Re: ACNC Doorbell Fon question

["BruceR" <brNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Re: Alarm dialer - right, keep it downstream of the dialer.
Re: Brass boxes. The new ones are actually anodized gold colored plates
rather than real brass so there's no need to clearcoat and they don't
tarnish. Wish he had a PVD PB finish like doorlocks and faucets now use.
Re: ETA on dial-out device, they've had some problems perfecting it and
it's about a year behind schedule.
Re: Operation on a 12v gel cel.  The unit would need to be plugged into
a UPS as it's 110 vac powered. Size of UPS will determine length as well
as how many people drop by and press the button.

From:Robert Green
ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx

> "BruceR" <brNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>
>> 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.
>
> Great!  That answers some of my other questions, too.
>
>>  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.
>
> I'll bet I am borderline with the number of phones since I have
> problems with the CID signal strength reaching all CID capable
> phones.  If I understand the manual correctly, the unit must be
> attached to the phone line just after it enters the house and ahead
> of all other telephone devices. Does your setup also include a phone
> dialer for your alarm system?  I assume, as RLB discussed, the
> DoorFon must be installed downstream of a line seizure type alarm
> autodialer.
>
>>  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.
>
> Good to know that they are reliable.  These are the details that make
> newsgroups invaluable.
>
>>  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.
>
> Simple to repair is good.
>
>>  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.
>
> Gonna go cheap the first time around.  Might look at the brass boxes
> later. I'd probably spray them with some sort of clear coating to
> inhibit corrosion.
>
>>  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.
>
> Thanks for checking into that for me.  It sounded as if that was the
> behavior to be expected, but it's nice to know for sure.
>
>> 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.
>
> Neat.  Any ETA?  As the landline charges continued to mount, I'm more
> and more tempted to go totally wireless and switch to a cellphone
> that allows me to connect it the whole house phone system when I am
> home.  Ideally, I'd like to have multiline phones at home and to set
> up one line as the cellphone.  The problem is that the place I'd like
> to set up the cradle has a very weak signal
>
>> 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.
>
> That's good to know.  Once you've becoming used to full duplex
> operation, it's hard to go back to the more primitive.  I make a lot
> of calls to Oz and every once in a while I get a connection where I
> can hear my own voice about 1 or 2 seconds after I've said something.
> It's almost impossible to concentrate on what you are saying if you
> hear your own voice echoing back on a time delay.
>
>> 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
>
> I can live with those features, I think.  While I figure I could
> cobble something like DoorFon together with HomeSeer and some old
> intercom parts, it would take way too long and probably not work as
> reliably as the DoorFon. It also looks like something that would be
> easy to "undo" if I move.
>
> One more question, if I may.  Any ideas how long it will run on a 12V
> 20AH gel cell?  We're approaching spring storm season around here,
> and that sometimes means the power goes out for four days or more,
> depending on the severity of the storm.  In our area, the power
> company has decided to shift tree trimming costs to the local
> government, who in turn has tried to "shed" the cost onto local
> residents.  The end result is that far fewer trees than should be are
> trimmed, and when there's a bad storm, those untrimmed trees drag
> down the powerlines.
>
> Thanks for the report, Bruce.  I really appreciate it!
>
> --
> Bobby G.