I like the DIY attitude, and I hope you’re able to solve this one yourself, because I like the feeling of accomplishment that comes with that, but I also understand when people don’t want to spend the time and would rather have someone else do the work.
I’m guessing this means you didn’t rewire the current chime to its original condition and test with the “dumb” doorbell button, and I can’t say that I blame you for that. It’s something I think I might do to help myself think through the problem.
When you get the working multimeter, you can use that to test voltages at your transformer, at the chime location, and at the doorbell (depending on what you do with the wires in the chime box) and you can also use it to confirm wire runs and determine which pair originate and terminate at which location, which is what I found helpful and one of the things I accomplished today (Steps 6-8 in my post from earlier today). (You might already know all of this stuff. I don’t know what your level of experience is. I’m just learning as I go and trying to share what I’ve learned with the hope that others might find it helpful.) Being able to do my own tests and see the results of those tests has really helped me to have a better understanding of the wiring in this house and how it’s supposed to work.
Now I guess I just need to keep and see if the chime continues to ring after the mucking about I did today. I have good feelings about it.
Thanks for the encouragement. I am getting over 27V at my 24/40 transformer, and I get nothing at the chime, but the the camera is working fine. I could check the camera itself, but it is on and works fine (remounting the camera is a real “pita”). How is power getting to the camera but not to the chime, and the camera won’t work without each pair of wires connected the way they are? There has to be another wire combination that will solve this.There literally has to be a simple answer, and I am not paying $250-$400 for that answer. I am retired and I have time to fight this battle even though I am neglecting other things that need doing. Stay tuned.
This makes me wonder how/what you’re actually testing, because—if I understand correctly—you’ve reported that the only way you get power to the camera is by connecting the black and white wires the way you have (in your most recent photo) at the chime location, so that indicates to me that you should be reading something at the chime, depending on which wire pairs you’re testing, since you’re apparently routing power through there from the transformer to the doorbell camera unit. This is what I’d do:
Turn off power to the doorbell transformer.
Disconnect all the wires at the chime. This means remove the Chime Controller and disconnect all wires from terminals and from each other so that you have only the four individual wires (2 black, 2 white) exposed and separated.
Turn on power to the doorbell transformer.
Put the multimeter in AC voltage measurement mode.
If you can see which wire pairs are coming out of the same jacket (i.e., you can see two jackets coming from the wall at the chime and can tell which black and white wires come from the same jacket), then test each pair (i.e., put the red multimeter probe on the black wire and the black multimeter probe on the white wire coming out of the same jacket).
One wire pair should give you a reading similar to what you're getting at the transformer (because it's coming from the transformer). I would connect the black wire from this pair to the chime's TRANS terminal.
The other wire pair should give you a reading that's totally different (should be at or close to zero, because it's coming from the doorbell). I would connect the black wire from this pair to the Chime Controller's black wire.
If you can not see which wires are paired in their jackets, then you can pick pairs to test.
Let's call the wires Black1, Black2, White1, and White2 so we can do 4 tests.
Put the red multimeter probe on Black1 and the black multimeter probe on White1. If you get a reading similar to what you measured at the transformer, then Black1 is what should be connected to the chime's TRANS terminal.
Put the red multimeter probe on Black1 and the black multimeter probe on White2. If you get a reading similar to what you measured at the transformer, then Black1 is what should be connected to the chime's TRANS terminal.
Put the red multimeter probe on Black2 and the black multimeter probe on White1. If you get a reading similar to what you measured at the transformer, then Black2 is what should be connected to the chime's TRANS terminal.
Put the red multimeter probe on Black2 and the black multimeter probe on White2. If you get a reading similar to what you measured at the transformer, then Black2 is what should be connected to the chime's TRANS terminal.
The black wire you not determine to be the TRANS wire is what you'll connect to the Chime Controller's black wire.
Turn off power to the doorbell transformer.
Connect the two white (house) wires together.
Connect the black (house) transformer wire and the Chime Controller's red wire to the chime's TRANS terminal.
Connect the other black (house) wire to the Chime Controller's black wire.
Connect the Chime Controller's white wire to the FRONT or REAR terminal, depending on which kind of chime sound you want.
Restore the transformer's power and test.
Make sure the camera is getting adequate power and showing a live feed.
Make sure Doorbell Chime Type is set to Mechanical in the doorbell's settings and Do Not Disturb is toggled off.
