The Best Wireless Doorbell for Australia: 2023 Buyers Guide

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The convenience of a wireless doorbell is clear where you don’t have wiring, and don’t want the expense of an electrician installing a doorbell transformer. While there used to be issues such as limited range and conflicts with nearby doorbells, these issues have been largely solved with newer models.

These days it’s not unusual to assume that the term ’wireless doorbell’ refers to the smart video doorbell variety. If that’s what you’d like to look at I have a comprehensive Australian buyer’s guide for those too. If you don’t need that complexity and expense, then read on for the best Australian options for simpler wireless doorbells available now.

There are dozens of these products on the market, but the vast majority of them require a US-style wall socket. Needing an adapter knocks any doorbell out of the ‘best for Australia’ list in my book, so you can be sure all the products in this list have Australian plugs. When researching these products I’ve also focused on customer experience, range, and versatility to determine the best options.

Best Australian Wireless doorbell Picks

Frequently Asked Questions

Which wireless doorbell is best?

The choice of the best wireless doorbell will come down to whether you can plug in the receiver, or you want a purely battery powered options. For plug-in models, my pick for the best wireless doorbell for Australia is the Coolqiya fabric chime for its large tone selection, high weather resistance, and superior aesthetics. The best battery-powered model falls to the Honeywell Series 9 portable doorbell chime for a modern design and extra features like the ability to upload an MP3 chime of your own.

Do you need Wi-Fi for wireless doorbells?

Simpler wireless doorbells don’t need Wi-Fi to work, instead they use a common utility radio frequency like 433MHz to communicate between the remote button and the chime. Modern versions of these types of doorbells uses a pairing code to uniquely identify which button is pressed. This not only allows for multiple buttons and chimes but also prevents conflicts with neighboring doorbells.

Do wireless doorbells need power?

All wireless doorbells will need some kind of power supply for the chime (receiver), and for the remote button in order to send a signal. Many receivers simply plug directly into a power socket. Some models use batteries instead to provide the power for the radio and chime. Buttons on the other hand can use batteries or, in some case, kinetic energy harvesting where simply pressing the button can generate enough voltage to send the signal.

What is the range of a wireless doorbell?

Modern wireless doorbells have a range of between 50 meters (150ft), and 400 meters (1200ft) in open air. This range is theoretical and is substantially reduced by any kind of obstructions like walls and ceiling, or other electrical and radio interference. For interior applications you can go by about half of the manufacturer’s claimed range in most cases.

How do you install a wireless doorbell?

In most cases installation of a wireless doorbell is a simple job that can be done in a few minutes.

Plug the receiver into a wall socket.
Pair the button with the receiver (some will be paired out of the box).
Mount the button near the door (usually with provided adhesive or screws and anchors).

The Best Wireless Doorbell Overall

Coolqiya Fabric Chime
★★★★★

✔ 400m range*
✔ 58 ringtones
✔ IP55 weatherproof
✔ LED ring indicator
✔ Mute function
✔ 5 volume levels
✘ LED is dim
✘ Volume may not be sufficient

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What I Like

I find this model from Coolqiya is the most visually appealing in this lineup with a fabric covered slim-line receiver. Under the fabric is a concealed LED indicator that lights when the button is pressed. Useful for testing and theoretically intended for the hard-of-hearing, it’s probably too obscure to be actually useful for that given it will likely be placed near the floor. If visibility is important, though, this alternative Coolqiya model features a more prominent LED ring.

It’s rated to a respectable 400m range in clear air and has an IP55 rating on the button, making it easily able to withstand heavy rain. The button itself snaps into a mounting plate that can be easily installed using either the included adhesive backing or wall screws. I like that these options are provided, but the adhesive option would be best used in locations with some weather protection.

Both volume and ring tones are selected via simple buttons on the side of the receiver, and you can pair multiple buttons or multiple receivers by simply holding the volume button for 5 seconds. This gives you a good deal of versatility in terms of ensuring audibility in different areas of the home and supporting multiple entrances.

Potential Concerns

The receiver sits below the wall socket, so this might be an issue for certain older houses with lower wall plates. It’s also large enough that it will block adjacent sockets, as is typical with these kinds of plug-in devices.

Some people find the volume from this model to be a bit low, but that’s highly subjective. It’s estimated to be around 80dB, which is a bit less than a typical smoke alarm. Placement will obviously have an impact on how audible that is.

Best Battery Powered Doorbell

Honeywell Series 9
★★★★★

✔ 150m range*
✔ 11 ringtones
✔ Portable
✔ LED ring indicator
✔ Mute and Sleep Modes
✔ 5 year battery life
✘ More expensive
✘ Only button is weatherproof

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What I Like

When looking for a pure battery powered model there were a bunch of cheap and nasty options, and even the big GE and Philips branded ones that really didn’t offer anything beyond very basic looks and functionality. Honeywell, on the other hand, struck a chord with the Series 9 portable chime which can be paired with any compatible Honeywell button option. This one comes with the compact RPWL400W2000 which lights up when pressed.

Being designed for portability means you can not only put it anywhere, but you can take it with you around the house when necessary, say if you’re going to be working out in the shed, or hanging by the pool. This also makes it much more effective to use the visual notifications provided by the light-up surround that can be set to one of 7 colors because you can easily put it in line-of-sight.

It has fewer built-in chimes than the other models in this list, but you can plug it into USB and install your own MP3s (well, 15 seconds worth anyway), so that’s actually a big win. You can, of course, adjust the volume and mute the ringer, but you can also set it to Sleep mode to silence the ringer for a defined period of time, either 3, 6, 9, or 12 hours. While muted you can still have the visual notifications working.

