Video Doorbell

Welcome to the forums!
The Wyze Chimes I have tested with the doorbells, do not have a firmware version listed in the device info screen. So, I don’t think the tunes can be changed at this point,

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@UserCustomerGwen

I will be purchasing a 24v transistor for the doorbell.

  1. Most transistors say you need a “50W Watt 25 Ohm Resistor” for doorbells, eg ring. Is that the case for Wyze?

  2. The specs say you need at least 10VA. None of the transistors I have seen tell you the VA… How do I figure that out? (I could take the volts and amps to calculate it, but dont know if a transistor is a single or triple phase bacause none explain that…)

Help!

This may help, it was posted in Core by someone.

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Transformer.

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Yes, transformer!

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This is very helpful! But, that conversion equation depends on a single phase vs triple phase device. I have no idea what that means, which my transformer is, or whether all transformers are of one type…

(Also need to know on that resistor…) @UserCustomerGwen

I’m not exactly sure what you are asking. If you are using an existing doorbell chime power transformer, it must be at least 16V/10VA. This is what I upgraded mine to: Amazon.com
You can go larger such as this one: Amazon.com

If you are wanting to use a plug-in style of transformer, you could use something like this: Amazon.com

In any case, the doorbell comes with a resister that is connected to the wires that go to the doorbell. If you watch the installation video, that should give you a better idea.

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Home electronics are single-phase. Triple-phase is found in industrial equipment.

Phase in simple terms is how many wires a device uses that carries the voltage. Home electronics use one wire for the voltage, and another for the common wire that completes the circuit (plus an optional ground wire for safety). Industrial electronics like heavy-duty motors use 3 wires - each one connected in a way so that at any time while the motor is spinning one of the three magnetic coils in the motor can “pull” more efficiently while the other 2 would be weaker. To get a little technical, each wire is carrying voltage in a sine wave, but are offset 1/3 of a wave from each other.

Ever notice that overhead power lines always have 3 or 6 wires on them (plus the one/s at the very top for lighting strikes)? Each wire is carrying one phase of 3-phase power.

But enough engineering lesson - short answer is you will probably never have to worry about triple-phase power. The doorbell uses single-phase.

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Thanks to all the comments!

  1. I am going for a 24V, 800 mAmp transformer (19.2 VA, by my calculation). Does that work?

  2. I need extra wire to reach my doorbell. I’m getting 18/2 wire. I have read that 18 gauge wire can handle 16 amps of energy, which should be fine because the transformer outputs less than one amp.

  3. I continue to read that the “50W Watt 25 Ohm Resistor” is needed on transformers to doorbells. Is this needed?

Any guidance @UserCustomerGwen and the community?

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As far as I can tell the resistor you’re talking about is used with Ring doorbells only when there is no existing mechanical chime. I don’t think this applies to Wyze.

Edit: Thanks, corrected by @mvb

@WickedWyzard, I think your selected transformer will work just fine. I installed a 16V/10VA trans and it handles 2 doorbells without issue.
The 18/2 wire is also call “bell wire” for the very reason you selected it.
Wyze provides the resister you will need to complete the setup, so you don’t need to worry about that.
There is one other tip that I would like to offer. A number of testers added a simple toggle switch located in a convenient location either in front of or behind the transformer, It makes it really easy to power cycle the doorbell in the unlikely event you need to. My transformer was a pain to get at, so I install a spare wall switch and box I had sitting around.
Good luck and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

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There is a resister that is supplied by Wyze that is used when bypassing the chimes. That is covered in the installation instructions and I think in their video.

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I’m not sure it’s actually a resistor, it’s labeled a “fuse” in the box contents…I’ve never used it…initially, I did follow the install instructions & connected the wires together at the chime, but did not use the fuse. Since then, I have rewired so the doorbell is wired directly to the transformer & also rewired the transformer to plug into a wyze plug for remote power cycling.

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You’re right, Ken. They call it a fuse. I was thinking resister. In any case, the resister @WickedWyzard mentioned is not needed for the Wyze Doorbell.

For the record, I considered doing what you did, but it would have involved a complete rip and replace and it would not have provided enough benefit for me. (That and I was just too lazy. :grin:)

Not sure if what Wyze is calling a “Fuse” is really a fuse or resister. But regardless, unless you like the idea of a chance of electrical fires in your walls I strongly suggest using it. Both will work to limit the electrical current.

agree with you regarding another thread. but looking at the wishlist and roadmap forum, I’m not sure if votes is the determining factor.

@bobes25
Votes is definitely a factor, but not the only factor. They also have to account for things like feasibility, expense, resources and things like that. Votes is usually what gets it initially seen though.

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it would appear it is an actual fuse…I wrongly assumed it was just bridging the 2 wires together…looks like I’ll be adding this asap.



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My thought when we first got them was that if it wasn’t needed, they would have just had us wire nut them together.

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It says the doorbell has a motion sensing light, can the motion sensing be turned off?