Doorbells: how to choose and install

The installation of the doorbell enables the guest to announce his visit to the owners of the house. More from this device and is not required, so the models do not differ so much diversity.

There are only three types of calls, radically different from each other in the principle of action. With the help of the video in this article, we will introduce you to each of them: we will tell about their design features, going from a simple version to a more complex one.

Mechanical calls

Mechanical calls, which humanity used long before the appearance of electricity, can be called simple only by the principle of action. Previously, it could be a bell with a cord, a hammer, or a ring with which it was possible to knock on the door.

So:

• The latter option, in appearance, could be a real masterpiece: the head of an elephant, a lion or a boar cast from bronze; a graceful hand knocking on the door; boot, or some mythical creature. Such interesting mechanical calls, which are called "pounded," and today are present at the old doors of houses.

• Door calls "retro" attract many people with their uniqueness. They are not always made in the form of a ring - it can be a metal bowl with a drummer. But, unfortunately, this design is not able to provide good quality of the sound produced. There are also improved options, for example: a mechanism with a spring-loaded button connected to a lever that, when pressed, makes a reciprocating motion.
• Such a bell makes better sounds, but it has another drawback - its mechanism wears out pretty quickly. Although the design, calls in retro style can be not only purely mechanical, but also electromechanical - modeled on the beginning of the twentieth century, when electricity was already running.

• In such calls, people are attracted more by their decorative effect than by some practicality; therefore, mechanical calls today perform more aesthetic functions than are used for their intended purpose. Indeed, at present there are still a lot of old buildings, where such knockers were installed along with the doors.

New mansions are often drawn up in historical architectural styles, which we see in the picture above. At the entrance to such a building, ring-pounded with antique design, or "retro" door bells, look more than appropriate.

Their price depends mainly on the design of the product, only when acquiring a similar accessory, you should not forget that the door fittings should also correspond to it: a handle, hinges, a peephole (see Video door peep: how to choose and install it yourself)

Electric Calls

To replace the mechanical calls came calls electric, or rather, electromagnetic - but they have almost become obsolete. Electricity in them plays the role of a trigger mechanism for the very lever that moved manually in mechanical bells.

So:

• Here, too, everything is extremely simple: a magnet transmits a translational motion to a hammer, which, striking a resonator, extracts sound. Such calls, established in Soviet times in apartment buildings, still work for many. But nothing is eternal: they gradually fail, and the problem of replacing or repairing with their own hands, people solve in different ways.

Who prefers to put on a more modern electronic bell, who is trying to repair what is by installing resistors for doorbells. There are some craftsmen who manage to make a doorbell from a regular computer mouse.

Wired and Wireless Models

There are three options for electric calls: wired, network-connected, and wireless, battery powered. Each of them has its advantages. The first option is more durable and reliable in operation, the second is more simple to connect, and its operation does not depend on the presence or absence of electricity.

Note! The only bad thing is that the wireless low-power calls, the signal is transmitted over short distances, but for the apartment this is usually enough. For a private house, where the bell is most often set at the gate, this is not the best option - especially since it may not work at all at high humidity.

• Naturally, the question: “What is the tension in the doorbell?” - depends on its type. The traditional wired bell works at ~ 220V - this is the voltage that is created in the home network.

Voltage in calls connected without wires depends on the type of batteries, which is provided by the manufacturer’s instructions - this may be 4.5V or 9V. Some electronic wire models are equipped with a transformer that converts the mains voltage, lowering it to 60V.

Electric Call Features

From the design features of calls, depend on their connection schemes, which is clearly seen in the photo below.

The fact that they are all included by pressing the button located at the entrance is understandable. But in modern electronic calls such schemes of the internal mechanism are also provided that can make it more comfortable for the user.

• Explain that it was clear what we mean. The electric bell works as long as the button is pressed, and this is very bad. Who knows if it is in the head to press and hold the button for a long time, or in general, to close it with a match. The fact that it gets on your nerves, or the bell simply burns down, is still half the problem.

• In the worst case, a short circuit and a fire may occur - and this is already dangerous. Therefore, in the wiring diagram, manufacturers often provide for a doorbell relay that can limit the duration of its sound. Such models are very popular among people, in which after pressing a button pleasant music sounds.
• The programming of electromusic calls is provided by a few chips and transistors. The melody of the doorbell can be anything - it all depends on your choice. And it is very easy to implement: having made the corresponding request, you can download and listen to the melodies of the doorbells on specialized sites.

• There are some schemes that provide an indication of a call. Through the double doors, the closed vestibule, and the more court, it simply can not be heard. It is not clear for a person who presses the call button: either the call does not work, and it is better to knock, or no one is at home.

A call equipped with an indication solves this problem simply: the eye flashes, which means that everything is in order with the call. There are two-and three-tone models, the volume of which is provided by the printed circuit board doorbell.

Video call

If earlier the call, equipped with a video camera, was a peculiar wonder, today it is a very common option, gradually replacing the usual electrical modifications.

• Such calls are most convenient for remote use, as they are equipped with a hidden camera that records both sound and image. The most interesting thing is that the remote call does not have to be connected to the network - it works great from batteries.

• They are very convenient to use even in the apartment, as the video call eliminates the need to install a door peephole, and it is simply impossible to talk, for example, through an armored door. In fact, it is a kind of intercom.
• You can install it even on the door to the apartment, even on the gate leading to the courtyard in a private house, even on the front door to the office. Since the video call is equipped with an intercom, the owner does not have to go open the gate. After all, the call is used not only by your household or guests - it could be a person who just got the wrong address.
• Another convenience is that you can remotely not only talk with the visitor, but also open the lock. In expensive models, there are features such as video recording; infrared light to record in the dark; answering machine.

• Imagine that there are even models that allow the visitor to speak with the owner of the house, which is in a completely different place. This feature is provided by IP devices included in the call structure. And of course, the question: “How to increase the volume of the doorbell?” Is solved very simply. To do this, the control panel has a sound adjustment function.

The package of such calls includes: anti-vandal call panel; device for providing autonomous power; communication channel. The image is displayed on a video monitor, which can be completely combined with a TV or computer monitor.