IF YOU search the internet for information on doorbells, you will find out that they have been around as early as the 1900s.
But in Malaysia, you would think they are a rarity these days!
It was more than 200 years ago when William Murdoch, a Scottish inventor, installed a loud doorbell in his house in Birmingham in 1817.
It was said to use a piped system of compressed air to create the ring.
Then around 1831, Joseph Henry invented a door bell using an electric wire.
A doorbell is akin to a signalling 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.
In other words, just push a button on or next to the door (or more likely, the gate, in most residential areas) of a house, and just wait for the people inside to come to the door.
Isn’t that convenient?
You don’t have to shout until you’re hoarse.
Although the first doorbells were mechanical, activated by pulling a cord, modern doorbells are generally electric switches.
The most recent versions can contain miniature cameras, be connected to the internet and may incorporate facial recognition technology.
That’s how advanced doorbells have progressed since two centuries ago.
Yet, most of us in Malaysia are still grappling with basic doorbells which either give a ring or a pleasant ‘ding dong’ chime, depending on your preference, or the lack of doorbells entirely!
Advances in technology even allow you to see who’s at your front door right now. But it’s even nicer to be able to record and review footage at a later time.
Earlier this year, in a town in California known as Salinas, a man was caught on surveillance video vigorously licking the doorbell of a family’s home for about three hours!
Then he went to relieve himself in the front yard before stealing a Christmas wreath!
That’s what you can find out when your doorbell has a video-recording facility.
Home-owner Sylvia Dungan said it was just weird as she and her husband were not home at that time but their children were.
Luckily, nothing untoward happened to their children.
Sylvia was alerted by the home security system that notified her whenever there was movement outside the house, and she later reviewed the video footage.
Local police said the image that was captured was very clear and it didn’t take long for them to identify the weird culprit.
Back to our Malaysian neighbourhoods: I often find that despatch riders, food deliverers and even postmen don’t sound doorbells any more.
More often than not, they’d prefer using the annoying sound of horns from their vehicles – be it a motorbike or van.
Which makes it difficult to know whether they’re trying to attract your attention or your neighbours’.
Why can’t they use the doorbell? I understand if there is no doorbell to ring, but if there is one, why sound the horn? Is it because it’s more convenient?
Are we becoming like India where its commercial vehicles would encourage you to honk several times even when overtaking?
The vehicles there even have signages for that.
But the sound is annoying. Both here and in India.
Nowadays, it’s not just the postman on his daily rounds, which you can more or less expect the time-band or schedule.
You also get despatch riders from courier companies or parcel companies (oh, the rise of internet shopping), food-deliverers and more.
I’m sure these ‘delivery-warriors’ had met their fair share of doorbells that don’t work.
The onus is with the owners to make them work.
Until then, the din continues.
Jeff Yong, after making his mark in the twisty maze of mainstream journalism, has finally decided to enjoy what he does best – observing the unusual and recounting the gleeful. He can be contacted at lifestyle.borak@gmail.com.
