As long as there have been doors, there have been signals to alert the occupants of a guest.
From the elaborate knockers from medieval times to the antique bells found in shops after the 17th century to the electric buzzer, door chimes have gone through many changes over the years.
Although they've become standard over the years, there was once a time when these fascinating devices were novel luxury items.
Joseph Henry claims the title of inventor of the electric doorbell.
Henry was a prolific scientist in the 19th century as well as the first Director of the Smithsonian Institution.
Henry made several advances in electricity and communications - besides inventing the doorbell, he also invented what would become the telegraph and made large contributions to the electric motor.
With so many inventions under his belt, people often overlook the fact that he invented the electric buzzer.
However, the harsh dissonance of the electric buzzer was hard on the nerves, acting more of a shock than a pleasant alert.
During the 1930s, companies began to manufacture musical chimes that were more soothing than an electric buzz.
Evidence suggests that Edwards and Telechime were the first companies to create the solenoid-struck chimes, but Nutone and Rittenhouse quickly became the biggest competitors; during WWII, Nutone, Rittnhouse and Edwards were the only companies producing doorbells.
By the late 60s, however, doorbells were no longer novelty/luxury items and the majors were replaced by many smaller companies.
Today, there is a style to suit every personality.
Owners can customize their chimes to play any song they desire; even wireless chimes are becoming more gaining a lot of attention.
No matter how gimmicky these innovations sound, the doorbell has become a standard in modern homes.
When it comes time to buy a new doorbell or replace an existing one, there are two options: wired or wireless.
The price of wired bells can range from $15 to $100 dollars, depending on how fancy you want it.
They do not require batteries, which will save you money in the long run.
Although many will be advertised as "install-it-yourself", working with electricity is dangerous, and it's always a good idea to get assistance from an electrician if you aren't familiar with electronics.
The range of a wired bell will definitely be louder than a wireless because there is a direct line from the button to the chime.
As with anything wireless, connection-reliability is considerably less than a hard connection (think of a using wireless internet compared to wired connection).
Also, some wireless bell-signals have a limited reach, meaning that the bell would need to be closer to the door than what you prefer.
Wired bells also have an average life of 10 years.
However, wired door chimes include the cost of running wires throughout your house.
The major advantages of wireless door chimes are their portability.
When you have major remodeling work done on your house, removing a wired doorbell is just an extra task that would be unnecessary with a wireless bell.
From the elaborate knockers from medieval times to the antique bells found in shops after the 17th century to the electric buzzer, door chimes have gone through many changes over the years.
Although they've become standard over the years, there was once a time when these fascinating devices were novel luxury items.
Joseph Henry claims the title of inventor of the electric doorbell.
Henry was a prolific scientist in the 19th century as well as the first Director of the Smithsonian Institution.
Henry made several advances in electricity and communications - besides inventing the doorbell, he also invented what would become the telegraph and made large contributions to the electric motor.
With so many inventions under his belt, people often overlook the fact that he invented the electric buzzer.
However, the harsh dissonance of the electric buzzer was hard on the nerves, acting more of a shock than a pleasant alert.
During the 1930s, companies began to manufacture musical chimes that were more soothing than an electric buzz.
Evidence suggests that Edwards and Telechime were the first companies to create the solenoid-struck chimes, but Nutone and Rittenhouse quickly became the biggest competitors; during WWII, Nutone, Rittnhouse and Edwards were the only companies producing doorbells.
By the late 60s, however, doorbells were no longer novelty/luxury items and the majors were replaced by many smaller companies.
Today, there is a style to suit every personality.
Owners can customize their chimes to play any song they desire; even wireless chimes are becoming more gaining a lot of attention.
No matter how gimmicky these innovations sound, the doorbell has become a standard in modern homes.
When it comes time to buy a new doorbell or replace an existing one, there are two options: wired or wireless.
The price of wired bells can range from $15 to $100 dollars, depending on how fancy you want it.
They do not require batteries, which will save you money in the long run.
Although many will be advertised as "install-it-yourself", working with electricity is dangerous, and it's always a good idea to get assistance from an electrician if you aren't familiar with electronics.
The range of a wired bell will definitely be louder than a wireless because there is a direct line from the button to the chime.
As with anything wireless, connection-reliability is considerably less than a hard connection (think of a using wireless internet compared to wired connection).
Also, some wireless bell-signals have a limited reach, meaning that the bell would need to be closer to the door than what you prefer.
Wired bells also have an average life of 10 years.
However, wired door chimes include the cost of running wires throughout your house.
The major advantages of wireless door chimes are their portability.
When you have major remodeling work done on your house, removing a wired doorbell is just an extra task that would be unnecessary with a wireless bell.
SHARE
