I have purchased the doorbell pro with the intention of hardwiring it so I won’t have to constantly recharge the camera. I live in a city where it gets to -20C or colder in the winter and I’m sure the built-in batteries will have a major challenge performing if I did not hardwire the doorbell.
The problem is that I have ended up frying my original doorbell transformer and also its replacement. I a now down 2 transformers and I still don’t have my doorbell pro hardwired. I’m not sure what is causing (what I presume to be ) the short circuit causing the transformer to burn out.
I have followed the installation instructions. I live in a 4yr old (ie. new) home. The house is only wired for a front doorbell. I started with using the jumper cable to connect up the “Trans” and “Front” terminals in the door chime unit. Then I went to connect the doorbell pro to the black and red wires at my front door where my previous doorbell switch was connected. The doorbell pro was working but from the Wyze app, I can see that it was not charging-despite being hardwired. I then went to my garage where the doorbell transformer was located and measured the voltage on the two exposed terminals. I got a measurement of zero volts AC!
I then purchased a replacement doorbell transformer. Installed it. Before connecting any wires to it, I measured its output. 24V AC. Perfect! Now I connect the two wires to the transformer. (the rest of the circuit was already all connected up. The doorbell pro was connected to the wires at the front door already). I measure the output at the transformer again, right after connecting the wires. It was down to around 7V AC. Now I measure it a few more seconds later, it’s now zero!!! The transformer itself got fairly warm. So, something about my connection has burned out a second transformer!
I thought maybe there is a short circuit somewhere in my wiring. So to test that out, I connected a simple AA battery to the 2 wires in my garage (that would otherwise connect to the transformer terminals), and I went out to the front door to measure the voltage at the two, now disconnected, doorbell wires. I got a reading of 1.42V. I also checked the AA battery a few minutes later. It wasn’t even warm. My thinking is that this would test for and show me if I had any short circuit in my wiring.
It seems like, somehow there is a short circuit which is causing my transformers to blow. Wyze is sending me a replacement doorbell pro, in case there is a problem with the camera doorbell. Is it even possible for the camera to have some defect to cause this problem? BTW, the camera works perfectly fine on battery power. All of its functions work. So, if there is a defect, this is an isolated defect.
MAC addresses generally are safe to share. They are just an identifier for that specific device, and sharing them doesn’t really represent a security issue.
Thanks for your tip as well. I guess Wyze is sending me a new doorbell camera unit. So I likely won’t be using this old one anyways.
Still scratching my head as to how/why I fried 2 doorbell transformer with the set up. I have now purchased and installed one more doorbell transformer. However, I have not hooked up the wires on the low voltage side yet. I think I’ll wait to receive the replacement doorbell unit. And then hook up the doorbell camera directly to the transformer (literally, physically a few inches from the transformer) as a test to see if the doorbell itself will fry the transformer. If that tests is OK. Then I will connect the transformer to the doorbell wires at the garage end and measure the voltage output at the front door wires (without the doorbell cam being hooked up). If that also checks out. Then I guess I’ll hook up the new camera to the front door wires and cross my fingers.
Any resolution to this. I have fried 4 transformers. I had a nest doorbell hardwired for years without an issue. Now I can’t get the pro to charge at all without blowing the transformer. Exact scenario as you. Plug in. Voltage drops to 7. Then dead
Any update on this? Im kinda having same issue especially this cold weather. Mine is hard wired and on the app it sometimes show icon of hardwire and other time show battery icon. Its seem that when cold around 32 degrees the doorbell pro is not connected cus battery dead even if hard wite. Not sure whats going one. Its a hit and misss with it working through the week.
I have a Wyze Video Doorbell V2 and it’s fried 3 transformers!!!
3 TRANSFORMERS!!!
Let that sink in! These things are like $25-30 each so that’s a massive amount of money. I’m at the point where I know if I buy another, it’s going down the drain in 2-3 months.
