The description says that this sounds "a little less than a smoke detector"...how loud is this thing? I don't want to terrify my mother in law.
739396
I don't think it nearly as loud as a smoke detector but it is surprisingly loud. At first I also thought it would scare my mom but it doesn't. She has never complained about the noise and she is a fairly picky person. It makes a buzz sound before the actual alarm which sort of warns you a bit. I think it is important that it be fairly loud so that she can hear it if she is down in the other part of the house.
739397
To me it's about as loud as an alarm clock. It will wake you up and you'll hear it from another room usually. Once you hear it once or twice I wouldn't think it would be frightening but would be heard. I think it's a great reminder for medications.
739398
My Dad is 81 years old and uses it. It works well for him. He likes it and isn't terrified by it. I would compare it to a watch alarm.
739399
Mothers was placed in the kitchen but she could hear it from any room in the house, which is a good feature becuz it would alert her that it is pill time.
739400
It is pretty loud, but if you are expecting it I don't think it would be that bad.
716527
Mine definitely is not that loud. You could open it in bedroom and no one else would know. I would contact manufacturer. Got to be a way to change it.
1211521
We have it in our family room and personally, I can't hear it at all. When I concentrate on hearing it, it has a slight hum. The other people that describe it as "loud", either have a defective unit or the fan in their unit just runs a bit louder. Unless you place it in your bedroom, I'd be surprised if you hear it at all.
1382466
I personal don't think its loud, its kind of a mumm.... I am very satisfied with is unit, does a good job.
959846
It is not any louder than a drill or scroll saw. I don't think it would wake a person in another room.
729600
I think so. My hearing is somewhat compromised. So I have the speaker on my ear and raise the volume somewhat My wife can hear it when I am listening, though she can't understand what is being broadcast. She is about 2 feet from the speaker. If your mother was about 6 inches to a foot I think she could understand what is being said.
814764
It makes a noise but not so loud that it would wake someone up. Just my opinion. My family are not light sleepers though!
1622094
It's pretty loud. I'd compare the sound level to a vaccuum cleaner or a dust buster maybe.
1822556
It's loud and it's always a good idea to wear hearing protection, but you won't wake the kids 2 floors up. I have one in my garage shop and my daughter sleeps really well when it's on. I have a home built in 2004, so drywall, insulation and 2X4 studs.R/Dave
1015162
It's small. If you looked at the dispenser you'd see it though. My mother has significant hearing loss but can hear the alarm.
295135
Its not really that loud, I don't need earplugs or anything (and I always use earplugs when using a grinder or my air compressor). Its maybe double the loudness of a large gas grill, not really something that would likely wake up the neighbors. Honestly its lots of fun but if you're unsure harbor freight has a super cheap one (fifteen bucks) that is much smaller so you can try it out. I have both and they're about the same loudness.
209338
HI! it only makes a sound over metal! =-) It is a really great little detector. In time my son (12 years ole and brilliant) LOL does want a more professional one that will actually filter out junk from the good stuff . Those are a few hundred dollars so that will be when he is much older. For now he LOVES this thing and when we bring it to the playground or beach he has a ton of little followers that are intrigued beyond belief. SO far my son has found an old belt buckle (1800's) old medicine bottle (again (1800's era) tons of coins. =-)
502620
What?... huh??? Can't hear anything but this alarm!Quite loud! Let's put it this way, for a little unit... you will want to hold your ears if it goes off!I think it's about 120 db and Pain begins at 125 db... close enough...
2229784
I have to respectfully disagree with the comment from NM Norma. Maybe she has an older or different version of this timer. I have a recent version, approximately one month old, and it beeps non-stop until I hit the reset button. I find this to be a very helpful feature. It's also pretty loud, but not TOO loud. I'm not sure if it would be loud enough to be heard from upstairs, especially if there are a lot of other noises in the house, but the great thing is that it has a belt clip so you can simply take it with you wherever you go. :)
539980
It's pretty high pitched. I have trouble hearing it. It would be a great alarm if "alert" was lower frequency and a bit louder.
379131
It's loud, and is much better when used as a pair with the High & Low tones. However for a loud and unbearable noise to scare people, a better choice would be a high pitched alarm like a fire or smoke alarm. THe human ear is much more sensitive to these high pitched frequencies which becomes unbearable
1529898
The alarm sound plays off the receiver. It's loud as all hell but that's the part in your house. It will annoy you before the neighbors.