Ring Doorbells - Anyone Installed One?

[SmartAmg]

Looks like the one I did for my niece, that bell box looks very similar to the one she's got, did you get a little wire about 2 inch long with your Ring bell, you have to bridge 2 of those terminals with the wire, but I can't think which ones I did, I'm going to my nieces tommorow, I'll take a pic, if you haven't sorted by then. There Ring bell is excellent and it was only 50 quid.

As promised, my nieces,
bell box with the terminals bridged with that little wire, you should get with the Ring doorbell, might help.

 

[BigJase88]

I would not recommend the OP bridging his on the supply side as his is 230V

You have a different setup

 

[SmartAmg]

I would not recommend the OP bridging his on the supply side as his is 230V

You have a different setup

Ah, ok, fair enough, I did say might help, obviously it doesn't.

 

[alabbasi]

Unless your Ring unit accepts AC, no (I think that transformer (pictured) is putting out AC).

An AC/AC transformer? That would be like a wheelbarrow without a wheel. It's then just a barrow

 

[190]

This thread is getting a touch confusing.

Before the advent of video bell pushes a bell chime would generally accept dc or ac, often having the options of dc via batteries or ac via a bell transformer. Therefore any old transformer will almost certainly be putting out ac. So it all hinges on whether the the Ring video system requires ac or dc to operate. If it will accept either ac or dc then then an old bell transformer should work if in the right voltage range. If it only accepts dc then it will require the use of the dedicated din rail power supply. I've chosen the words carefully there, the Din device isn't just a transformer. A transformer by definition only has ac in and ac out. The fact that Ring call their din rail device a transformer is confusing the issue as it puts out dc making it a power supply.

 

[alabbasi]

Yeah but you ruined my joke now. I think I responded to the OP as to what he needed to do, which is to find and probably upgrade his transformer

 

[Deleted member 126251]

An AC/AC transformer? That would be like a wheelbarrow without a wheel. It's then just a barrow

Do you know the difference between a transformer and a rectifier?

Any DC device will need some sort of rectifier when powered from an AC source. Your typical “black box” that you plug into the wall to power your DC devices will have an AC/AC transformer (or switch mode converter) & rectifier to output DC.

Old fashioned household door bells run off AC power.

No apology needed.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

As promised, my nieces,
bell box with the terminals bridged with that little wire, you should get with the Ring doorbell, might help. View attachment 136645

That looks like it is outputting (8-16V?) AC. I’m reasonably sure the op needs DC.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

This thread is getting a touch confusing.

Before the advent of video bell pushes a bell chime would generally accept dc or ac, often having the options of dc via batteries or ac via a bell transformer. Therefore any old transformer will almost certainly be putting out ac. So it all hinges on whether the the Ring video system requires ac or dc to operate. If it will accept either ac or dc then then an old bell transformer should work if in the right voltage range. If it only accepts dc then it will require the use of the dedicated din rail power supply. I've chosen the words carefully there, the Din device isn't just a transformer. A transformer by definition only has ac in and ac out. The fact that Ring call their din rail device a transformer is confusing the issue as it puts out dc making it a power supply.

To add to the above comments the DIN rail device from RING clearly shows a DC output!

A couple of posts here demonstrate how a little knowledge (but not enough) is dangerous.

 

[190]

To add to the above comments the DIN rail device from RING clearly shows a DC output!

There is one other aspect of deciding which device to power a door bell with.

It occurs to me that the Din rail device must be a switchmode power supply because it's the wrong shape and too small to contain a conventual 50Hz transformer. That would make it orders of magnitude more efficient at idle. A conventional bell transformer consumes 2 -3 watts standing power even if you never press the door bell which equates to something in the region of 17 - 25kWh per year. Not much in isolation perhaps but if there are 10 million bell transformers in the UK that's 250MWh per year for doing nothing. It's puzzling that the EU directive that requires standby consumption to be under 0.5 watts hasn't been applied to bell transformers. TV's and phone chargers etc all have standby consumption well under 0.5 watts which short of an expensive toroidal transformer, can only be achieved with switch mode power supplies.

So anyone with a particularly strong view on saving the planet shouldn't be using a conventional bell transformer. They are perhaps the least efficient device in your home and by some margin.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

There is one other aspect of deciding which device to power a door bell with.

It occurs to me that the Din rail device must be a switchmode power supply because it's the wrong shape and too small to contain a conventual 50Hz transformer. That would make it orders of magnitude more efficient at idle. A conventional bell transformer consumes 2 -3 watts standing power even if you never press the door bell which equates to something in the region of 17 - 25kWh per year. Not much in isolation perhaps but if there are 10 million bell transformers in the UK that's 250MWh per year for doing nothing. It's puzzling that the EU directive that requires standby consumption to be under 0.5 watts hasn't been applied to bell transformers. TV's and phone chargers etc all have standby consumption well under 0.5 watts which short of an expensive toroidal transformer, can only be achieved with switch mode power supplies.

So anyone with a particularly strong view on saving the planet shouldn't be using a conventional bell transformer. They are perhaps the least efficient device in your home and by some margin.

Say 20kWh/annum at my rates (~35p/KWh) = £7.00 a year which is wasteful. However, most people would need an electrician to install a new SMPS on the rail plus the cost of eveything else.

It would probably take 20 years to amortise a replacement. I’ll probably be dead before then.

 

[del320]

Why can't you boys use a genuine Norwegian Cowbell like normal folk?

 

[fourwheels]

Has anybody used 3rd or 4th generation Ring doorbells with a Plusnet Hub 2 Router?
In the Hub 2, the 2.4 & 5.0 GHz are synced and you can’t split them which means the Ring 2nd generation (2.4Ghz) won’t work.
But 3rd & 4th generation Ring offer 2.4 & 5.0 GHz so I believe they should work but it’s difficult to get a clear definition from suppliers and expensive to get it wrong.
Thanks

 

[D2028]

Living on a new build site and have a doorbell, looking to install a Ring Pro 2

Sparky came out today, lots of teeth sucking and talk of "its a big job".

My chime box in the pic already has a transformer, will that not work with the new bell?

View attachment 136520

Do I need instead This transformer instead?

I have just installed two of the basic wired door bells. 12v ac~ for them. I think yours needs 16volt ac~ which is what you have so it should be a simple DIY. You need to find out which two of the smaller wires are powered by the transformer and which two go to the button at the door, then join the transformer wires to the door button wires sending the 16 volts to the door bell. The existing chime will be redundant but no matter what way you do it you lose that anyway.

 

[Spider10]

I have gen 4 battery powered and the latest talk talk router, not sure on specs but works perfectly