Doorbell

Knowledge, Information and Experience

A doorbell is a signaling device typically placed near a door to a building’s entrance. When a visitor presses a button the bell rings inside the building, alerting the occupant to the presence of the visitor. Although the first doorbells were mechanical, activated by pulling a cord, modern doorbells are generally electric switch and the most recent versions can contain miniature cameras, be connected to the internet and may incorporate facial recognition technology.

History:

William Murdoch, a Scottish inventor, installed a number of his own innovations in his house, built in Birmingham in 1817; one of these was a loud doorbell, that worked using a piped system of compressed air. A precursor to the electric doorbell, specifically a bell that could be rung at a distance via an electric wire, was invented by Joseph Henry around 1831. By the early 1900s, electric doorbells had become commonplace.

Smart doorbell:

A smart doorbell is an internet-connected doorbell that notifies the smartphone or other electronic device of the homeowner when a guest arrives to the entrance of the door. It activates when the guest presses the button of the doorbell, or alternatively, when the doorbell senses a guest with its built-in motion sensors. The smart doorbell allows the homeowner using the smartphone app to watch and talk with the guest by using the doorbell’s built-in high-definition infrared camera and microphone.[1] Some smart doorbells also allow the user to open to door to the guest remotely using a smart lock.

History:

One of the earliest smart doorbells that entered to the market is the Ring Video Doorbell which was created by entrepreneur James Siminoff in 2012. Since then, several smart doorbells have been introduced to the market, some of them with additional, unique features.

Security issues:

Alarming concerns regarding the security of the smart doorbells have been raised. Researchers at Pen Test Partners in the UK have analyzed the Ring smart doorbell and concluded that it’s possible for an attacker to gain access to the homeowner’s wireless network by unscrewing the Ring, pressing the setup button and accessing the configuration URL. In another security issue that had been observed, a mix-up of two databases allowed some users of the Ring smart doorbell to view live footage from complete strangers’ front porches.

Door bells are perhaps among the most commonly and cheaply available electrical device available in the market, and there are hundreds of varieties to choose from. However with many companies joining the fray, the competition has become fierce, due to which the overall quality of such items has deteriorated with time. Initially these gadgets seem to work very fine, but pretty soon they just stop working and call for a replacement. However building one of these interesting musical devices all by yourself can be real fun and also you get the advantage of customizing the gadget as per your preferences.