I can confirm the chime controller is not showing up at the moment. I believe they ran out of stock. I think they should get more in at some point.
In the meantime, What happens if you switch the chime setting to none instead of on mechanical? Does that help at all? I’m guessing someone else tried that and I overlooked what the result was.
I do know that some people have had success by simply bypassing the chime entirely and connecting the camera directly to the transformer power wires. That way you would still get power to the camera but not get the false dinging while You wait for the chime controllers to come back in stock again. That’s probably what I would do.
You also should have the option to return the thing for a refund if it’s been less than 30 days if that’s what you really want to do.
I do agree that Wyze should have tested these a little better with the chimes and the chime controllers and had more single chime controllers available before it launched along with a better explanation about getting in using one if you planned to connect it up to a mechanical chime.
Anyway, I hope some of the above might be helpful for you. But either way, welcome to the community. Sorry to hear about your frustration. I know they previously said that they intended to start selling some things separately at the beginning of 2025, so hopefully more of the chime controllers is on that list along with the Wi-Fi, chimes, etc.
In the meantime, What happens if you switch the chime setting to none instead of on mechanical? Does that help at all? I’m guessing someone else tried that and I overlooked what the result was.
That was the first thing I tried when I realized what was going on. No help. The power draw by the doorbell is the culprit, so disabling the chime in software is not going to help.
I do know that some people have had success by simply bypassing the chime entirely and connecting the camera directly to the transformer power wires. That way you would still get power to the camera but not get the false dinging while You wait for the chime controllers to come back in stock again. That’s probably what I would do.
Yep, this is my plan! Thanks for confirming my plans seem like they might make sense
Anyway, I hope some of the above might be helpful for you. But either way, welcome to the community. Sorry to hear about your frustration.
I appreciate your concern! I have been all in on Wyze since I discovered them. I have several cameras around the house and a couple other devices. This is my first unexpected issue so it is a little frustrating, especially when I am just trying to make my family happy
Thanks for your thoughts and feedback. Hopefully tomorrow I can find some time to configure the workaround. In the emergency state of my household caused by the random rings, I had to disconnect the wired power, so hopefully I am able to get things back up and running relatively quickly.
Us volunteers have been sharing frustrations about this issue with employees. We’ll continue to make sure they’re aware this is still something really important. I think they fumbled a little bit on this issue, and hopefully they learn some good lessons from it.
Feel free to check back if you have additional thoughts after trying the bypass option. My only concern with a bypass is that there isn’t as much protection from a potential surge. I don’t think it risks safety (like a fire or anything like that), just potential device damage. Thankfully those should be fairly uncommon, and when I was doing a bypass in the past, power surges I had didn’t damage my video doorbells even when they burned out some other devices, so usually it seems fine. Maybe the transformer itself has some protection built-in.
I know there are a few other weird things on the DCDB right now. It does seem like every once in a while mine must still go into a suspended status since every so often it will tell me it recognizes my doorbell got plugged in and ask if I want to set up a chime that’s already setup, but for the most part I really love this device. It will be hard to convince me to switch back to any previous doorbell I’ve ever had (and I have all the Wyze ones and some from other companies, so I’ve used a bunch). I think if/when you can work out your power and phantom ring issue that you’ll really like it too.
Let me know if it doesn’t work for you if you find something else really strange and I’ll make sure your feedback gets heard by someone (even if it isn’t directly answered). I’m trying to make sure they remember how important these chime controllers are.
@samuelchodur - I neglected to ask nor do I see anything posted about your transformer, but do you know the voltage rating: ##V / ##Vac? Could possibly need upgrading.
This is exactly what I’d do in your situation. If the package didn’t include the jumper wire (which is listed in the package contents on the product page and I believe is supposed to be a fuse of sorts), then the easiest thing to do is probably to just nut the FRONT and TRANS wires together or screw them both to the TRANS terminal for now (if you have confidence that they’re wired correctly in your chime box, then I’d label them for easier reconnecting and/or Chime Controller wiring later), and you can obviously use the included Wi-Fi Chime for the doorbell sound.
