Dave says:

The Modern Bell… Hi guys. I’m the doorbell man. I’ve bought a whole lot of wireless doorbells over the years to use with our small business’ drive-thru window. Wired doorbells have a tendency to get snatched, or demolished by cars traveling too close by, and wireless doorbells have all failed at various times for one reason or another.Our last wireless doorbell died to a thing you wouldn’t think would happen. The button broke. Literally, the button will not “push” anymore, or activate the transmitter.I picked up this Honeywell to replace it, even though it is a bit more than the usual budget for such things. Sure, $40 is not much, but it is about twice what I normally pay. I was in a good mood and a $20 splurge was in order.This little unit rocks. The transmitter (the push button part), once you could get it open (which is a bit of work with a screwdriver), is operated with a large disk battery. Range is good despite this battery, and I was impressed. Just to clarify, our business is a cinder block and steel girder building, and the unit is 25 feet away from the transmitter in line of sight, but through a small drive through window. Therefore, for my use, range is not a huge issue.The button on the transmitter is made of rubber, like the buttons on a remote control, and this has advantages and disadvantages. Rubber buttons create less mechanical friction than those made of hard plastic, and therefore, are less likely to break than my previous button which broke for this reason. The disadvantage is that rubber gives way when you press on it, making it more difficult to tell if you have depressed the switch underneath the rubber.This basically means you can have a “visitor” who pushes the doorbell and nothing happens. That is, if they press the doorbell too lightly to depress the switch, but they have pressed on the rubber hard enough for them to think it should work. There is a little line in the center which acts as a guide to where people should press, but if you don’t see it and press far above or below the line, this also might not depress the switch. The designers noticed this flaw (I assume), and included an orange LED which lights up when the switch is pressed, and it is located at the top of the transmitter. This is helpful (but not foolproof), and practically useless if you have it oriented at eye level sideways, as I do. Still, it is good that they included this, and this should assist all but the most unassuming of visitors.Sound wise, this is an excellent product. I personally feel that “ding-dong” is the all time reigning champion of doorbell noises, and this one really takes the cake. It sounds like a real bell, and with very good tonal quality. If you are a more complex person than I am, you might prefer the other two tones, which are more complex melodies. It does have westminster, or the grandfather clock ring, and the other one is interesting. I suppose it is possible that visitors might stop by just to hear your bell ring, but I doubt it.This bell is marketed to look modern, technological and fancy, and therefore, it has the required lights. There is a little “smoke black” cover in the front of the receiver which is removeable with little icons which show you which tone you are playing. They can be replaced if you wish to have multiple transmitters, to show which transmitter is transmitting. The burnt orange is somewhat modern look, but unless you have multiple transmitters, this is a bit of overkill. I seldom take a look at a doorbell to “see” if it is ringing. Yet, this feature might make it an option for hearing impared folks.Overall, this product carries with it the caveat of missed rings because of button pressing issues. While most people wont experience this problem regularly, it is worth noting, and a possibility you will have to accept with this unit.Yet, still a good product and recommended.

Thomas Gottilla says:

Convenient Second Doorbell I needed a secondary doorbell for my apartment. The original bell on the door was not loud enough to hear in the back bedrooms. The Honeywell wireless doorbell fits the bill. The volume control on it’s highest setting is loud enough to hear throughout the apartment. I am also very pleased with the choice of chimes available… especially the Westminster. Unfortunately, one downside of the bell is that the working range of the bell is cut in half due to the fact that my apartment door is made of metal; typical of New York apartments. This is something for apartment dwellers to take into consideration. However, if the free standing base is strategically placed, you will be able to hear the bell at a great distance. Another downside is that the sound eminates from the back of the base. Therefore, if hung on the wall the sound of the chime is greatly reduced and muffled. In any case, I am very pleased with the styling and quality of this wireless door chime.