About this factsheet

This factsheet is part of RNID’s equipment range. It is written for deaf and hard of hearing people. We use the term ‘deaf people’ to refer to deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people throughout this factsheet.

This factsheet is about the products you can get if you have a hearing loss and have problems hearing sounds around the home. In the factsheet we will
tell you about:

Alarm clocks

Alarm clocks for deaf people come in a range of styles and sizes and may look similar to standard alarm clocks. Unlike standard alarm clocks, however,
they alert you to the alarm by vibrating or producing a flashing light. Many also have a sound alarm, which can be useful if your partner is hearing.

How much do they cost?

Alarm clocks for deaf people cost between £13 and £80. You will probably not find them in high street shops, as most are available only by mail order. You can find information on where to buy them further on in this factsheet.

Alarm clocks with a vibrating alarm

These have a socket for a pad (usually round or square-shaped) that vibrates when the alarm goes off. It will vibrate continuously or on-and-off, at regular intervals.

Most vibrating pads are designed to go under your pillow but it is a good idea to put the pad inside the pillowcase to stop it from slipping out. Or you can put the vibrating pad under your mattress. Although this might be more comfortable, you may find that it is not powerful enough to wake you. Vibrating pads are not powerful enough to shake your whole bed.

Vibrating alarm clocks are battery operated or may need to be plugged into an electric socket. You can also buy a small, hand-held vibrating travel alarm clock. The whole clock vibrates and you can put it under your pillow.

Important safety note: If you use a vibrating pad with your smoke alarm, make sure your alarm clock has a different pattern of vibration, so that you can tell the difference when you wake up.

Alarm clocks with a flashing light

The light on these flashes when the alarm goes off. Some people are woken easily by a flashing light, but if you are not facing the light when it flashes, or your bedroom is not very dark, the light may not wake you. However, a flashing light can be useful if you need to be alerted to a specific time while you are awake.

You usually need to plug flashing light alarm clocks into an electric socket.

Alarm clocks with a sound alarm

If you are hard of hearing or if your partner is hearing, a beeper or buzzer can be a useful additional feature to a vibrating or flashing light alarm. These alarm clocks are battery operated or can be plugged into an electric socket. You can adjust the loudness and frequency of the sound on some clocks.

Alarm clock features

Battery back-up

This feature means that after a power cut, the clock will still show the correct time once the power comes back on again. However, on most clocks, the back-up battery will not power the vibrating pad or flashing light alarm, as this would drain the battery too quickly. So in a power failure, although your alarm clock shows the correct time, the alarm itself will not work. You will have to fit your own batteries on some alarm clocks. Other batteries are automatically recharged when you plug the clock into an electric socket.

Snooze function

If you press the snooze button, it will stop the alarm and set it to go off again after five or 10 minutes. You can do this on most clocks several times as long as you press the snooze button while the alarm is going.

Clock display

Alarm clocks may have a traditional analogue clock face with hour, minute and second hands, or an LED (light emitting diode) or LCD (liquid crystal display) digital display:

Alarm ‘on’ light

Most digital clocks have a light that shows the alarm has been set. If you press the alarm set button, you can see what time the alarm will go off.

On analogue clocks, a pointer – usually in a different colour to the hour, minute and second hands – shows when the alarm will go off.

Vibration mode

Most alarm clocks produce regular bursts of vibration. This means that the vibration comes on, goes off, and then comes back on again, and so on.

Wristwatch alarms

There is a range of wristwatches you can set to vibrate at your chosen time. They come with, or without, a sound alarm. Some people find the vibration alone powerful enough to wake them. They cost between £12 and £35.

Doorbell systems

You can buy doorbell systems that use loud sounds or flashing lights so that you will know someone is at the door.

Loud extension bells

They may be, depending on your level of hearing loss. If you are hard of hearing, loud extension bells may be suitable, as you need some hearing to
use these. You can put loud extension bells in many rooms in your home by adding them to the doorbell system you already have.

Most are mains powered and can only be used with mains-powered doorbell systems – so a qualified person should install them.

