Customer Reviews

Mail Chime - Wireless Mail Alert System

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I bought the Mail Box Alert with Chime Model 1200 for my elderly parents for Christmas. They have a steep and 250 ft. long driveway that rises through an area of thick trees and they used to have to walk up the hill to check if the mail had been delivered yet. Otherwise, they would have to watch out the window for the mailman. Since they activated the mail alert, and that was easy to do, it has worked like a charm. It does take a small screwdriver to open the cover to activate the battery, but that should be no problem for most people. If our mail alert continues to operate as it has so far, I highly recommend the device for anyone. In fact, my parents are so happy with the Mail Alert, that they have asked me to order another one for their close friend who would also find the device useful.

I've had this mailbox alert system for 2 weeks now and it has worked flawlessly. Like other reviewers stated the chime is rather loud. But I simply put a piece of clear scotch tape over the chime's sound holes and quieted it down instantly. My alert system works every time. I'm also impressed with the o-ring that seals the battery compartment to keep moisture out. My mailbox is about 30 feet from the house and I have no signal problems. I keep the base unit just inside my front door. The small red light is suprisingly bright too. This item will be especially great in bad weather so that I don't waste unnecessary trips to the mailbox. Now 2 of my coworkers want to order one of these because I keep bragging about it.

This is absolutely the best product on the market for the application. I've literally tried them all.

Very well made. Extremely easy to install and setup. Just peal and stick the sensor to the inside of the mailbox door, then plug in the receiver in the house. You're done!

This is an exact replacement for one that I had on my mailbox for many, many years (destroyed by my brother-in-law who backed over the mailbox!).

The sensor's battery lasts for years and the unit always works flawlessly.

When the mailperson opens the mailbox, the audio alarm is triggered and a red light comes on. The light stays on until you hit the reset button. Simple and effective.

I love it.

The volume is way too high for a quiet house, and I couldn't reduce it enough with tape over the audio holes.

I finally had to remove the cover and PC board in the receiver, and with a soldering iron push out the two large pins of the round alarm unit slightly. I worked the pin closest to the edge completely free, clearing the board by about 1/8 inch. After experimenting with resistor values, I finally soldered a 7500 ohm resistor between the mid-air pin and the hole it had been inserted in. The resistor lead runs over the edge to the other side from the alarm for insertion. This produces a perfectly audible muted volume.

Even if a pin on the audio alarm had been broken in the process, the bright LED that latches on until reset would probably be enough of a notice. However, if you are reasonably careful and work slow, this should not be a problem.

It would really help if they would add a potentiometer that could be adjusted through a hole in the box. This would add very little cost, but would make the unit much more acceptable to people without the skill to make this modification (i.e., the vast majority of consumers).

That said, this is a useful product that saves a lot of time. Volume preference is very much a matter of personal preference and environment, so the full volume may be acceptable as is to some people.

I'm a happy customer!

The FCC limits the transmission power the unit can use, and I had a number of potentially negative placement factors that caused me to doubt whether the unit would work for me, namely

1. It's about 250 feet from the transmitter in the mailbox to the receiver in the house.

2. The land rises between the box and the house so that the line of sight between them (if there *were* a line of sight - see #3) skims the ground.

3. The intervening land is heavily wooded with both trees and low bushes.

4. The mailbox is steel rather than plastic.

5. The box is on the far side of the road so that the mail truck interferes with the signal

6. There's no house or other structure behind the box to reflect the signal back towards our house. In fact the land behind the box drops away and any signal transmitted in that direction is gone forever.

I emailed the manufacturer, Hanna Products, with my concerns and got a friendly reply from the president within the hour. He concurred that all those factors were real concerns and there was a good chance that the unit might not work in my situation.

Nevertheless when I inserted the battery and mounted the transmitter in the box the unit worked perfectly, first with me standing in front of the box, then operating it from my vehicle, and finally with actual postal deliveries from the post-office truck. This product does exactly what it's supposed to do and I couldn't be happier with it. My plethora of negative factors may require me to change the battery earlier than others with more-ideal situations but that's a small price to pay to get instant notification of a delivery to my distant and invisible mailbox.

A couple of comments about negatives other reviewers have reported:

1. I can't *believe* that people have complained about having to take out four small screws to insert the battery! They're just smallish Phillips screws! You don't need a special jeweler's screwdriver - any small Phillips screwdriver will work. I had two in my kitchen drawer. If you're complaining about this you may as well complain about having to unscrew a lightbulb to change it!

2. I suspect that people who have reported problems may have just a few more negative factors than I do. I'm sure the manufacturer would love to triple the transmission power so that it would work in all the currently marginal situations but the FCC won't allow that. If you're considering this unit my situation as described above may be a useful data point for comparing with your own distance and geographical conditions.

I received the mail chime within 48 hours of ordering it. Within minutes I had it installed and tested. Works great! I have only three minor suggestions for improvement.
1) Under "How it Works" the booklet should say there's a level switch in the sensor that trips when the mailbox door is tipped more than 45 degrees.
2) I have a slot type of mailbox door. I wish I had installed it INSIDE the lid rather than outside (as pictured) so the lid will continue to open all the way.
3) I suggest that all three screws which must be removed to arm the battery be the same size.

Worked 99% of the time when I got it. Then, after about 3 months, the weather turned cold and it only worked 75%-80% of the time. Still pretty good though.

I was reluctant to buy this for my parents after reading the mixed reviews, but it has been great. I got the 1200 model-- I'm not sure if they are all the same or not. In any case, the mailbox is pretty close to 300' from the sensor and it works great. My only complaint is that the alarm is rather startling. It would be nice if the volume was adjustable or could easily be muted, but it does make the mail's arrival a little more exciting!

For those of you who work from home, have concerns over your mail security, or have sensitive materials delivered to your home, there is no better option out there than the Mail Chime. Some of you may gawk at the cost but the peace of mind is definitely worth it. My wife and I work from home, recently purchased a new home in an unfamiliar area. So purchasing this device has set our mind at ease. We now know right when the mail arrives and no longer have to worry about neighbors or identity theives rifling through our mail.

Got this for Christmas and it works OK when it's not mounted on my metal mail box. Talked to a techie who said if I had a plastic box it would work OK. Nobody told me that! Sending it back. What a disappointment.