Most household gadgets assume you will hear them: an alarm beeps, a doorbell chimes, a phone rings. A group of products is built on a different idea, which is to deliver the same signal in another form. This article is a plain-English explainer of how vibrating alarm clocks, flashing doorbells, phone alerting devices and personal amplifiers work. It describes the technology only and is not a buying guide or advice for any person or home.
The Basic Idea: Same Event, Different Signal
These devices follow the same basic pattern in three steps. Something happens, such as an alarm time arriving, a button being pressed or a phone line ringing. The device detects it. Then it passes the news on using sound, light or vibration, or a combination.
The United States National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) describes alerting devices as using "sound, light, vibrations, or a combination of these techniques" to signal that an event is happening. That one sentence covers the main ideas below. The differences between products come down to which signal they use, and how the signal travels from the source to the person.
How Vibrating Alarm Clocks Work
A vibrating alarm clock is usually a clock with a separate vibrating pad connected to it. Expression Australia describes it as an alarm clock connected to a device that you put under your pillow, which vibrates when the alarm goes off. Hearing Australia describes alarm clocks with a vibrating shaker that rests under the pillow and flashing strobe lights.
The NIDCD notes that clocks and wake-up alarm systems let a person choose to wake up to flashing lights, horns or a gentle shaking. So the clock is the timer, and the pad or light is the way the alarm time is announced. A single product can combine several, for example a loud tone, flashing lights and a vibrating pad together. The mix, and how strong each part is, is set out in the manufacturer's documentation for each product.
How Flashing Doorbells Work
A flashing doorbell splits the job in two. One part is the button at the door. The other is a receiver, sometimes called a signaller, that sits inside the home. When the button is pressed, it sends a signal to the receiver, which responds with light, sound or vibration.
Expression Australia describes this as a doorbell connected to a flashing light that sits in the living room and flashes when the doorbell is pressed. Hearing Australia describes doorbells with features such as a louder than usual ringtone and a flashing receiver that you carry with you. The NIDCD describes remote receivers that can be placed around a house so the alert can be seen or felt in other rooms.
Some modern doorbells go a different way. Expression Australia also mentions doorbells with a camera that connects to your mobile phone, and Hearing Australia notes some models offer phone alerts that send a notification to a smartphone when someone rings the bell. In these cases the alert is delivered as a message on the phone rather than a flash in the room.
How Phone Alerting Devices Work
A phone alerting system follows the same pattern as the doorbell. It detects that the phone is ringing, then turns that into another kind of signal. The NIDCD describes visual alert signallers that monitor household sounds such as doorbells and telephones, and vibrate or flash a light when the phone rings.
Amplification and Personal Amplifiers
Amplification is the third approach. Rather than changing the signal to light or vibration, it makes the existing sound louder.
Hearing Australia lists personal amplifiers that can be used with headphones and earbuds.
Another route for telephone sound is the telecoil. The NIDCD says a telecoil in a hearing aid was originally designed to make sounds clearer to a listener over the telephone. We cover that in our article on the role of the telecoil in modern hearing aids and in our explainer on hearing loops.
Related Pages on This Site
Our page on assistive listening devices sets out the main types and how CQ Audiology can help you find out more, so this article does not repeat it. If you are curious about other ways technology carries sound or speech, take a look at our articles on the National Relay Service and how live captions work.
Quick Summary
- Alerting devices turn a sound event into light, vibration, a louder sound, or a combination.
- A vibrating alarm clock pairs a clock with a pad or shaker that sits under the pillow.
- A flashing doorbell has a button and a receiver that responds with light, sound or vibration.
- Phone alerting devices detect a ringing phone and signal it in another form.
- Amplification raises the loudness of sound, for example through a personal amplifier.
- Product details and compatibility are set out in each manufacturer's documentation.
If you'd like to chat about your hearing, the friendly team at CQ Audiology in Rockhampton is here to help. Call (07) 4848 6528 or book online. You can also read about hearing aids in Rockhampton.
This article is general information, not personal medical advice. For advice about your own hearing, speak with your GP or a hearing care provider.
Sources: Hearing Australia (doorbells, alarm clocks, personal amplifiers); Expression Australia (flashing doorbells, vibrating alarm clocks); US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (alerting devices, telecoil).
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