Again, my steps are based on the following beliefs:
You have one 2-conductor pair (black and white) in your chime box from the transformer side.
You have one 2-conductor pair (black and white) in your chime box from the doorbell button location side.
All of these conductors are intact.
The chime still works.
If you have some other wiring scheme going on, then that complicates things.
I apologize if what I’m writing seems remedial and if it’s stuff you already know. Since these posts are public, I’m trying to simplify things step-by-step in case this can be useful to someone else who comes along. Having said that, I’ll include a few more notes:
With a working multimeter, you could do other tests to confirm the state of the wiring, such as testing for continuity or measuring resistance.
If your multimeter has a continuity mode (mine doesn’t), then you could check the black and white wires (similar to the testing noted above in 4.b.i-iv) to see which wires are actually paired to complete a circuit. You probably want to have transformer power turned off for this, and if you’re testing for continuity on the doorbell side then you’ll probably have to remove the doorbell from the wall and either use a test lead/jumper to connect those two wires or remove them from the doorbell and twist them together temporarily.
If your multimeter does not have a continuity mode, then you could put the multimeter in resistance measurement mode (the instructions for my multimeter warn against using this mode while the circuit has power because of potential damage to the meter) and perform tests similar to the continuity tests in order to demonstrate conductance and completion of one or both sides of the circuit. This is some of what I outlined in my previous post when I described the steps I took to determine that the wrong wire (red in my case; equivalent to black in yours) had been connected to the TRANS terminal of the chime for years until I corrected that just a few days ago. (Maybe that doesn’t actually matter with this all being alternating current, but the Chime Controller itself is kind of a mystery to me, and I feel better having it actually wired according to Wyze’s recommended standard wiring diagram. It’s been working as expected since I made the change.)
Except for the times you’re testing for resistance (and possibly continuity), turning off the power to the transformer may not be absolutely necessary (like when you’re disconnecting and reconnecting wires in the chime box) since you’re dealing with low voltage, but I include this in my steps out of an abundance of caution for good practice and because I don’t know a given individual’s potential preexisting health conditions or concerns.
I definitely will!
If you’re using the included Wyze mount, then I wouldn’t expect this to be a huge issue because the doorbell camera unit should just slide up and off the bracket (though they don’t leave you a lot of room for the wires, so I understand how that’s a pain point). My case is a little different: I attached the extension wires (included in the box) because I prefer using the spade terminals since I expected to be attaching and removing this thing a few times, and then later I revised the mount so that I would get a better downward angle and be able to see when some packages are left on the porch. Because of that, I have to use a T10 Torx driver to remove the doorbell camera unit or access the microSD card slot, but using the wedge I made (which I’m considering revising) gives more space for the wires between the doorbell and the exterior house wall.
I don’t blame you, especially at the price of the Video Doorbell v2.
I’ve suggested the way I think this is all supposed to go together in your environment, and I’ve tried to be clear about what I believe to be the case (but don’t know without testing) with your existing wiring. Obviously I’m not there to see everything you’ve attempted so far, but what you’ve demonstrated in the photos you’ve shared makes me wonder what you’ve actually attempted, because I can’t see every combination you’ve tried, so I’ve tried to be explicit in my recommendations.
I sincerely hope that this helps, and I look forward to learning what happens next. Thank you for taking the time to post updates!
I am happy to report that my doorbell now rings!! This is by direct wiring. Connecting the chime controller is another battle for another day! I am just happy to hear the doorbell ring when I push the button. I am providing a link to the wiring that is currently working. It seems an odd combination to me, but it does work. I combined the hot wire (black) from the transformer with the common wire (whitish) from the doorbell, and connected that to the “trans” terminal. Then I combined the black wire from the doorbell with greenish-white common wire fro the transformer and connected that to the “front” terminal. I had to wait for the capacitor to load, but then it worked. I am waiting for a friend to come over just so he can push the doorbell button for me while I use the multimeter to see if I can read voltage at the chime. Thanks a lot for your many attempts to help me and give encouragement to not call an electrician.
That “white” wire on the front terminal is a piece I added to the black doorbell wire that was too short after I installed the new chime. So consider that white as black.
