Swann Doorbell Security Alarm, White (SWHOM-DC840B-CA)

Both the doorbell unit and the remote button are solidly constructed, a welcome change from my previous wireless doorbell.As I only just received it yesterday, I don't have any idea yet of the battery life - but for those who object to the idea of having to change batteries, it can also be powered via USB (even a cheap, low-amperage wall charger seems to suffice). Copying MP3 files to the unit is simple (even though the product brochure on Swann Security's website indicates "Windows based PC only", it worked fine with Linux). Volume settings and song selection are easily performed from the silver ring on the main unit. In my house, the doorbell can be heard down in the basement even when the volume isn't all the way up.One nice surprise was that the manual wasn't badly translated into English; it was written by someone with genuine fluency in English, as well as a sense of humor. (A second manual, in French, was also included, but I can't judge its quality.)Wireless frequency is easily changed via the DIP switches in the main unit and button remote; however, the switch positions are reversed (the switches are "on" in the down position on the main unit, and in the up position on the remote, a fact the manual neglected to mention).The unit's two minor failings are the second-and-a-half lag time between when the button is pressed and when the MP3 begins playing, and the fact that pressing the button while the MP3 is playing restarts it from the beginning. The 1.5-second latency doesn't sound like much, but when one is used to immediate doorbell response, the natural inclination is to press it again when no sound is heard (which sometimes seems to restart the delay, and other times does not).

This doorbell is awesome! I love programming it for different holidays and seasons. It is easy and the batteries work well. I wish there was a way to attach the doorbell without the sticky back. I use it for my classroom and it needs to be removed every summer. Not sure how to reattach it. It was also reasonably priced.Year update- It got knocked off the wall, and now it is dead. It was amazing up until it fell off the wall. I wish it came with a sturdy way to attach it to the wall. It just has a way to hang it, and it's not very practical.

This doorbell is a piece of garbage. it "worked" for a couple of months. I say worked because in trying to shorten an mp3 file, the software did not work. I had to put the whole 1 minute 54 second file on it. Around Thanksgiving, it stopped working altogether. It's my fault that I didn't due anything about it until now, but with the holidays and the fact that we don't have that many visitors that use the door chime, I put it off until the New Year. The batteries are fine, but it just won'T play the tune.Highly overprice and not reliable.

I have a Mac and so I did not use the software that was included. The software only works for Windows so I didn't have a choice in the matter, but it doesn't like that would have mattered anyway due to the poor quality of it.I used GarageBand to edit the songs I wanted on. If you put more than one song, it won't play any song.We have a 2000 square feet house and the sound is definitely loud enough. That of course depends on your song. If when you are editing the song, you don't turn the volume up in the software, then yes it will be soft because that's how you saved it. I edited my songs first and then shared them to iTunes then used another program to convert to MP3. Any other format did not work for me.The directions say they recommend taking out the batteries when hooking up to computer. I find that annoying because I was constantly testing to make sure the song would play, especially after reading other reviews. The other chimes available are nice too because you can change for the holidays (ex. Star spangled banner for any national pride holiday and also Christmas songs) not a bad product overall but I probably wouldn't buy it again. It's kind of a hassle to install since we have a wired doorbell system that we would be replacing with this doorbell. Now we have to hide wires and such

Kinda wished it had the ability to just cover or wire mount to old doorbell too. However seems to work as designed.

I really like this design over the other doorbells that I found locally. The button is solid. I like that it is round and that when you push it it rings. Other designs on buttons are long and they only ring if you push directly in the center, leaving the upper and lower part of the button useless. The main box hooks up to your computer just like a hard drive and you copy over to it the MP3's you want to play. There is a little on off switch near the batteries. Also another switch which is used to switch from the default sound to the MP3's you load. If you want to rotate between specific sounds you can do that too or just pick one MP3.

Flat stopped working for no known reason. Putting in new batteries does nothing. The system degraded over time (months) and is now to the point where the ringer (big guy) won't turn on.