Visual doorbells

Visual doorbells use a table lamp or a flashing strobe light to let you know the doorbell is ringing. They may be mains powered or battery operated.

Doorbells that flash or dim the house lights

Some systems make the lights in your house flash or dim whenever the doorbell rings. They are particularly useful if you need to know your doorbell is ringing wherever you are in the house. They are mains powered.

A day-night switch is fitted to the unit so that during the day the lights flash on and at night they flash off or go dim. During the day you must leave the light
switched on in any room where you need the signal. The lights in those rooms will then flash when the doorbell rings. At night, when your light will be switched on, the lights will go dim when the doorbell rings.

Some systems have an extra connection for a second doorbell switch. It is also possible to connect a loud bell to this system.

One advantage of this type of system is that wires do not have to run to all your rooms – the system only needs a small amount of mains wiring at the fuse box.

A qualified electrician must install this system.

Doorbells that use receivers and transmitters

Some systems use radio waves to send signals around your home. They use a receiver and a transmitter to do this and can be battery or mains powered.
The receiver flashes or makes a noise if the doorbell rings. On some models, you can also plug in a vibrating pad to alert you when the doorbell rings. On
others, the receiver itself vibrates. Most battery-operated receivers are easy to carry around with you from room to room. However, on some models, you need to plug the receiver into an electric socket.

The door push contains the transmitter and is battery powered. It can be attached to your doorframe and most are waterproof.

Baby monitors

Standard baby monitors let hearing parents listen to their babies from another room. However, unless your hearing loss is mild, these monitors are not usually loud enough for deaf parents.

Some standard baby monitors also have visual displays such as a flashing light. These are suitable for monitoring your baby while you are awake but would be unlikely to wake you if you were asleep.

How much do they cost?

Standard baby monitors range in price from £20 to £60.

What are baby monitors for deaf people like?

Baby monitors for deaf people have two parts – a monitor unit, which picks up the sound your baby makes, and a parents’ unit. The parents’ unit has a socket for a plug-in vibrating pad to wake you at night, and may also have a flashing light to attract your attention when you are awake.

Baby monitors usually have a sensitivity control so that they do not pick up every little sound your baby makes, but you need to adjust it correctly to make sure you can respond to your baby when it’s important.

How much do they cost?

Baby monitors for deaf people range in price from £50 to £150.

Baby monitors that let you see your baby on your television

These types of baby monitors are becoming more popular. They consist of:

The built-in television camera on most monitors is sensitive enough to ‘see in the dark’, so you can see your baby on the television screen even when the
room your baby is sleeping in is dimly lit or dark. When your baby cries, the parents’ unit connected to your television will automatically interrupt television viewing and switch to the camera monitoring the baby. On most systems you can also hear the sounds your baby makes through the loudspeaker on your television.

Multi-alerting systems

These systems alert you to more than one sound around your home. The equipment normally picks up sounds such as a doorbell ringing or a baby crying. An alarm clock can also be used to activate this equipment. Many products have a vibrating pager, which you can carry around with you. For more information, see our factsheet, Multi-alerting systems (external link, opens new browser window).

How much do they cost?

Multi-alerting systems range in price from £150 to £600, depending on the number of different alerts you need.

What to look for when buying equipment

Nowadays a lot of equipment has tiny and often quite fiddly buttons and controls. Some equipment will just be an awkward shape so it is particularly important to try out equipment first before you buy. Check:

Help with paying for equipment

Contact the RNID Information Line for more information about the following:

Where to get further information

Our Information Line offers a wide range of information on many aspects of deafness and hearing loss. Contact us for further copies of this factsheet and our full range of information factsheets and leaflets. You can also contact us if you would like information in Braille, on audiotape or in large print.

RNID Information Line

19-23 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8SL
Telephone 0808 808 0123
Textphone 0808 808 9000
Fax 020 7296 8199
Email: informationline@rnid.org.uk

Buying equipment from RNID

Visit the RNID online shop (external link, opens new browser window) or contact the RNID Information Line for a copy of our Solutions catalogue, full of products for deaf and hard of hearing people.

RNID information, May 2007