Wireless Doorbell - Review & Setup Guide

I am a semi-retired, professional electronics engineer. I use my home workshop to do repairs to electronic equipment and computers. My clients use the main house doorbell to alert me in my rear workshop. A reliable wireless doorbell with a long range is paramount. In this article I am going to give the reader an idea of its capabilities and a clear set of instructions for setting up the wireless doorbell in several configurations.

Physen Wireless Doorbell

A Reliable Long-Range Wireless Doorbell.

• Single doorway to single sounder with multiple sounds available
  
  
• Multiple doorways each with a different sound to a single doorbell or multiple doorbells.
  
  
• Easy to set up
  
  
• Does not receive interference from neighbour's doorbell even if they have the same brand.
  
  
• Long range (See my test results below)
  
  
• 58 melodies (5 volume levels)
  
  
• Flashing blue light for the hard of hearing.
  

INTRODUCTION

Wireless doorbells have a least two or more components, a BELL PUSH (Transmitter) and a DOORBELL (Receiver).

The DOORBELL this article describes is wireless and allows for more than one DOORBELL and more than one BELL PUSH.
Each door can be assigned a different melody activating a single or multiple DOORBELLS.

Basic Installation

SINGLE BELL PUSH ---> SINGLE DOORBELL Melody (Choice of 58)

Multiple Installation

Physen doorbell available on Amazon UK

OPERATION

The wireless doorbell comes with a battery powered transmitter, (BELL PUSH)
and a mains powered receiver, (DOORBELL).

The DOORBELL and the BELL PUSH need to be paired together to work, this is quick and easy to accomplish.
Having to pair the two units prevents any interference from neighbours using an identical system.

WIRELESS DOORBELL SETUP BUTTONS

The plug-in DOORBELL unit has three buttons on the side.

Volume Button
Pressing this button selects the next volume level from level 1 to level 5 and then back to level 1.
Level 1 is silent with just the blue LED light flashing.
When the volume button is pressed for more than 5 seconds the DOORBELL "Dings and Flashes" and goes into pairing mode.

One FORWARD and One BACKWARD Button
Pressing either FORWARD or BACKWARD selects the next or previous melody respectively.

RESET: Pressing BACKWARD for more than 5 seconds RESETS the DOORBELL
whereby the melody is RESET to the default "Ding-Dong" and is un-paired from all BELL PUSHES.
(The user manual supplied with the doorbell incorrectly states that the FOWARD button performs the RESET)

BELL PUSH

DOORBELL SETUP INSTRUCTIONS

ONE BELL PUSH with ONE DOORBELL

TO ADD ADDITIONAL DOORBELLS OR BELL PUSHES

To add an extra DOORBELL to the BELL PUSH simply repeat the above SETUP with the extra DOORBELL

To add an extra BELL PUSH to the DOORBELL simply repeat the above SETUP with the extra BELL PUSH

(If the melody is changed first then it allows the extra BELL PUSH to have a different melody setting from the first BELL PUSH).

Physen doorbell available on Amazon UK

RANGE

I have four WIRELESS OORBELLS around the house and all work reliably. See the layout below.
Note: The doorbells furthest from the BELL PUSH are not only working from a signal that is passing through brick walls
but where the walls are marked with a letter C - the signals are also being blocked by the aluminium foil of Celotex insulation.

The DOORBELL in the shed surprised me as it had the greatest distance and by line of sight, three Celotex panels to block the signal.
The workshop is a converted garage and the roof, floor and all walls are insulated with Celotex, leaving only the window and door for the signal to pass through. I took a spare BELLPUSH into the deepest corner and it activated all DOORBELLS on the property.

MAXIMUM RANGE

I have a power socket on the front of the house and I plugged in a DOORBELL.
Using a BELL PUSH with a new battery I walked along the road pressing the BELL PUSH.
With the use of a couple of mobile phones I was able to determine a maximum range at which the response from the DOORBELL was reliable.
The maximum range was around 214M (sometimes not ringing the bell) but absolutely reliable at 198M.
It was a slightly unfair test as there were buildings in the way due to the bend in the road.
I was not able to get a clear line of sight and the true range is possibly greater, the manufacturers specification states a 300M range.

Physen doorbell available on Amazon UK

INSTALLING THE BELL PUSH

The BELL PUSH may be installed anywhere although fixing it to any metal surface may prevent the signal from reaching the DOORBELL.
Please not that uPVC doorframes may contain metal frames. It would be better to fix the BELL PUSH to a wall or wooden surface if possible.
Use the adhesive fixing as a trial before screwing into a permanent position.

DOUBLE SIDED TAPE FIXING
Use the double-side adhesive stickers.
(Adhesive sticker should be seen as temporary, screws are recommended)

SCREW FIXING
Use a small screwdriver to lever the front cover of the BELL PUSH.

Screw the back cover to the wall and replace the front cover.

Physen doorbell available on Amazon UK

HELP WITH PROBLEMS

Doorbell rings without pushing the buttons
RESET the DOORBELL (Instructions above) and pair with BELL PUSH

Doorbell stops ringing - previously reliable.
Check the DOORBELL is plugged in and socket switched on.
Change the BELL PUSH battery.
RESET the DOORBELL (Instructions above) and pair the DOORBELL with the BELL PUSH

Exchange BELL PUSH battery
Battery type is 12V Alkaline battery.
Use a small screwdriver to lever the front cover of the BELL PUSH
Unscrew the two screws which screw on the circuit board and then you can replace the battery.
Reassemble.

Physen doorbell available on Amazon UK