Potential Concerns

The ringer is powered by 4 C cell batteries. This is claimed to last ‘5 years of normal use’, but there are reports that this is highly optimistic. There appears to have been another model of the series 9 that used CR123A 3v lithium batteries, which may be where the claim is coming from.

Being battery powered, the rated range is less than plug-in models, but Honeywell’s range estimates appear to be more accurate than other brands, so probably evens out in the long run.

Note that this is a US import as it’s been very hard to find decent battery models locally. Being battery powered this isn’t a huge issue, the only caution I have is to stick to US model buttons if you are going to add extras. They use a slightly different frequency to Australian buttons.

Best Battery-Free Wireless Doorbell

Kinet Kinetic Doorbell
★★★★✩

✔ 150m range*
✔ 51 ringtones
✔ IP44 weatherproof
✔ No battery
✔ 4 volume levels
✘ Limited support
✘ No LED indicator

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What I Like

Having to change batteries in my devices regularly seems like a trivial thing, but with more devices this becomes a pretty regularly occurrence. There are now some smart light switches that don’t need any electrical supply at all. They use a technology called piezo-electric harvesting that can generate just enough voltage by pressing the button to send a basic button-press signal. The Kinet brand of doorbell uses the same to avoid the need to have batteries in the button.

Given the low voltage produced, the range is substantially less than battery powered models, but is still plenty for most home installations. The receiver still needs to be plugged into a conventional power point as with most of the other models. With that you get comparable features including the wide range of ring tones and multiple volume levels, but no visual indicator.

Potential Concerns

Kinet is not a well-known brand, so I wouldn’t be expecting much in the way of support. Of course, these are simple devices so you shouldn’t need much. The lack of any kind of LED indicator precludes any use by the hard-of-hearing, and the reduced range will need to be considered.

These kinetic buttons need a firmer push than you might be used to. It’s not difficult but is a lot more ‘clicky’ than a typical doorbell button in order to flex the metallic strip that generates the electrical charge.

Alternative Wireless Doorbells for Australia

Magicfly Wireless Doorbell
★★★★✩

✔ 300m range*
✔ 50 ringtones
✔ 5 volume levels
✔ LED indicator
✔ IP55 weather rating
✘ High failure rate
✘ Cheap wall fixings

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What I Like

This wireless doorbell is a decent alternative to the Coolqiya with similar features and a more compact design. It’s sold under the brand ENEGG in Australia but is actually made by Magicfly, so the build quality isn’t as bad as some of the other no-name options, although it’s still a cheaper product.

With over 50 ring tones, volume control, and a LED indicator it’s very comparable to other models in this class but comes with two buttons. These can be used for two entrances, or you can provide one as a handheld remote for an elderly or disabled resident to use as a call button. This works thanks to the ability to assign different ring tones to each button so you can tell them apart.

Potential Concerns

There are quite a few reports of these not going the distance and failing after only a few months. This could be a bad batch issue given the overall customer ratings are high.

DAZFE Wireless Doorbell

✔ 300m range*
✔ 55 ringtones
✔ 5 volume levels
✔ LED ring indicator
✔ Mute mode
✔ LED indicator
✘ Cheap build quality
✘ No weather rating

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What I Like

As a very cheap alternative to the Coolqiya option this one from no-name brand DAZFE offers similar features on paper, with 55 ring tones, a slightly shorter range of 300 meters, and a more prominent LED indicator in the form of a musical clef symbol. The receiver is also more compact, albeit a basic black plastic box.

You’ll get similar volume controls via the buttons on the side allowing for 5 volume levels down to zero, and a basic button.

Potential Concerns

I’m always wary of these random brands given you’ll realistically have no support at all and be reliant on Amazon’s return window is something goes wrong. For the price though, you can’t really expect much more.

There’s no official weather rating on this one, just a claim that it can withstand rain and, here’s the kicker, ‘summer heat of 30+’. My higher rated choices cite temps up to 60 degrees Celsius, so that’s a consideration.

Considerations Before Buying

Do you need more than one button or receiver?

This may seem like a silly question, but many of today’s wireless doorbells can be expanded to many of both button and receiver. You can pair multiple buttons to the same receiver, possibly with different ring tones, or multiple receivers can chime from the same button to increase audibility.

You might want to think about using different chime, buttons, or tones for multiple entrances, to improve audibility throughout the home, or maybe even to use extra buttons for mobility impaired people to call for help, again with different chimes so it’s clear.

Plug-in or battery-powered?

Most modern wireless doorbell receivers use a normal power socket and need to remain plugged in. This makes for simple installation but may not be convenient. Given their size, they will always block adjacent sockets, and you may not get the best visibility or audibility having them down low, or behind furniture.

While changing batteries can be a pain, using a battery powered doorbell can resolve these issues and give you complete flexibility in where you place the receiver. You should get plenty of battery life, so it won’t be a huge hassle, and you can even take some of these models with you if you’re heading out the back so you don’t miss a ring.

Conclusion

There are a lot of cheap wireless doorbells on the market now with very similar features and specs. A great many of these need US A-type power sockets, so they’re not really convenient for Australian households, but there are a few that have the correct socket, or don’t need one.

Of these, I’ve selected the Coolqiya fabric covered chime as the best overall based on its higher build quality, great chime selection, longer range, and extensibility. You can have 20 or more of these chimes or buttons working together, which is more than enough for any situation.

Plugging into a power point is not always the most convenient approach, however, so I’ve picked the modern looking Honeywell Series 9 as the best battery powered choice. This one easily beats out the competition from the likes of GE and Philips thanks to its extra mute and sleep features, better chime selection, more modern design, and the ability to use uploaded MP3s as chimes.