What the best Intercom these days?

[Joerg]

Hi,

Looked up and down, slim pickens. Most are powerline based which
according to reviews means serious range issues, static, reliability
problems. Newer ones need three-prong outlets which is often not
possible where you have these little two-wire extensions (what were they
thinking?). The Chamberlain NLS2 is 900MHz based which is very good, but
according to reviews needs batteries or a really clunky wall wart, and
quality was occasionally reported as not too great despite the high price.

http://www.chamberlain.com/ccv2/pages/productmodeldetail.aspx?modelId=7808

(street price is around $100)

What's needed is simple: A box with a "Talk" button and a volume control
potmeter. Ideally for 115V two-prong plug-in but where the communication
happens on 900MHz or some other RF band that is as low in frequency as
possible. Any experience?

 

[Robert Macy]

Hi,

Looked up and down, slim pickens. Most are powerline based which
according to reviews means serious range issues, static, reliability
problems. Newer ones need three-prong outlets which is often not
possible where you have these little two-wire extensions (what were they
thinking?). The Chamberlain NLS2 is 900MHz based which is very good, but
according to reviews needs batteries or a really clunky wall wart, and
quality was occasionally reported as not too great despite the high price..

http://www.chamberlain.com/ccv2/pages/productmodeldetail.aspx?modelId=7808

(street price is around $100)

What's needed is simple: A box with a "Talk" button and a volume control
potmeter. Ideally for 115V two-prong plug-in but where the communication
happens on 900MHz or some other RF band that is as low in frequency as
possible. Any experience?

Why are you shying away from the AC wiring link? They use FM centered around 200kHz and you can probably get as much distance as you need. Yes, occasional noise [are you going to talk THAT long?] but unless you go to BlueTooth in the 5+GHz band, you'll still have problems.

These things are CHEAP! multi-drop, push to talk sometimes station to station, sometimes PA to everyone, seems ideal. I have't seen full-duplex on anyintercom, except for a true telephone. then haven't looked either.

 

[Charlie E.]

We've had a full-house (hared-wired) intercom for 20 years... hardly
ever used it.

The most common situation is a telephone call for the spouse... just
use the "flash" feature on the phone.

...Jim Thompson

We had always used the intercomm feature on our wireless phones, until
my handset died and we haven't gotten around to replacing it yet. What
I really need is a two line wireless phone system, but haven't found
one yet in our price range...

Charlie

 

[Joerg]

Is this for you around the house or the church or ?

Right now for us, but I'd like to know for elderly folks as well.

What the wife and I use are a couple of Moto talkabout radios.

That's what we use right now but they slurp up a NiMH charge in less
than a day. Plus they lose their channel setting every time I remove the
batteries for a recharge.

I have one out in the shop and we keep one on the kitchen counter. If
she needs me or I need a big ol glass of iced tea, just push to talk.

My wife just brought me a nice big iced tea, just out of the blue. That
was nice. She makes it in a big glass pot in the sun. Solar iced tea

 

[Joerg]

Hi,

Looked up and down, slim pickens. Most are powerline based which
according to reviews means serious range issues, static,
reliability problems. Newer ones need three-prong outlets which is
often not possible where you have these little two-wire extensions
(what were they thinking?). The Chamberlain NLS2 is 900MHz based
which is very good, but according to reviews needs batteries or a
really clunky wall wart, and quality was occasionally reported as
not too great despite the high price.

http://www.chamberlain.com/ccv2/pages/productmodeldetail.aspx?modelId=7808


(street price is around $100)

What's needed is simple: A box with a "Talk" button and a volume
control potmeter. Ideally for 115V two-prong plug-in but where the
communication happens on 900MHz or some other RF band that is as
low in frequency as possible. Any experience?

-- Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

Why are you shying away from the AC wiring link? They use FM centered
around 200kHz and you can probably get as much distance as you need.
Yes, occasional noise [are you going to talk THAT long?] but unless
you go to BlueTooth in the 5+GHz band, you'll still have problems.

IME all that PLC is flakey. All it takes is one power supply setting off
a fat harmonic right there and it's all hosed. BT.

These things are CHEAP! multi-drop, push to talk sometimes station to
station, sometimes PA to everyone, seems ideal. I have't seen
full-duplex on any intercom, except for a true telephone. then
haven't looked either.

But which ones are good?

