For those of you who spend lots of time away from home, there's now a device to answer the doorbell from nearly anywhere in the world with your mobile phone.

After testing the technology in its home Dutch market, wireless start-up Waleli now plans to sell its GSM Doorbell internationally, beginning in northern Europe, the company said Tuesday.

The wireless doorbell allows apartment dwellers, home owners and small businesses to answer their doorbell, talk to visitors and even open the door remotely with their GSM phones.

The GSM Doorbell consists of four parts: an intercom, an electronic lock, a GSM-enabled doorbell and a Subscriber Identification Module for the GSM device.

When someone presses the doorbell device, it rings your handset, allowing you to communicate with visitors and, by entering a "pincode," to grant them access to your home, all without having to leave your location.

The technology can be useful when dealing with delivery people, door-to-door solicitors and many others who need or want to stop by. And you don't have to worry about locking yourself out of the house or apartment again because the machine will recognize your mobile's number and unlock the door for you.

Pricing information was not immediately available.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.