VOICE OF GOD at home...Intercom options to speak to kids?

[Marchmallow20]

I want to set up an intercom system to speak to my kids when they are at the top of the house. I can't scream any more. I know Alexa and smart speakers are PERFECT for this but we have resisted getting one to date as hate the idea of something listening to us all the time and all the additional features I don't want (kid playing the poo song all the time I will be driven insane) and so keen to get something that is wireless but kind of old school - video isn't really needed, but I guess it could be handy. More than that I want to be able to speak like the voice of god (LOL) to them and call them for food, or tell them to hurry up! I'd position it in their hallway...I ideally want a great quality set up, but not another app that I have to locate my phone and have it charged to use. I want a set location downstairs where the 'thing' is and they can pick up a landline like phone or press buzzer to speak to me down in kitchen...a classic intercom really like in an office block...

Has anyone had any experiences to share on creating this kind of system?

I have builders around right now so I could get a system hard wired in...please share any ideas!

I would just rig up an automated recording to say 'DINNER' at 6.30pm every evening, and 'STOP DOING THAT' at 30 minute intervals throughout the day.

We have Alexa's - the kids did play the poo song on repeat quite a lot at first but not anymore. It's also perfect for random questions such as how many days until my birthday (my kids ask this at least once a week). You can also set reminders and alarms for cooking, non-uniform days etc.

You can disable certain features and set age limits on each device.

Sorry OP, we just use our Alexas.

When we had a four storey house we had a set of small speaker/ receivers which plugged into an electricity socket. It some how used the wiring to communicate. The sound wasn’t very good, but it was good enough for a simple message ie when you come up will you bring a bottle of water?

don't know if they still exist, Maplin ( deceased) used to have things like that, might be worth looking on eBay?

Just get a cheap baby monitor with talkback option.

I use echo dots, town house and I'm lazy to keep going upstairs, you genuinely can't hear in their rooms

I think you might find something under intercom

3 storey house and teens on the top floor.

I have an Echo Show in the kitchen for recipes/radio and occasional audiobooks.

We've dots in a few rooms to "drop in" and ask a question or, for food etc. I just do "Alexa announce.....".

Our conversations are way too dull for Alexa to care about.

Hear me out

I think your easiest option might be Alexas. But mute the microphones on them except when you want to broadcast from one.

of you put the one in the hallway high up then they wouldn’t be able to reach to unmute and request songs etc

My sister uses doorbell with the ringer in nephews room,he knows when it goes off to go downstairs.

I would LOVE a gong!

We have a ship's bell. I love it. It's very satisfying to ring. We don't have a big house but I got sick of yelling up the stairs. If your kids are small make sure you position it high enough up so that it is out of reach and not in their eyeline, so they don't keep clanging it.

@JesusInTheCabbageVan hilarious!

10 minute intervals and you're spot on!!

How big is your house that you need a bloody intercom?! Just get off your arse and save hundreds, plus think of your lovely toned thighs once you've run up and down the stairs a few times.

We have Google home speakers but before those I just bought a cheap bell from Flying Tiger as I got fed up with shouting "dinner!" At teenagers.

We have a small house and a bell in the kitchen that we use to summon teens for meals. In fact the Pavlovian response is so strong now that I have to be careful not to knock the bell when I'm wiping the surface...

I would think a small hand bell wouldn’t work though? If they can’t hear someone calling the bell might not be strong enough.

I quite like the idea of walkie talkies but my son has some and they seem to need charging constantly. Either that or he just always forgets to charge them!

A gong? 😆

You can preset announcements on Alexa, so I can say 'Alexa, it's dinnertime' and she announces on all the other Alexas 'it's dinner time, please wash your hands and come downstairs'. We've also got individual ones set up to summon individual children. To be honest, I quite often just yell these days 😂

It does work because the pitch and sound of the bell is far more clear and unusual than a voice which they just tune out as background noise.

We kept baby monitor for many years for just this reason

I don't think you can beat a drone with a loudspeaker hovering outside a window to facilitate a pleasing Voice of God effect.