Depending on the Cam models you’re using, you might be able to use some of those as accessory chimes. That’s another option to consider while waiting for Wyze’s Chime Controller stock to replenish. Chime Controller was still available (but listed as “Sold Out”) when I checked in the app ~10 days ago, but the last several times I’ve tried to look it up, it hasn’t shown up in the app shop at all. I’ve never seen it available for separate sale via the shop on their Web site, which has been disappointing and perplexing to me (and that’s something else I’ve shared with employees, along with the frustrations @carverofchoice expressed).
I’ve also seen mention of at least one Forum member buying a refurbished Video Doorbell v2 just to get the Chime Controller, so that’s another potential option if you want to get your mechanical chime back into service sooner.
If it were me, though, I think I’d figure out an alternate chime solution (Wi-Fi Chime, Cameras as Chime), bypass the mechanical chime (for now) and plan to get a Chime Controller when they’re available again.
Actually, the jumper wire is not a fuse, it’s just a plain short double hook ended wire the gauge and length of the extension wires. My 2 duos had the jumper in the screws, wire nuts and extension wires packet.
I don’t have one on hand to examine or test, but the Duo Cam Doorbell Installation Guide describes installing the jump wire in the same manner as installing the original Video Doorbell (and includes an instructional video for the original Video Doorbell’s installation as an example), and several Help Center articles use the term “fuse” for this part (as well as for Chime Controller)—as in describing the “jump wire/fuse wire”—so I think it’s reasonable to believe that Wyze would include the same or similar part to act as a jumper for Duo Cam Doorbell.
If you pass enough current through it, it will be a fuse
In all seriousness there are “fusible links” in many electronics that are meant to sacrifice themselves before a fire happens, but obviously this jumper wire isn’t one of those.
Attached are photos of my setup. 5VA 10V transformer. Probably original to the home (early 90s). Nap time so I can’t go poking around in the chime box, but I don’t think the 2nd doorbell is hooked up to anything. I only have one doorbell visible on the exterior of my home. Can look more closely later when I plan on hooking power back up to the bell and not hooking up the mechanical chime.
That transformer is nowhere near enough for a video doorbell. You’ll need to replace it.
While 16V 10VA is the bare minimum I’d go higher, you can get 20V 20-30VA off Amazon pretty cheap.
Obviously when you take that transformer off the wall, ensure the breaker is off, the back side is full 120V AC power. Use a multimeter to confirm the front is no longer putting out anything, or better yet one of the non contact voltage detectors on the front, then again on the wires behind as you pull it out from the wall just to be totally sure.
Yep, it always is, and can more than handle the tiny amount of current that even a 24V 40VA transformer running at 100% (which it would take several video doorbells to do that) would put through the wire.
It is likely 20 gauge wire rated for 100 or 150 volts, And at least 3-4 amps continuous. The overkill transformer above would be putting out less than 2 amps and that would not be continuous, so the more reasonable 20v 20 or 30va one would be nowhere near a concern even if your wire gauge is smaller than 20.
If you only plan to have a single video doorbell the 20VA is plenty, but considering the 30 isn’t much more, never hurts to have some room for growth (you may end up finding something else that needs low voltage AC power in the future).
OK thanks dave27. I ordered a new transformer but for now I have bypassed the mechanical chime. The camera seems to be working fine and it shows it is charging. I plan to install an SD card so I imagine when I have continuous recording the new transformer will be necessary.
It would be nice to be able to see the battery percentage somewhere in the app. It seems like I would have to turn off power at my breaker to see what % I am at right now.
Same as Android when you tap the screen. While no battery charge percentage, the icons are telling you that the duo is hardwired (the plug) and is actively charging or is charged (the lightning bolt). I have yet to see the lightning bolt disappear as a sign the battery is 100% charged. I seem to recall reading somewhere that there is protection in the battery and charging is stopped when capacity is reached. Shouldn’t have to be concerned about overcharging and decreasing lifespan of the battery.
Although tripping the breaker will make the percentage appear in the battery icon, it has always come up as 100% for me verifying that hardwired will maintain the battery at 100% and there is no need to worry about the duo battery losing it’s full charge. Provided it has been properly connected to a transformer for the purpose of charging the battery since it is essential to the operation of the duo.
Hope my comments are beneficial and help with your concerns.
