door bell conversion to wireless (Ed.)

[Malcolm Durnford]

Hi
We have a battery powered ‘butler’s’ front door bell which uses a wired door bell press to complete the circuit. Is it at all possible to convert the bell push to a wireless one using I assume a relay to complete the circuit in the bell box. If so are any kits available?

 

[ericmark]

Yes possible, but as to if worth while is some thing else, I have looked at the idea of fitting a thermostat on my domestic hot water storage tank, and cost was silly, odd but a few years back and there were relays as used one in my dads house, so I found another way around the problem.

Quick google shows many options, much depends on your skill. The basic problem is battery life, and it depends on the wireless method used as to how much battery it uses.

I remember many many years ago being asked to repair an old valve radio, the valves were no longer made, and it became clear we could not repair it, so we hid a transistor radio in the old unit, and made it look as if it was working, and it was hard to keep a straight face when the old lady said how much better the valves sounded.

So a wireless unit which can be set to ding dong is likely better than converting, and use the unit you have to look the part, but not actually be the door bell.

 

[stem]

Not sure of a kit per-se, but I've seen a single Sonoff Wireless RF/WiFi Smart Switch paired with a wireless RF bellpush. The Smart Switch provides a 230V output that could be used to operate a 230V relay.

There are other versions of Sonoff that have voltage free contacts built in so wouldn't need a relay. I can't say for certain, but I would expect them to work with a RF switch as well.

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[ericmark]

I know my light switches can be worked with a push button and are battery powered, how ever it would stay on or off, not momentary, I am sure as @stem says there are Sonoff, or other relays which will work, this says

【Momentary Mode / Toggle】 Press the receiver learning button, the receiver LED will blink slowly, which means you will go into learning mode, press the transmitter button, the LED light the receiver flashes twice as fast, then slowly, that is, the learning is successful. Press the learn button again to turn off the light. It means that the learning is finished.

so seems likely will work. link to advert is here but I have never used one, and the add shows it being used with a key fob, so one would need to make it look like a door bell.

Under £10 so not expensive, but personally I want the door bell to look like a door bell. This is the problem I found with DHW, to get some thing designed for what I wanted was rather expensive. And wireless door bells are so cheap, hardly worth the effort.