intercom between house and shop

[laser3kw]

Hi all!
Wife was talking about wanting to have a way to call me if I am needed in the house. The garage is only about 60 ft away. She talked about walkie talkies, intercoms and such. Cell phone usage is out, our house is a dead zone.
Anyone using something we should consider?

 

[c4cruiser]

The easiest way would be the small FRS/GMRS 2-way radios. No bigger than a cell phone and some brands have rechargeable batteries and charging stands. Some use just 2 or 3 AA batteries.

Some of these units can use headphones and boom mics and belt holders such as a clip.

 

[mburrus]

you have a few options...

i always considered this to talk between my house and my moms house (we are in adjacent houses, about 70 feet away), but it may be a bit expensive... this option will allow you to use a handheld radio to talk to either unit as well...
http://www.ritron.com/bases.html

or

radio shack has some options...
http://www.radioshack.com/intercoms

you can get the radio shack ones pretty cheap on ebay

 

[laser3kw]

thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming
actually, we were at Radioshack this afternoon looking at some of those options.
Something else we saw were the typical wireless home phones. The made reference to "intercom function with call alert tone". The sales person could provide no information on this feature.
anyone use this type of feature?

 

[jlhog]

Man does this bring back memories. When I was growing up we had a intercom between the house and garage. Each unit was about the size of a cinder block. Worked well for what we needed. I would guess these are not available anymore, but thanks for the trip down memory lane.

 

[NitroShark]

yea I use the Panasonic wireless 900 MHz digital technology -- about 120 feet away from the base unit. Works perfect.

Shawn

 

[coljar]

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This..............because do you really want her sqwaking at you everytime she wants to show you something they're doing on HGTV?

 

[NUTTSGT]

A buddy of mine had an intercom between the house and garage. After about two weeks, he called it the "nagcom" but he left it because of his kids. He'd be in the middle of doing something and she'd buzz him. He'd put down what he was doing only to walk over to the intercom to have her ask "what are you doing."

When the wife suggested I put one in, I told her if it's that important, she could walk out to the garage and get me.

 

[Michigan Mike]

We have done this twice. We have a panasonic base with 4 phones total. We kept one in the barn at the old house probably 100 ft from the base. The phone would always ring but usually you had to go outside the barn to talk. At the new house I will take one with me not any near the distance as the old house. The intercom function always worked well. Only problem was remembering which phone you were calling. Sometimes I would go through all the different phones till I got the one I wanted.

 

[wideopen1967]

The shop is separate from the house for a reason....... Keep that in mind.

 

[jkwilson]

Hi all!
Cell phone usage is out, our house is a dead zone.
Anyone using something we should consider?

Call your cell provider and complain about the lack of service. They can provide you with a cell box that connects to the Internet and gives you cell service around the house. May be good enough to give you service both places.

 

[Von Psycho]

We use a cordless door bell unit plugged into a shop electrical outlet and the buzzer on the window woodwork inside the house.
The wife can buzz me to come in when dinner/whatever is ready or I can pick up the phone in the shop while she talks on the house phone.
This is good for a quick message before the phone company tells us to hang up.
Cheap,easy, and works for us.

 

[Cypherian]

Hi all!
Wife was talking about wanting to have a way to call me if I am needed in the house. The garage is only about 60 ft away. She talked about walkie talkies, intercoms and such. Cell phone usage is out, our house is a dead zone.
Anyone using something we should consider?

Triangle or Bell ? Perhaps A steel plate on the side of the garage she can put a 22 round into it ?? Sorry I had to wireless intercom system some home phones have multi stations and intercom and only one needs to be plugged into the telephone line.

Cypher :}

 

[Beemer533]

I don't remember specifically what model I had, but when we had a landline at the house few years ago, we had a set of 2.4GHz wireless handsets that had the intercom function and the range on them was really good, at least close to 100', which is about as far apart as we could get on my lot..

