Ring Doorbell Mechanical Chime is Not Working: How to Fix it

One of the benefits of a hardwired Ring Doorbell is that it can be connected to your home’s mechanical chime. But, issues can arise with your Ring Doorbell not ringing inside your house. 

Why Isn’t My Mechanical Chime Working with My Ring Doorbell? 

You spent the time hardwiring your Ring Doorbell to a mechanical chime box so your doorbell will ring inside the house and you won’t have to rely on phone notifications to know when someone’s at the door. 

So, it’s naturally frustrating that it’s not working correctly. 

Here’s how you can fix your mechanical chime box and get it to work with your Ring Doorbell.

1. Check Your Settings

To use a mechanical chime with your Ring Doorbell, you need to enable the option in the Ring app. 

1. Open the Ring app, then open the menu.
2. Select “Devices” and tap your Ring Doorbell.
3. Tap “Device Settings.”
   
   
4. Choose “In-home Chime Settings.”
   
   
5. Select “Doorbell Chime Type.”
6. Tap “Mechanical” in the drop-down menu.
7. Turn “Ring my in-home” on.
   

If you have already done this, go into the Ring app to make sure you didn’t accidentally toggle it off. 

2. Check Your Wi-Fi Connection

Even if your Ring Doorbell is hardwired to your mechanical chime, it might not work properly if your Wi-Fi connection is weak.

First, make sure your Wi-Fi router is on and working correctly. If so, open the Ring App and confirm your Ring Doorbell is properly connected to Wi-Fi.

1. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top-left corner of the Ring app.
2. Select “Devices.”
3. Tap your Ring Doorbell.
4. Press “Device Health.”
   
   
5. Find “Network” and look at “Signal Strength.”
   
   

Here, you’ll see one of three colors — green, amber, or red. If it’s anything other than green, try reconnecting to your Wi-Fi network. 

Some Wi-Fi routers work better for Ring Doorbells than others. If this is a constant problem, consider upgrading your router.

3. Disconnect from Your Smart Assistant

If you previously set your Ring Doorbell up to ring on Alexa, Alexa might be interfering with your mechanical chime. 

In the Alexa app, you can enable doorbell notifications so Alexa will announce visitors at your door. But, doing this can cause the app to disregard the connection to your mechanical chime.

To fix it, you’ll need to disconnect Alexa from your Ring Doorbell.

1. Open the Alexa app on your phone.
2. Open the “Devices” tab.
   
   
3. Select your Ring Doorbell.
4. Tap the “Settings” icon.
   
   
5. Find the “Announcements” section.
6. Toggle “Doorbell Press” off.
   

4. Check Your Doorbell Power Supply

For a Ring Doorbell to work with an existing chime, your doorbell transformer needs to meet the following specifications:

• 8-24 volt AC
• 40 VA maximum
• 50/60 Hz

The Ring Doorbell Pro needs an AC-powered transformer with at least 16 volts and a Pro Power Kit, which is included with the Doorbell. No Ring Doorbells will work with a DC-powered transformer.

If you are unsure what your doorbell transformer’s voltage is, check it using a multimeter, and if you have an insufficient power supply, install a Ring Doorbell Transformer. These are compatible with all hardwired Ring Doorbell models. 

5. Check Your Doorbell Wiring

For the mechanical chime in your home to ring when someone presses your Ring Doorbell, the two devices must be wired correctly through an AC-powered doorbell transformer.

Before checking the wiring, turn off the circuit breaker to your doorbell for safety.

1. Remove the Ring Doorbell from the mounting bracket so you can look at the wiring on the back. 
2. Make sure the wires are tightly wrapped around the two screws on the mounting bracket.
3. Look for residue or corrosion on the wires and terminals where they’re connected to the transformer, and clean the wires if necessary.

Any wires that are damaged or too corroded should be replaced. If you aren’t comfortable doing this yourself, hire a local electrician.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Ring Doorbells only function properly between -5 degrees and 120 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Severe weather can damage the connection between your Ring Doorbell and mechanical chime, so make sure your doorbell is installed in a safe, temperate space.

6. Make Sure Your Ring Doorbell and Mechanical Chime Are Compatible

Hardwired Ring Doorbells are not compatible with all mechanical chimes. Before you look into the Doorbell itself, make sure your chime kit is compatible. 

If you know your chime is compatible, the next thing to check is your Ring Doorbell. 

Ring Doorbells need to be hardwired to function with a mechanical chime. If you hook it up through battery power or a solar charger, it will not connect to your mechanical chime. 

7. Reset Your Ring Doorbell

If you’re still struggling to get your Ring Doorbell to chime through a mechanical chime box, remove it from the Ring app and set it up again.

I recommend only using this as a last resort, as it will erase your device settings and remove any connections to other devices, such as Alexa.

