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Workshop intercom

Mike G

Mike G

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Mike
Somewhat akin to Steve's thread about alarms, my wife would like to be able to call me in the workshop without having to open the back door and shout. It would obviously need a loud bell (a light would be a bonus), and it must be mains powered. I can't run another cable out to the workshop. So, a mains powered wireless intercom. Is there such a thing, and are they any good?
 
Sounds like a baby monitor. There are loads of new ones around since we last had one! With video if you want it.
 
AndyT said:
Sounds like a baby monitor. There are loads of new ones around since we last had one! With video if you want it.
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That was my initial thought too, but I don't think they have a bell/ buzzer.
 
I'm not going to have a smart watch or Alexa-type device. A handset on the wall in the house and the workshop is what I'm after.
 
I used a baby monitor for years in the house in England. I would be plugged onto the hall by the front door so I could here the door bell if it rang. Workshop was about 30m away. Not two way of course.
Why not use a simple walkie-talkie ? Which over here is a talkie-walkie.
 
Lons said:
What about a simple wireless intercom / doorbell system. My brother has one which his wife uses as she has limited mobility though his shed is only 20m or so away. Hes had it for years and probably discontinued but similar to the one I've linked and there are loads available around the £50 mark

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It would be handy to know how well they work, especially through walls. Celotex insulation, with its foil covering, masks a lot of signal. That unit claims 20 to 50m range through walls, and my workshop is 30 or 40 metres from the kitchen, so it would be a gamble.
 
AndyP said:
I used a baby monitor for years in the house in England. I would be plugged onto the hall by the front door so I could here the door bell if it rang. Workshop was about 30m away. Not two way of course.
Why not use a simple walkie-talkie ? Which over here is a talkie-walkie.
Click to expand...
A glorified baby monitor would be a good solution, but it really needs a buzzer or bell.
 
Mike G said:
A glorified baby monitor would be a good solution, but it really needs a buzzer or bell.
Click to expand...
Why? Just get MrsG to ring a bell in front of the monitor. You would hear it, I've no doubt.
Edit, providing the signal would go through your walls. Any reputable retail outlet would take it back if it did not work for you.
 
Do you have mobile phones that allow wifi calling and do you have wifi in both house and workshop. If you do the zero cost option is just to use mobile phones with wifi calling set up or on WhatsApp. Even if you do not have wifi in the workshop WhatsApp should work on the network.
 
Mike, I used an intercom which worked on F.M. through the mains, not WiFi etc. I was able to speak to my technician in a separate building 30m away,no problem.
 
The more I think about this, especially as you do not have mobile phones, the more I think walkie talkies would be a great solution, not just for the home to workshop call but home to wherever you walk the dog

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AndyP said:
The more I think about this, especially as you do not have mobile phones, the more I think walkie talkies would be a great solution, not just for the home to workshop call but home to wherever you walk the dog

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Click to expand...
There's some mileage in that idea, too. We've done a number of long distance bike rides, and one of our biggest fears is getting separated in traffic. A claimed 10 km range ends that problem......even if the reality is only 2 or 3 km. I might look into that a bit more closely.
 
If you are getting a system for emergencies as well as communication then the problem with a base unit rather than device on your body/in your pocket is the problem Steve had. If you are on the floor immobile then it may as well not exist if you cannot reach it.
 
PAC1 said:
If you are getting a system for emergencies as well as communication then the problem with a base unit rather than device on your body/in your pocket is the problem Steve had. If you are on the floor immobile then it may as well not exist if you cannot reach it.
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I'm not, Peter. It's just to call me from the workshop.

If it happened to be a system with a second use (out on our bikes), then that would be a bonus, but it wouldn't drive the choice of system for the primary function.
 
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