- A true Story of the horror of trying to join the digital world.
At first it seemed a simple problem, the front doorbell, which after years of excellent service had finally ceased to function.
While considering the replacement and pondering on getting something different I saw an advertisement for a unit with a camera which showed you who was there, also you could speak to them through your mobile phone without answering the door.
What a grand idea I thought, looking through the instructions of how it worked I learned it was through the Wi Fi system … well we had one of those, so I ordered this new type of bell. But first I had to find one which was waterproof.
It was not until the unit arrived I discovered we did not have a Wi Fi signal at the front gate.
Although disappointing it did not seem too much of a problem as I had seen extensions advertised that would increase the range.
After further research I bought a little black box with two aerials sticking out of the top and I felt certain it was what I needed.
By now it was weeks later, and we still did not have a doorbell that worked.
On social media at this time appeared an advertisement, I felt it was especially aimed at me for it was from the PC Doctor.
So, I got in touch and explained my problem. Sometime later he arrived, and he understood the situation.
It was obvious he knew what he was doing, as with one look at the new device he opened his laptop and after his fingers had flashed across a few of the keys the mechanism with two aerials was up and running and we had Wi Fi at the front gate.
I thought the next step would be easy, could he connect the phone to the new bell. His face lit up in a big smile “No!” I had the wrong type of phone and it was not possible.
I just had to sit down and grin to myself wondering what now? So far, I had bought a camera doorbell which did not work and would have been cheaper if I had just replaced the old system.
And we still did not have a doorbell.
It seemed a bit pointless having all this new equipment if it was useless, so I went back to the computer and into various web sites that sell phones and ordered a low cost one.
Days drifted by and eventually the phone arrived. Great excitement, I put the item on charge and waited for the little blue light to come on to say it was fully charged and ready to go.
With the screen displaying the bright phones logo I held it in my hand. The instructions said to push the third button down on the side to turn it on. This I did … nothing. And Again, and again, and again. Nothing, no response at all. It did not work.
With still no bell on the front gate and we were managing quite well without one, I was starting to wonder if we needed one.
However, no use having a useless phone and as the SIM card was different, I could not go back to using the old one. So, it went back from whence it had come and we were pleased to receive a refund.
The replacement arrived about ten days later and it worked. But how do you get it to respond to the doorbell, no matter how many times I pushed the bell push although it went ding dong, as if Avon was calling there was no reaction on the phone.
The PC Doctor came round once more and although he was not delighted with the cheap phone I had bought, after using his expertise and some technology, my new phone was connected to the front gate with a stunning full colour picture of it and when someone presses the push button, my phone rings as if there is an incoming call, and we can see who it is and talk to them. Marvellous.
Nevertheless, fate had other plans and did not like this new system in our midst, on day three while the phone was in my pocket the screen cracked and shattered. The suppliers were happy to refund the money again. So on the advice of PC Doc I ordered a more expensive mobile.
I selected the phone I wanted from the vast display. Sent it to ‘check out’ and confirmed the order. Then a similar display came up and asked if I wanted to confirm my order?
I was surprised as that had not happened before and after studying the screen I was convinced it was asking me to confirm the purchase of the phone. Of course, I did, and said ‘Yes’. What I had actually done was ordered another phone.
Two months or more after this saga started and nearly three hundred Euros lighter two phones arrived.
PC Doc came here with his normal big smile and set to work and now one of them is connected to the front gate, the other with the supplier’s agreement is being returned in the unopened package.
At last the video bell was working and no matter where we were in the World we could talk to and see a visitor at the gate.
However, entering the digital world did not last long because, someone stole our ‘ding dong’ device which in all its glory had been screwed to the front gate post. Now just two screw holes to show where it had been fixed
