an apparatus for providing remote answering of a doorbell includes a circuit for receiving a doorbell signal indicative that a doorbell switch has been actuated . an autodialing circuit is coupled to and responsive to the receiving circuit and a telephone line for dialing a telephone number responsive to the doorbell signal . an alerting circuit generates an alert signal to be transmitted over the telephone line to the telephone number dialed by the autodialing circuit , so that the alert signal may alert a party answering the remote telephone to the fact that the party is responding to a doorbell rather than a normal telephone call . an audio speaker is physically situated near the doorbell switch , for reproducing audio signals from the telephone line which are generated at the remote telephone . an audio microphone is also physically situated near the doorbell switch , for generating electrical signals responsive to sounds made near the doorbell switch and transmitting the signals to the telephone line to the remote telephone . the apparatus further includes a switching network for coupling the door speaker and microphone to a local telephone set and a remote telephone set selectively in any combination .