Wireless Doorbells

[Nodge]

I work from home in a workshop at the bottom of my garden and have tried a number of wireless doorbells without too much success. The doorbell is on the front door as you would expect and my workshop is probably about 60ft away. The trouble is the house is in the way and I don't get anything like the range that they state on the packaging. I'm currently using a Byron doorbell with the bell units which plug into the mains. I also have a battery powered repeater (is that what it's called?) which is supposed to extend the range.The repeater is positioned on the wall between the kitchen and the hall and is about 15ft from the doorbell. Any further away and it doesn't seem to work- and that's with a new battery in the bell push. With new batteries in the repeater it will just about get the bell in the workshop to ring. But after a month or so it won't ring the bell in the workshop. I'm wondering if I can get a second repeater positioned at the back door (ie nearer the workshop) which would be activated by the first repeater in the hall. Can this be done or doesn't it work like that?

Thanks John

[BigWallop]

I don't think you can set another repeater to be activated by the first repeater, because the repeaters are set to activate from the frequency of the push button, not the repeater system. What you are asking for is going to be expensive. Wireless products are now set at short range license free frequencies, unless it is an alarm / security device.

The only place I can think of to get a long range wireless system, is here

who have radio frequency "door entry" systems that work up to hundreds of metres, because they have been classed as security devices. But they are expensive. In the region of 200 pounds if I recall right. But they will work without problem in the type of situation you have.

We have installed these on warehouse sites which needed internal calling from gates over 50 to 60 mtrs away from the office suites. The one we chose to for this is

is still working great after a year and a bit on the Superstore Supply Warehouse near Bathgate in Scotland. (on searching the website for the ones we used, I was 6 pounds off. It's actually 206.95 pounds +P&P. But it's guaranteed to work without problems.) :-((

[Matty F]

But this is uk.d-i-y. Run a 60 foot wire to your workshop. Problem solved :)

[Dave Liquorice]

Not convinced. The repeator really needs to be told the code of the device to repeat otherwise it'll repeat all the other stuff on the same frequency (wireless alarm sensors, garage door openers etc). Also the repeator is talking to a standard sounder unit so it has to transmit on that frequency, the same as it receives from the door push.

This sort of indicates that you might be able to cascade repeators but maybe not as the first repeator would hear the second and repeat that call for the second to repeat for the first to hear...

Only solution is to ask Byron.

You say workshop, implies mains is available. Have you tried any of the "wireless" door bells that use mains wiring for sending the call signal rather than RF? (I think they exist...). Workshop sounder and place where door is would need to be on same phase.

[dennis]

This is diy.. run a 60 ft string to the workshop and hang some cans on it. Attach to a crank on a small motor on the door bell circuit so it shakes them when the bell rings. You can run the string around the top of the fences so it acts as an alarm system too.

[Malcolm]

I have come across this problem in a school where I work. Connection was required over about 30m, but withthree brick walls in the way a 100m range bell would not work. We had to site the bell so that there were only two walls in the way for it to work.

As a possible solution, buy a wireless doorbell extender. This conects to a normal wired doorbell sysytem, and has a wireless receiver. Put a wired push on the front door and connect it to the extender at the back of the house woth line of sight to the receiver.

Malcolm

[Harry Bloomfield]

Dave Liquorice pretended :

The mains signalling units tend not to work very well where there are lots of filters around, filters as fitted to the likes of PC's, printers and displays etc..

[Harry Bloomfield]

Nodge has brought this to us :

The commercial section of Friedland do some of the more reliable long range ones. Friedland have stopped selling range repeaters/extenders as they caused so many problems with their misuse.

One thing you could do (and not strictly legal for licence free devices), is to install the bell push where it is in range of the bell, at the back, then wire from across the push contact to an ordinary bell push button at the front.

[Mike the unimaginative]

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I *think* some of the Byron units are compatible with the 'HomeEasy' range which includes a repeater unit. The downside is that you might have to go to B&Q to buy them.... I'm told that the HomeEasy advice line people are helpful. Telephone: [phone] Email: [e-mail] Address: HomeEasy

34, Sherwood Rd Aston Fields Bromsgrove B60 3DR taken from

[chris French]

In message , Nodge writes

Which ones have you tried? some of the Friedland ones claim an upto 200m range.

Whats wrong with using that then?

You can get well with Friedland ones, I guess other makes as well) an internal transmitter that you use instead of the external bell push - for using a different push etc. I assume this can be mounted on the end of a cable. I wonder if it could be mounted in the house nearer to the workshop.

[Nodge]

Thanks for all the comments. The Byron system I have with the extender/repeater is claimed to have a max range of 200m. This is obviously for those of us who live in a field. If you live in a house with brick walls then this reduces the range enormously. The distance from my doorbell to the workshop is 30m tops. With all new batteries and the extender positioned just right then it does work but it is at the limit of it's range and after a couple of months when the batteries start losing their charge then it becomes very intermittent. Trouble is you never really know it isn't working until delivery men start dropping cards through your letterbox.. I've asked the question about using a second extender to Byron's tech support so we'll see what they say. Maybe the simplest option is just to get some decent rechargeable batteries and just keep swapping them over say once a month.

John

[Owain]

...

Why not get a couple of cheap CB radios, one in the house with a tone generator wired between the bell push and the audio input, and one in the shed/whatever. Or the PMR446 walkie talkies might have enough range.

Owain

[Rod]

Or run a speaking tube from somewhere near the existing bell/sounder to the shed?

(Be warned about the 'improper purposes'. :-) )