That is probably your easiest/cheapest solution.. The gprs radios will work, but you have to remember to turn them on, stay on the same channel, etc..

 

[rslaback]

Who do you have for cell service? If you have a broadband connection, in most cases you can get a femtocell device which is basically a mini cell tower.

Tell your provider that the service in your home is terrible and you may even get it for free. We got a Sprint Airave that way. All it costs us out of pocket is the federal device taxes which is something like $2.87 a month. The cell market is so cut throat right now that companies are doing this to retain customers.

 

[HAP]

We use two Motorola Radius P10's. Wife calls me for dinner, or lets me know the UPS guy is here; my favorite

 

[Lippyp]

My kids have got a pair of the little Motorola PMR's (walkie talkies) and they're great. We've tested it and it happily reaches from our house all the way down our track to our neighbours, about 1/4 mile.

 

[Tronyadorable]

I don't have much to say to mine and she's a Spaniard so I can hear her fine up to about 1/4 mile. More if the wind is right.

 

[MN4x4]

The cordless phones with intercom feature are pretty good these days. Remember that they are still radios, so have the same weaknesses with the two worst being

1. Metal siding, and
2. Distance

If you're concerned about it working, just buy it from a place with a decent return policy.

 

[G McKay]

The easiest way would be the small FRS/GMRS 2-way radios. No bigger than a cell phone and some brands have rechargeable batteries and charging stands. Some use just 2 or 3 AA batteries.

Some of these units can use headphones and boom mics and belt holders such as a clip.

This^^^^. I have the Cobra Walkie Talkies. They run about $40.00 at Walmarts for the pair with the recharging batteries/station. Or about $25.00 for the pair that you have to replace the AAA batteries and no recharging station.

 

[Rookie2]

Radio Shack:
http://www.radioshack.com/search?q=intercom

 

[Colin HD]

I've got a wireless door chime set up, with the 'button' mounted inside a kitchen cupboard.
Wife pushes it:
Once - if she has made tea/coffee
Twice - If there is a phone call
Three times - something urgent
Four times - if she wants ***

She has yet to use the fourth option.

 

[Horns]

For most men, having a method for your wife to talk to you while in the shop, defeats the purpose of a shop. Haha

 

[CNGsaves]

+1 to go with cheap multi-phone setup that has "intercom" . . . or at minimum a "Find Me" feature where you push button on main phone charging set and it beeps the other phone.

When OP wants to NOT be interrupted, just cover up phone with moving blanket !!

/ SOP would be UNDER the blanket !!

 

[The mean fish]

Get yourself a Puerto Rican wife, mine can cover 300' effortlessly with my shop doors closed.

 

[HOTFR8]

I have something similar to these. They just plug into the power and use the power wires to transmit. Only down fall I have with them is some time my Solar affects them.

 

[Davefr]

For most men, having a method for your wife to talk to you while in the shop, defeats the purpose of a shop. Haha

^^^What he said!! Don't submit to their silly requests or you get nagged, honey do'd, pestered for frivolous reasons when you're in the middle of critical projects.

The shop is your sacred ground and keep it that way.

If they really truly need you they can waddle out the 60' to find you.

 

[Jere]

Not sur the range of baby monitors they might work for this situation. Some take telescoping aftermarket antennas and have intercom options. They come up used for a couple of bucks all the time

I used a 200 channel scanner set to the baby monitors frequency when my daughter was younger in bed for the night for one way communication. A pair of monitors and scanners could work both ways too I guess.

An old cheap cb system would work if the baby monitor didn't have enough range. If you go that route make sure to find a freq that no one else uses on a low power setting.

 

[Morrison]

Our baby monitor barely works when we bring the monitor outside. Doubt it would work inside a separate building.

 

[laser3kw]

Great suggestions! I am looking into the wireless phone option. That would give me a phone as well as a intercom.

If they really truly need you they can waddle out the 60' to find you.

