Your Ring Doorbell is likely only ringing outside because it's solely powered by its internal battery. Battery-powered Ring Doorbells are designed to activate the chime on the doorbell unit itself (outside), but they don't typically connect to your existing internal doorbell chime.
Here's a breakdown of why this happens and potential solutions:
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Battery-Powered Operation:
- Many Ring doorbells, especially wireless models like the Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation), rely entirely on battery power. This means they're designed to conserve energy. Directly wiring to your internal chime system requires more power.
- The battery-powered doorbell is intended to alert you via notifications on your smartphone, tablet, or computer, and through the speaker on the doorbell unit itself, instead of using your existing chime.
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Lack of Wiring to Existing Chime:
- If your Ring Doorbell isn't physically connected to your home's existing doorbell wiring, it won't activate the internal chime.
- The absence of a wired connection means there's no electrical signal being sent to trigger the chime mechanism inside your house.
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Ring Chime/Chime Pro Solution:
- To hear the doorbell inside your home, you need a separate Ring Chime or Chime Pro. These devices connect to your Wi-Fi and sound an alert when your Ring Doorbell is pressed. The Chime Pro also acts as a Wi-Fi extender to improve the Ring Doorbell's connection.
- The Ring Chime and Chime Pro are designed to work with battery-powered Ring doorbells, providing an audible alert inside your home without requiring wiring.
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Incorrect Configuration in the Ring App:
- While less likely if you don't have a wired connection, double-check the Ring app settings. Ensure that the internal chime isn't enabled if you don't have a wired doorbell setup. This can cause confusion.
Solutions:
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Purchase a Ring Chime or Chime Pro: This is the easiest solution to hear your doorbell inside.
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Consider Hardwiring (If Possible): If your Ring Doorbell model supports it and you have existing doorbell wiring, you can hardwire the doorbell. This requires some electrical knowledge, so consider hiring a qualified electrician. After hardwiring, ensure you configure the chime settings in the Ring app.
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Use Alexa Announcements: If you have an Amazon Echo device, you can configure it to announce when someone presses your Ring Doorbell.
In summary, if your Ring Doorbell is only ringing outside, it is operating as intended for a battery-powered device. To hear it inside, you'll need to add a Ring Chime, Chime Pro, or integrate it with a compatible smart home system like Amazon Alexa.
