First off, I think they may have the wrong item pictured. Mine doesn't have round buttons, but rather has long buttons. And it's not bright white, but a softer ivory.
I bought this for use in my store for someone at the front counter to signal someone in the back room when additional help is needed out front. The buttons are only about 20 and 25 feet away from the chime, and while not quite line-of-sight, there is less solid stuff for the signal to pass through than a more typical situation of the button being on the outside of a house, and the chimes somewhere inside.
You have to firmly press and hold the button to activate the chime the first time you hit the button. If you press the button a second time after activating the chimes, that second press can be softer, and shorter, more like a typical press of a doorbell. It's as if you have to wait for the system to wake-up that first time.
In my case, the people pressing the button are aware of the shortcomings. They can also hear if the chime activates or not. In a more typical situation, a person ringing a doorbell doesn't know that this button needs to be more firmly pressed, and after pressing it, they don't get to hear whether or not it actually went off.
In fairness, I've checked-out numerous wireless doorbell systems, and most do not work well at all, either. If you can install a more traditional wired system, do so. Get a wireless one like this only if you can't wire anything up, and you're prepared to miss people at your door who don't press hard enough or long enough.Get more detail about Heath Zenith SL-6142-C Basic Wireless Plug-In Door Chime with Two Transmitters, White.