I think the suggestion of "shop ***" has her scared to come out.

 

[coljar]

I think the suggestion of "shop ***" has her scared to come out.

Why is that? My wife thinks that our daughter was conceived on the desk in the office back when I had my auto repair shop.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I have a Panasonic 2.4ghz cordless phone set. One base, three chargers, four handsets. You give each handset a name, entered via the keypad. One is "Upstairs" one is "Downstairs" (referring to the bedrooms... and the others are "Kitchen" (where the base is) and "Hangar" (which is 80 ft behind the house). You select the menu button, then the button that is for intercom and scroll down the menu of the phones, select the one you want and a very loud, annoying sound comes from it. (the speaker on my upstairs phone has quit for some reason).

If you have multiple cordless phones, you may already have intercom capability in them.

Charles

 

[kamlung]

I've got a wireless door chime set up, with the 'button' mounted inside a kitchen cupboard.
Wife pushes it:
Once - if she has made tea/coffee
Twice - If there is a phone call
Three times - something urgent
Four times - if she wants ***

She has yet to use the fourth option.

For most men, having a method for your wife to talk to you while in the shop, defeats the purpose of a shop. Haha

I just spit my coffee all over my screen... lol...


I got a pair of these that I usually use for when we take car rides/cruises in groups... if i'm out in the yard or in the garage I take one with me and my wife hangs on to the other...

http://www.staples.com/Midland-Radi...&kpid=655777&gclid=CJqauKC3p8ICFYtr7AodbDkAuw

 

[Koken]

Only 60' away, unless she has health problems, tell her to walk over (that is only five car lengths). Good opportunity for her to bring you a drink, sandwich, or check if you need help.

Tell her in an emergency, send up smoke signals.......

 

[zmotorsports]

I have something similar to these. They just plug into the power and use the power wires to transmit. Only down fall I have with them is some time my Solar affects them.

Ours is similar to this style as well. Uses the electrical wiring in the structures. Our shop is approx. 30+ feet or so from the back of the house and this works perfectly. Some people don't like having an intercom between the house and shop but I really like it.

It is especially helpful if someone comes to the door of the house and the wife can just let me know she has sent them around to the shop and also I generally don't answer the telephone when the wife is home, usually because it is for her the majority of the time so I just keep working. If it does happen to be for me she simply let's me know to pick up the telephone in the shop. Other than that she isn't one to "nag" at me like others have commented.

Mike.

 

[Tronyadorable]

Get yourself a Puerto Rican wife, mine can cover 300' effortlessly with my shop doors closed.

You too eh ? A bit of advice. Buy a .44 and go shooting as often as possible........WITHOUT muffs.

 

[moose62]

DO NOT DO IT. My wife has to walk out to get me! If she had a way to call me she would be calling all the time. Remember our shop is our get-away ZONE our HAVEN.

If it is really important they will come out and get US believe me!!!

New member moose62

Merry Christmas

 

[reyna14]

I've got a wireless door chime set up, with the 'button' mounted inside a kitchen cupboard.
Wife pushes it:
Once - if she has made tea/coffee
Twice - If there is a phone call
Three times - something urgent
Four times - if she wants ***

She has yet to use the fourth option.

Meanwhile, when the urgent call is made, you hesitate for a minute, waiting for that fourth chime.

 

[CNGsaves]

Meanwhile, when the urgent call is made, you hesitate for a minute, waiting for that fourth chime.

I'd love to be the neighbor who hacked into the radio frequency and periodically adds that 4th chime . . . all the while video taping garage door for the scramble back to the house !!!

 

[reyna14]

I'd love to be the neighbor who hacked into the radio frequency and periodically adds that 4th chime . . . all the while video taping garage door for the scramble back to the house !!!

^^That would be hilarious.

I have had the GF call me from the bedroom while I was in the garage and asked me to stop making racket out there, and to come make it in there. I will admit, I did hesitate.