I’ve also had a replacement V2 and it’s the same problem (frying transformers)
Anyone come across a beefier or better transformer that can survive, or are these Wyze doorbells just junk? I’ve also has connection issues, notification issues… it doesn’t end.
Possiblity: Most doorbell transformers designed to be loaded momentarily when the doorbell button was pushed, but can’t handle the constant load from the Wyze doorbell.
Is this the reason why they can’t handle the constant load and die out over a period of months?
I’ve been through 3 now, on my 4th! I just expect it to also die soon, why am I wasting any more time on this…
Wyze designed a product which is faulty imho. Many people seem to be having this issue when running through a transformer.
Wyze doesn’t design the transformers. Most likely you have a long run of wire and too much voltage drop, which draws more current and kills the transformer. The transformers you get at the big box stores are pretty lousy.
Instead of wasting money every few months on “bare minimum” transformers, get a good 20-24V 20 to 40VA transformer off amazon for $20 to $30 and be done with it.
If you really want to go robust, get a 24V transformer for an HVAC system. A little more expensive but they’ll last pretty much forever.
I’ve been using 24V 40VA transformers, this will be my 4th. I’ve had other doorbells on this transformer last for years without dying, With the WYZE v2, the transformer dies within 2-3 months.
The run of wire is literally 4 feet to the doorbell. A lot of times the transformer is in the attic or basement, so can’t picture it getting much shorter.
Are you running a mechanical chime off it, and if so are you using the chime controller? Is the transformer humming excessively or hot all the time?
Something is wired up wrong, or possibly the doorbell is defective, but you’d think the doorbell would be running hot and probably have burned out by now if it was constantly drawing too much power. I suspect you have essentially a short circuit somewhere that is just burning up the transformers.
No I never had a mechanical chime, only the V2 straight wired (by an electrician) into a transformer.
I’ve had a replacement V2 and same thing. I notice other users reporting the same issue on several sites. About to give up on this V2 and go with a Nest.
In that case, I think you might potentially be overdriving things. These transformers assume you will have a length of wire and a chime, so they put out 10 to 20% more than their rated voltage so that they’ll read their rated voltage at the button after the voltage drop. But you have basically 0 voltage drop.
Regardless of what doorbell you end up going with, I’d drop down to the 20V transformer (you don’t need anywhere near 40VA). Heck with that short run of wire, a 16V (which will actually be 18-20V at the doorbell) is probably more than enough, as long as it puts out say 15VA or more (10 is the minimum and cutting it too close IMO).
There is also the possibility that the thin, delicate doorbell wire is shorted somewhere. If the transformer is hot and/or humming pretty loud, that’s a sign of something like that. I’ve seen several cases where someone pulled it through too hard which exposed both wires and they are touching.
Wouldn’t hurt to disconnect the wires and test them for shorts.
Before you spend any money, did you notice this part in the installation guide:
An existing wired mechanical doorbell and chime is required to install Wyze Video Doorbell v2.
If it is intended to work with a chime in the path, wiring it direct is most likely what is frying the transformers. Honestly I’m surprised it isn’t frying the cam.
In theory you could wire the chime controller that came with it into the circuit to simulate a mechanical chime without actually having one (but I can’t guarantee that’s how it would work in practice).
It’s misleading since even in the settings it has Digital/Mechanical/None for the Chime settings.
Shouldn’t this also be made obvious before selling to customers? A lot of people don’t have mechanical doorbells in newer homes. It’s a bit of a relic these days.
So not sure what to do at this point. I have several options but it’s all guesswork with purchases involved $$$. I’m already on my way to my 4th transformer and on my 2nd Wyze V2.
Get a lower voltage 16W transformer and replace the bell wire ($20+$10)
Try using the chime controller and cross fingers
Install a plug and try a plug powered doorbell (New outlet/case/wiring $20 + plug $30)
Try running the doorbell off of the USB on the back. This voids warranty, and might not be weatherproof but I don’t care, it’s about to go in the trash anyways (New outlet/case/wiring $20)