From mechanical pulls to AI smart cameras.
Before the 1800s, visitors relied on heavy iron door knockers to announce themselves. Wealthier households eventually transitioned to mechanical servant bells. Guests pulled an outdoor cord that yanked a physical wire routed through the house, rattling a spring-mounted bell in the service quarters.
Scottish inventor William Murdoch installed a unique pneumatic system in his Birmingham home. Instead of wires, it operated via pipes filled with compressed air. Pushing an outdoor plunger forced air through the system to trigger an indoor whistle. However, it proved too complex for mainstream adoption.
American scientist Joseph Henry invented the first electromechanical bell using electromagnetic induction. Completing the circuit with a button press forced an electromagnet to swing a small hammer against a bell. Because household electricity did not exist yet, they relied on cumbersome, expensive batteries and produced a very harsh, buzzing noise.
Electric doorbells became standard household fixtures after John Lockhart patented the low-voltage electrical transformer in 1912. This device safely stepped down household current to power small appliances. Homeowners no longer needed to maintain messy, unreliable wet-cell batteries just to keep a doorbell running.
To replace aggressive buzzers, manufacturers introduced melodic musical chimes. Companies like NuTone engineered systems where electrical impulses fired plungers to strike tuned metal tubes. This created the iconic “ding-dong” sound, which became a massive symbol of suburban status and upward mobility.
After decades of basic wireless RF chimes, the most disruptive shift occurred in 2013 when Jamie Siminoff invented the “Doorbot” (later rebranded as Ring). Today, doorbells are internet-connected security hubs featuring:
SuperDoorbell brings the doorbell into a simple QR-based form. Instead of installing dedicated doorbell hardware, the owner creates a personal QR code, prints it and places it near the door. A visitor scans the code, presses the doorbell in a web browser, and the owner receives a RING RING alert on their Android phone. No app is required for the visitor.