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Will your wall chime still ring?
Updated
It depends on the doorbell, and listings bury it. The Ring Video Doorbell Wired never rings a wall chime. The Tapo D225 rings it only with 24/7 recording off. The battery models ring it only when you wire them. No doorbell here rings a wired chime while running on battery alone.
Why a video doorbell can silence a chime
TP-Link's support page explains it well. In a plain doorbell circuit, no current flows through the chime until someone presses the button. A camera needs power all the time, and that constant flow may keep triggering the old chime. So some installs add a jumper wire that shorts across the chime. The doorbell gets steady power and the chime goes quiet.
Each pick
| Doorbell | Rings a wired wall chime? |
|---|---|
| Ring Battery Doorbell 2K | Yes, when wired |
| Blink Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) | Yes, when wired |
| Tapo D225 | Only with Always-On recording off |
| Arlo Video Doorbell 2K (2nd Gen) | Yes, when wired |
| Ring Video Doorbell Wired | No. Bypassed with a jumper cable |
| eufy Video Doorbell E340 | Mechanical chime per the listing |
| Google Nest Doorbell (Wired, 3rd Gen) | Yes, when wired |
- Ring Video Doorbell Wired. The listing says it will not sound your existing chime. Ring's install page has you fit the included jumper cable in the chime box. Plan on a Ring Chime or an Alexa device.
- Tapo D225. Tapo's install page says Always-On mode, which allows 24/7 recording, requires bypassing the existing chime, and that turning Always-On off lets you use it. A plug-in chime is in the box either way.
- Blink Video Doorbell. Blink's chime page says it rings a compatible mechanical or digital chime when wired at 8 to 24 VAC. It also warns that a different Blink model, the Wired Doorbell 2K+, does not support mechanical chimes. Check which Blink you are buying.
- eufy E340. The listing names an existing mechanical chime. It does not mention digital chimes, so ask eufy if yours plays a tune.
- Ring Battery Doorbell 2K, Arlo 2K and Nest (Wired, 3rd Gen). Each is described as ringing a wired home chime once it is hardwired: in the comparison table on Ring's listing, in Arlo's FAQ, and on Google's compatibility page. The transformer still has to meet the floor.
Mechanical or digital?
Take the cover off the chime. Metal bars and a plunger mean mechanical. A speaker and a circuit board mean digital. A chime with only batteries and no wires is a wireless set, and it will not connect to any of these.
If you lose the wall chime
You still get phone alerts. For sound in the house, makers sell plug-in chimes, and the Ring, Blink and Arlo listings name Alexa devices as another way to hear a ring.
Safety: the transformer is fed by household mains voltage. Turn off the breaker before you touch doorbell wires, and leave replacing or adding a transformer to a licensed electrician. Ring's install pages add that local codes may require a permit or a professional.
Run your own door through the wiring checker, or compare all seven picks on the roundup page.