage, with RS-485 and relay interfaces next to the W5500. This post is also one of a small set of Maker entries built from FCC filing evidence. Alan's [MINDMESH GATEWAY](https://maker.wiznet.io/Alan/resellers/mindmesh%2Dgateway/) uses the same method: the W5500 is confirmed from the product's FCC internal photos rather than a spec sheet. ## ❓ FAQ **Q. What does the W5500 do in the Rently Access Panel?** It provides the panel's wired 10/100 Ethernet port, one of three ways the panel connects to the Rently cloud alongside Wi-Fi and LTE-M cellular. **Q. How do we know it uses a W5500 if Rently's spec sheet does not name the chip?** The FCC internal photos for FCC ID 2AH4J-PANEL420 include a close-up of the chip marked WIZnet W5500 on the main board. **Q. Does the panel use Ethernet or cellular by default?** The manual says LTE-M turns on automatically only when no Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection is available, and its priority is lower than both. **Q. Can the panel be powered over Ethernet?** No. It needs a separate 12-24 VDC supply rated at least 24 W from a UL294 Listed Class 2 power supply. **Q. Who is this product for?** Property managers of multifamily and build-to-rent communities who want to control gates, amenity doors, garages, and elevators from the same Rently platform they use for tours and smart units. --- Source: https://maker.wiznet.io/ElenaLee/resellers/how-does-the-rently-access-panel-with-intercom-use-w5500-for-wired-cloud-access-control/