 

[Joerg]

We have this one... http://tinyurl.com/mfftm36

The "locator" feature is particularly useful... lose the phone, press
the button at the base station and the remote rings ;-)

We have very similar ones. But Panasonics screwed up the design. Instead
of just pressing a button like on our old Panasconic phones now you have
to enter some "station code" and fumble through some menues. Stupid
decision, classic ivory tower case of not thinking through a design and
not trying it in the field.

 

[Charlie E.]

We have this one... http://tinyurl.com/mfftm36

The "locator" feature is particularly useful... lose the phone, press
the button at the base station and the remote rings ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Not bad, but I would need about four handsets, making this about twice
any stretch of a budget I can conceive... :-(

Charlie

 

[Joerg]

Yep. Gets expensive. We actually only use one, in the kitchen. Rest
of the house is hard-wired... my office, wife's office, play room,
master bedroom, potties ;-)

A telephone at the dunny? Who are you calling from there?

Make sure the flatulence noise compensator is turned on ...

 

[Fred Abse]

Clients ALWAYS call while I'm on the throne... even had one (a female)
call while I was urinating (standing), who asked, "What is that noise?" I
said, "What noise, I don't hear anything." >:-}

UR Leslie Nielsen?

 

[[email protected]]

What's needed is simple: A box with a "Talk" button and a volume
control potmeter. Ideally for 115V two-prong plug-in but where the
communication happens on 900MHz or some other RF band that is as low
in frequency as possible. Any experience?

12 volt sealed lead-acid talk battery. Charge it once a month whether
it needs it or not.
A circuit that lives next to the talk battery and generates about
50 V 20 Hz from 12 V.
Western Electric 500/1500/2500 sets from the thrift store.
Extra pushbutton per set to trigger the ring generator circuit.
Lots of Category 3 cable.

Matt Roberds

 

[Jasen Betts]

subject:

how about a multi-handset DECT with intercom function?

 

[Joerg]

12 volt sealed lead-acid talk battery. Charge it once a month whether
it needs it or not.
A circuit that lives next to the talk battery and generates about
50 V 20 Hz from 12 V.
Western Electric 500/1500/2500 sets from the thrift store.
Extra pushbutton per set to trigger the ring generator circuit.
Lots of Category 3 cable.

That would definitely not have enough WAF

 

[Joerg]

subject:

how about a multi-handset DECT with intercom function?

They have generally screwed up the intercom functionality, big time.

Old models, designed by older engineers who knew: Push button, talk.

Newer models, design by folks who obviously had no clue about it: Enter
intercom menu, press star or whatever, enter number of handset you want
to call (as if anyone knows that) ... -> useless.

 

[josephkk]

They have generally screwed up the intercom functionality, big time.

Old models, designed by older engineers who knew: Push button, talk.

Newer models, design by folks who obviously had no clue about it: Enter
intercom menu, press star or whatever, enter number of handset you want
to call (as if anyone knows that) ... -> useless.

Smartphone punks. They think everyone knows how to do everything with a
smartphone.

?-(

 

[Joerg]

Smartphone punks. They think everyone knows how to do everything with a
smartphone.

And we ain't got no smart phones.

 

[Charlie E.]

They closed the local video stores last year. Netflix & Amazon were
kicking their asses. I don't have a credit card, so no way to rent them
by mail.

Hard to live without a credit card of some sort. Maybe get one of
those rechargable gift certificate thingies...

For recent movies, I usually use Redbox at the grocery store.

 

[Dombo]

Op 01-Jul-13 22:27, Joerg schreef:

Jim Thompson wrote:

A telephone at the dunny? Who are you calling from there?

Midwife when it's a big one.

 

[Fred Abse]

A telephone at the dunny? Who are you calling from there?

A large number of heart attacks, strokes, etc. occur whilst in the can.

 

[Charlie E.]

When my sons were teenagers, I redid their bathroom, tiled floor,
walls AND ceiling... also installed a floor drain... need cleaning,
just hose it down ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Many moons ago, I was asked to 'house sit' a house, well, actually a
small mansion, that a developer had built and then gone bankrupt. Some
of the 'neighbors' had been stripping it of anything of any value, so
the bank was hiring students to live out there and provide a little
security.

The bathroom had tile floors, walls and ceilings and a hose bib so
yes, you COULD just hose it down. It also had heating pipes in the
floor so that it would be warm and toasty for your footsies in the
winter.

It was just too far out of town for me to do the job, though, as I
didn't have a car at the time.