Problem with need for a resistor

In Ring’s documentation regarding the need for a resistor, they state the following:

“In addition to the equipment included in your Ring Video Doorbell box, You will need to purchase an electronic resistor. A resistor is REQUIRED in place of a mechanical or electronic doorbell kit for this alternate configuration to work successfully.”

There is a serious flaw in this logic. I am an electronics professional, and I totally understand this statement. It MIGHT be true if you didn’t instruct users to bypass the resistance on an existing mechanical chime by installing a jumper wire to bridge the resistance. When that is done, any resistance that exists between the two bridged terminals is negated because the full current will follow the path of least resistance and go through the jumper wire. When you install that jumper you have shorted any resistance. Therefore it is the same as wiring the doorbell directly to the transformer with no resistor.

Hi @alfalfa4381. The instructions you’ve quoted are for the Video Doorbell 2 if a neighbor wishes to wire it directly to a low voltage transformer, and they don’t have existing doorbell wiring in place. You can find those instructions in our Help Center article here.

However, it sounds like you have a Video Doorbell Wired since you’ve mentioned using a jumper cable. A jumper cable is required in the installation of the Video Doorbell Wired specifically, as outlined here. The installation instructions may differ between different Video Doorbell models as they have different requirements. I hope this helps clear things up.