Thanks for the update! I’m glad the new chime is working! I had to think for a minute about what’s happening with what you did here, and I believe that I know why it’s working (which confirms what I said earlier about how you could take the Chime Controller out of the circuit and still have a functioning doorbell and chime) and how you could install the Chime Controller, especially since you know that you have the correct black (line/“hot”) wire attached to TRANS and that it’s paired with the “greenish-white” common wire. This is what I would do next:
Turn off power to the transformer.
Remove the wire nut splicing the black doorbell wire and your white extension wire and use the wire nut to connect the black doorbell wire to the Chime Controller black wire. (Leave the white extension wire disconnected.)
Remove the “greenish-white” wire and the white extension wire from the FRONT terminal and connect the Chime Controller white wire to the FRONT terminal. Set the white extension wire aside.
Remove the “whitish” wire from the TRANS terminal and connect it to the “greenish-white” wire with a wire nut.
Connect the Chime Controller red wire to the TRANS terminal.
Restore power and test.
This all assumes that the Chime Controller is still intact and functional after your previous attempts at wiring it. If it isn’t, then you could always revert the doorbell to the wiring as you have it now and leave the Chime Controller out entirely, as other Forum users have reportedly done this sort of thing.
I’m glad that persistence is paying off! I’m interested to learn what happens when (if?) you wire in the Chime Controller and what data you get by testing under load with your friend there.
Is the wvdb.v2 controller available for separate purchase? Should I contact support?
I’m giving my vdb.v2’s to my son as I did my vdb.v1’s when I got the v2’s. I want to keep the controllers in for the vdb duo I ordered to ding my mechanical chimes. There have been successes with chimes working without the controllers, perhaps I should try that first. I don’t think the vdb.v1’s resistors will work with the v2. I could give him the wifi chimes from the duos but I want to keep the for other future use.
It doesn’t appear to be available separately at this time. This is discussed in the official announcement topic for Duo Cam Doorbell. (I think much can be learned by reading that topic.) Whether or not you contact Support is your choice, though I’m skeptical that it would give you a better answer. Maybe asking them about it would put it on Wyze’s radar, though, so it’s not a bad idea. I personally think the Video Doorbell v2 Chime Controller and the new Wi-Fi Chime should be made available as accessory purchases.
Yes, I’ve read those here in the Forum for Video Doorbell v2, and now I’m also seeing at least one report of successfull Duo Cam Doorbell use without the Chime Controller:
If we’re talking about the same thing, then my understanding of the component that ships with the original Video Doorbell is that it’s a fuse wire that’s intended for use in bypassing the home’s built-in chime, taking the chime completely out of the loop and providing some protection from power surges to the doorbell, so I wouldn’t expect that to work for Video Doorbell v2 or Duo Cam Doorbell if wired in the way that Wyze advises for the original Video Doorbell installation; however, I suspect that it could still be useful if someone wanted to wire one of these newer doorbell models without the Video Doorbell v2’s Chime Controller. This is what I might be inclined to try if I had one of those parts on hand:
Turn off power to the transformer.
Connect one end of the original Video Doorbell’s fuse/jumper wire to the built-in chime’s FRONT terminal.
Use a wire nut to connect the other end of the original Video Doorbell’s fuse/jumper wire to the wire coming into the chime box from the doorbell button’s location.
Restore power to the transformer and test.
Caveats:
I am not an electrician.
I don’t have a fuse wire on hand (I’ve never owned the original Video Doorbell), so I have no idea what its rating/specifications are.
I’m imagining any one attempting this would have already removed the Video Doorbell v2 Chime Controller from the chime box (what I picture your likely scenario would be), so at that point the only wire attached to a chime terminal would be the wire coming from the transformer and already attached to TRANS, and the disconnected wire at the starting point would be from the doorbell button location.
I don’t know if something like that would be useful or not, but on its face it seems like it would have the potential to provide some protection to the doorbell camera unit by inserting a fuse into the circuit. I don’t know why it wouldn’t work.
@Crease - Thank you for that suggestion and link to the original official announcement for the duo. Yes, there is much to learn, it’s rather extensive and was only “glossed” over by me. A frequent habit when the written dialogue is fairly extensive. As I am open to correcting this fault, I am now reading the material fully for all the information it’s making available.
You’re welcome. I just wanted to point you back in that direction since this is a topic about video-doorbell-v2 and you were asking questions primarily about duo-cam-doorbell. Seems like several of your questions about that were answered in the Duo Cam Doorbell announcement topic.
and see if the chime continues to ring after the mucking about I did today. I have good feelings about it.