1. Open the Ring app and select the Menu icon in the top-left corner.
2. Select “Devices.”
3. Tap your Ring Doorbell.
4. Press “Device Settings.”
5. Tap “General Settings.”
   
   
6. Select “Remove This Device.”
   
   
7. Close and re-open the Ring app.
8. Select “Devices.”
9. Tap the + sign.
10. Follow the on-screen steps to set the Doorbell up again.

Use a Different Chime

If you want to avoid the hassle of hardwiring your Ring Doorbell to your mechanical chime altogether, consider upgrading to one of the following devices:

• Ring Chime or Ring Chime Pro
• Digital Chime
• Smart Assistant

Ring Chime

Ring Chimes and Ring Chime Pros are natively compatible with the Ring Doorbell and can replace your home’s mechanical doorbell chime. 

These are excellent options for people whose mechanical chime is incompatible with their Ring Doorbell. They can also be connected to battery-powered Ring Doorbells. 

Digital Chime

Mechanical chime boxes and digital chime boxes look similar on the outside. You’ll need to remove the cover to find out which type you have.

If you see a physical bell, you have a mechanical chime box. If you see a speaker, you have a digital chime box.

If your current in-home chime is digital instead of mechanical, you might still be able to connect your Ring Doorbell to it. 

Ring Doorbells are compatible with many digital chime boxes, depending on the model you own. Here are a few of the digital chimes that are compatible with all Ring Doorbells:

• NuTone LA600WH
• BCS Ideas YourBell
• Heath Zenith DC-3361
• Heath Zenith Designer Series DC-3344

Smart Assistant

Ring Doorbells and cameras are only partially compatible with Google Home, but they are fully compatible with Amazon Alexa.

If you have an Alexa device with a screen, such as an Echo Show, you can even view your Doorbell’s live feed on the screen. 

You can connect your Ring Doorbell to any Alexa device in your home through the Alexa app. Once you’re done, you can set Alexa to announce doorbell presses.

1. Open the Alexa app.
2. Tap the menu in the upper-left corner of the screen and select “Skills & Games.”
3. Tap the search icon and type in “Ring.”
4. Select the Ring Skill in the search results and tap “Enable to Use.”
5. Sign into your Ring account, then wait for Alexa to discover your Ring Doorbell.
6. Follow the on-screen steps to connect your Doorbell to Alexa.
7. Go back to the Alexa app home screen and select “Devices.”
8. Find and select your Ring Doorbell.
9. Tap “Doorbell Press Announcements” and select “Enable to Use.”

Now, your selected Alexa device will alert you every time someone presses your Ring Doorbell.

Frequently Asked Questions

No Chime Connection: “Something Went Wrong”

You’re setting up your Ring Doorbell with your mechanical chime box, but you keep getting an error message saying, “Something went wrong.” Here’s how you can fix it:

1. Uninstall the Ring App.
2. Restart your phone to clear the cache.
3. Reinstall the Ring App and sign into your Ring account.
4. Complete the set-up process again.

Ring Doorbell Chime Making Weird Noises

If your mechanical doorbell chime is working but makes a humming or buzzing noise, it may have loose bolts. 

1. Turn off the circuit breaker to the doorbell chime box. 
2. Remove the chime’s cover to access the mounting screws.
3. Tighten any loose screws on the device.
4. Replace the chime box cover and listen for noises.

Can You Disable the Mechanical Chime with a Ring Doorbell?

If you no longer want to use your mechanical chime box with your Ring Doorbell, you can disable it in the Ring app:

1. Open the Ring app.
2. Select “Devices.”
3. Tap your Ring Doorbell.
4. Press “Device Settings.”
5. Choose “Doorbell Kit Settings.”
6. Toggle the mechanical chime off.

Can You Make a Ring Chime Louder?

You can change the volume of your Ring Chime or Ring Chime Pro, but the options you’ll have depend on which model you own. 

In any case, you can use the Ring App to change the volume of your Ring Chime.

Ring Chime Not Ringing

If your Ring Chime is not ringing, it could be the result of:

• Poor network connection
• Incorrect Chime alert settings
• Temporary glitches

If your Wi-Fi router has a poor connection with your Ring Chime, you might need to disconnect and reconnect your Chime to the internet, restart your Wi-Fi router, or move your Chime.

You might also need to adjust your Ring Chime’s audio settings to ensure doorbell notifications are active. If all else fails, you’ll need to restart or reset both Ring devices.

Ring Chime Pro Not Working

If your Ring Chime Pro is not working, make sure it has a strong connection to both the Doorbell and your Wi-Fi router. If that doesn’t work, check if your Ring Chime Pro needs a software update:

1. Open the Ring app.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines to open the menu.
3. Select “Devices,” then choose “Chime Pro.”
4. Press “Device Health” and make sure it says “Up to Date.”

Chime Pros update automatically. If the software is out of date, contact Ring Support for help.

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