Re: ACNC Doorbell Fon question

["BruceR" <brNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I use the DoorbellFon at both my homes and on other jobs.  At one house
I have 2 doors plus a front gate covered. The front gate uses one ring
and the 2 doors share the other ring.  I have two gate controllers
hooked up to the front gate input. '#' operates the motor gate and '*'
operates the pedestrian gate. I also have the dry contact module
installed to interface to the Stargate.  At my other house I just have
one door and no modules.
 At the larger home I have about 20 phones and I found that the
DoorbellFon unit didn't have enough juice to ring all those phones.  I
solved that by adding a Viking Ring Booster to the output which solved
the problem.  I had to do the same thing at another home that has about
10 phones but NOT at my other house that has 12!  So, depending on how
many and what type of phones you have, you might need the booster if you
have a lot of phones.
 The units are reliable and the owner, Paul, is very helpful and
accommodating in dealing with any special requests.  One unit that was
located in a hot Houston attic failed but was promptly replaced under
warranty. The new unit was installed in a closet where the temperature
is more moderate.
 On the door units themselves I've had no problem with the ones in
plastic housings. The two I have that are brass flushmounts tarnished
badly but they now ship an upgraded anodized finish which, after a year
by the ocean, still looks like new. On the flushmount that's exposed
with no overhang to protect it, I did have a microphone go bad. I bought
a replacement mike at Radio Shack for about $2 and used a piece of Saran
Wrap to waterproof it. Sound is still fine and no problem after a year.
 If you buy a flushmont from Mike Sandman it'll have a standard
mechanical doorbell button which you will have to replace from time to
time. All other dealers sell it with the factory standard electronic
touch button that is waterproof and has no moving parts. When I replaced
the tarnished plates I got the touch buttons too and have been very
pleased with them.
 I never got an outside call while on a doorbell call so I just tried it
and found that indeed, there is a call waiting beep to let you know a
call is coming in.  If you are on an outside call when the doorbell
rings you get a call waiting tone as well.
 While it's been delayed, Paul is working on an add-on unit that will
transfer doorbell calls to your cellphone when you're not home. They
used to have one but withdrew it for redesign. Touch 'n Talk has that
feature but I don't like the fact that their product ins simplex rather
than full duplex like the DoorbellFon.  In fact, the full duplex
operation is probably the most important feature.  It's difficult to
converse without repeating yourself without it.

Summation:

 Pros:  Full Duplex operation
            Uses existing doorbell wiring for easy retrofits
            Simple installation with good instructions
            Variety of add-on modules for gate control and other uses
            Excellent support
            Very reasonable pricing

Cons:
            Ring Booster required for larger installations


From:Robert Green
ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx

> Does anyone use this system?  Pros?  Cons?  What happens when you get
> a call and you're talking to the front door?  Are the add on products
> useful?
>
> Thanks!
>
> --
> Bobby G.