The sounder for my doorbell plugs into a mains socket, which gets rid of part of the battery problem. However, because it is not near the front door, and additionally the sound is produced when the push is released, callers almost always knock as well.
Somebody recently remarked that it wasn't working, and I demonstrated their error, commenting to them that I thought the point was to put it where _I_ could hear it. The indicator light flashes, but is clearly not trusted.
Chris
We had one of those old Friedland things with the 4.5V battery and it was plenty loud enough. Due to old age (the bell) and difficulty in getting batteries, we no use a wireless thing. If I could get another 4.5V one I'd use 4 Eneloops in it - almost zero running cost and should last a couple of years on a charge.
I thought about it, I just didn't expect the wireless bell which I had line= d up to work to be so crap that goes off in the night no matter which chann= el I configure it up to. The recommendation from here was to look at the m= ore pricey wireless bells (which I have done), but they are all f-ugly and = make 1980s style faux-bigben noises as far as I've been able to tell (certa= inly not the nice ring that SWMBO wants). So I'm back to thinking of wired= ones, but the potential power source locations in our house are limited in= the area where I'd need them.
To be honest, I'm happy enough with a knocker, but I'm domestically disagre= ed with.
Matt
Good argument.
But surely the next step would be to have a door bell that sends an SMS
- and you can then be alerted on your mobile wheresoever you might be. Ideally with the ability to make a voice call as well and thereby allow some dialogue if you really are away. Obviously needs to be a limited device so no-ones sees them as a way of getting a free mobile...
As the groups leading expert on the installation of wireless doorbells, I have to agree with Harry :-)
NOt a very good solution unless you live alone. No one else in the house can use the phone 'cos you've got the handset.
MBQ
Their error! Good god, if I didn't knock everytime I couldn't hear a wireless door chime I'd never get a reply. True the battery in the push last well, but the ones in the receiver (which are almost always battery powered) are, more often than not, flat[1] which the owner never seems to realise.
Bloody things. 4 x C-cell Friedlands rule. Batteries last donkey's years.
Soott
[1] And when they're not flat, the receiver will be randomly unable to receive the signal.=E5=9C=A8 2012=E5=B9=B410=E6=9C=884=E6=97=A5=E6=98=9F=E6=9C=9F=E5=9B=9BUTC+=
8=E4=B8=8B=E5=8D=887=E6=97=B614=E5=88=8613=E7=A7=92=EF=BC=8Clarkim=E5=86=99= =E9=81=93=EF=BC=9Asociated hassle of wiring from a mains source to the tranformer and then to= the bell, when they could just as easily use a 9V battery in the sounder u= nit instead?
out for myself.
don't meet SWMBO's audio requirements nor visual aesthetic requirements. = And wiring something up doesn't meet my requirements. (And wireless ones a= re either crap, don't work in my house, look ugly or don't make the right s= ort of ring for SWMBO!).
=E5=9C=A8 2012=E5=B9=B410=E6=9C=884=E6=97=A5=E6=98=9F=E6=9C=9F=E5=9B=9BUTC+=
8=E4=B8=8B=E5=8D=887=E6=97=B614=E5=88=8613=E7=A7=92=EF=BC=8Clarkim=E5=86=99= =E9=81=93=EF=BC=9Asociated hassle of wiring from a mains source to the tranformer and then to= the bell, when they could just as easily use a 9V battery in the sounder u= nit instead?
out for myself.
don't meet SWMBO's audio requirements nor visual aesthetic requirements. = And wiring something up doesn't meet my requirements. (And wireless ones a= re either crap, don't work in my house, look ugly or don't make the right s= ort of ring for SWMBO!).
I'm working on that one...
But as so many cordless telephones come in sets of two to four, you can often leave one or more in the house...
You can still get battery operated wired door bells - TLC sell them. Usually use D cells these days.
By 9 volt I assume referred to a PP3. A small battery totally unsuited to this use - unless driving one of those weedy electronic warblers.
I can just see Harry wandering around with one of those, mains lead trailing...
I have two underdome bells, one in the downstairs hall, one at the top of the house. Can be heard everywhere - even when listening to the radio or whatever, and can also be heard outside the front door. The illuminated bell push may help too - although you still sometimes get numpties who knock on the door without trying the bell. If you ask them why, the usual reply is doorbells often don't work. The plague of cheap wireless types.
You may well be the expert on installing them in terms of quantity, but then you don't actually have to live with them.
There is only one advantage of a wireless type. Cheap and cheap/easy to install. The disadvantages are manifold. The only downside of a wired mains bell is the installation time. But I ran the wiring in for that at house re-wire time, so not an issue. As regards carrying the receiver around the house etc so you can hear the doorbell ring, words fail me. ;-)
Get a secondhand SD1 unit off Ebay - they often go for only a few pounds. Designed to dial your chosen numbers when the alarm goes off, and sends a voice alert. Later models may well do SMS. Only downside is they need a 12 volt DC supply. If battery, would get through them pretty quickly. So if making up a mains PS to supply that, you might as well just run a couple of doorbells of it so they can be heard everywhere...
Different approach. All to be done with the Asterisk box.
Not found any disadvantages with ours so far... installed it about 4 years ago - worked fine ever since.
Can't do that with mine - it needs to plugged in. However I can see the attraction if say waiting for a delivery and wanting to go out in the garden etc.
I bet you have to replace batteries every so often at the bell push...
Words would fail me if that was simply because the mansion was too large. But out garage is non-contiguous with our house and garden. If I am there, and partner goes out, I would like something to be able to hear someone at front door. So a wireless bell would make sense. Don't want to leave it in the garage. So portable makes 100% sense.
And when my house is large enough, I'll make sure one of the domestic staff answers...
Presumably you ran power to the garage at some time? So adding a bell cable and say telephone wouldn't have been much more trouble?
Or, of course, use a wireless link to the garage just for a doorbell.
But perhaps you are a perfect person who never leaves anything lying around?
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