I have the All-New Ring Doorbell 2020 release and an older (~1995-6) Nutone IM 4006 series (whole house) intercom system with one front door doorbell/intercom. I wanted to perform a hard wire installation of my Ring Video Doorbell to replace a defective front door doorbell/intercom.
The key (but unoriginal) concept for this installation was to: “replace” the front doorbell button which activates the Chime module within the intercom system master station with a relay switch (see the wire diagram).
(1) I turned off the circuit breaker to my intercom system.
(2) I repurposed the two front door intercom wires running from the “Terminal Board” at the back of the Nutone master station because they run from the station to the front door.
(3) I connected a wire from one terminal of the 16VAC transformer to the low voltage input coil from the relay and attached the other end of the low voltage input coil from the relay to one of the repurposed front door intercom wires that ran to the front door. I connected this repurposed wire to a Ring Doorbell terminal.
(4) I attached the second repurposed front door intercom wire to the second transformer terminal and attached that wire at the front door on the second Ring Doorbell terminal.
(5) Finally, I used a wire to connect one of the normally open switch terminals on the relay to the (common) COMM terminal on the Nutone Chime module (after detaching the old connection) and I used a second wire to connect the other normally open terminal on the relay to the (front door) FRONT terminal on the Nutone Chime module (again after detaching the old connection).
(6) Turned back on the circuit breaker to the intercom system and performed an In-home Chime Setting as directed using the Ring app.
The Ring doorbell maintains charge and work just find. The old doorbell wires were left unattached (cap them if it makes you feel good).
Note: Picking the right relay can be tricky because my system runs off a single Nutone 105T, AC transformer (16VAC @ 15 watts) and I did not want to replace it or install a second transformer. After some online research, I found two choices that seemed reasonable: a 24VAC relay -_uxcell A14071800ux0297 35mm DIN Rail DPDT 8P General Purpose Power Relay AC 24V Coil W Socket or a RIBU1C Enclosed Relay (10 Amp SPDT with 10-30 Vac/dc/120 Vac Coil) from Functional Devices, Inc. Tried both but the uxcell 24VAC relay seemed to work better in my hands. See my wire diagram. _ The Ring Doorbell activates the relay which activates the Chime module and I hear the doorbell chime throughout the whole house as before.
The front doorbell/speaker wall box is large with this Nutone intercom system. I found an appropriate cover plate from Kyle Switch Plates (https://www.kyleswitchplates.com) to cover this relatively large doorbell/speaker wall box. It was used to mount the Ring doorbell.
I used your diagram and steps to re-use a Nutone IM 3003. My system with the Nutone doorbell was working fine but I wanted to upgrade it with the new Ring Doorbell Wired ($59). I have the exact same transformer and I bought the relay that you recommended and used the old doorbell cable to the front door to connect everything. Found that the Ring Doorbell Wired when circuit was on had the blue light revolving very fast and the camera taking pictures every few seconds. The relay was also making a whining sound. I could not get the installation going and had to abort. The only difference I believe is your schematic uses another Ring Doorbell from mine so I’m not sure if the electrical/electronics are different and wouldn’t work for my product. Have been on the phone with Ring support for a couple of days but haven’t been successful getting it to work. They’re basically disavowing anything to do with a nutone. Any ideas what’s going on?
Thanks in advance
I used this same diagram. Does ring 3 need to be setup for digital or mechanical. It works but makes the relay buzz while the tune is playing throughout house. I also have 3 volts across relay coil when system it idle. If I unhook the ring outside. And just tap the two wires together the relay clicks for a second and the chime plays. As soon as I put the battery back in and hook wires up and push the ring button you hear relay going nuts while the tune is playing. One guy shows a power mod box across the relay coil terminals.
Sorry about your problem setting up your Nutone IM 3003. As you suggested the issue may involve:
Your unit being a Nutone IM 3003 and mine is the Nutone IM 4006
Your Ring Doorbell is not the Ring Doorbell 2020 release
However, it was not clear whether you performed the “In-home Chime Setting” as directed using the Ring app. It really made a difference for me and it eliminated problems like what you are experiencing.
Also consider using a 50 Watt 25 Ohm Wirewound Resistor, as suggested by Ring (a variety are available on Amazon). It did not work for me.
Nevertheless, I think the key is the choice of the relay. You want a current that will power the doorbell and keep the battery (if your model has one) fully charged (and not cause the relay to hum) but a voltage low enough not to activate the relay and the chime until the doorbell is pressed and activated.
If I were to do it all over, I would look at OONO® relays Model: F-1022 series by CZH-LABS.COM. Consider relays with Action voltages AC 10 – 13V or AC 16 -25V (Models F-1022 12V or F-1022 24V, respectively). CZH-LABS.COM sells the relays online for ~$8-12 each. Good luck!
I think the key is the choice of the relay. You want a current that will power the doorbell and keep the battery (if your model has one) fully charged (and not cause the relay to hum) but a voltage low enough not to activate the relay and the chime until the doorbell is pressed and activated.
Also consider using a 50 Watt 25 Ohm Wirewound Resistor, as suggested by Ring (a variety are available on Amazon).
Do not forget to perform the “In-home Chime Setting” as directed using the Ring app. It really worked for me and it eliminated problems like what you are experiencing.
This is great. I just moved into a house built in 1992 with a whole home intercom. Not sure of the model but looks very similar. Question, where would I place the Wirewound resistor? I purchased the Ring transformer just in case and will replace the original that came installed with the intercom. Sure wish the original youtube video was still available but I think I might be able to slog my way through it. My guess is that I can repurpose either pairs of wires from the front door to the master station as specified in step 2. One set powers the speaker and one the button on the original doorbell button. In the image above, what is the “coil” between terminals 7 and 8 in the relay switch? Is that something I have to buy/install?
Thanks for all of the help, guidance and recommendations.
About your Ring “article about wiring your Video Doorbell” and “tips on including a wirewound resistor”. I tried using a 50 Watt 25 Ohm Wirewound Resistor, as suggested by Ring BUT along with a 24V relay (as a chime module “activator” or “trigger”). It did not work for me. My Ring Doorbell is the Ring Doorbell 2020 release working with a Nutone IM 4006 Intercom System. I assume the 24VAC relay-_uxcell A14071800ux0297 35mm DIN Rail DPDT 8P General Purpose Power Relay AC 24V Coil W Socket that I used provides the appropriate resistance. However, I did not measure the resistance across the relay’s coil. Bottom line, the 16VAC transformer is NOT directly connected to the electronic chime module in my Nutone intercom master station. The 24V relay’s coil acts as a resistor (unknown Ohms). Check what some professionals advised about using relays and video doorbells: Relays to connect a Ring Doorbell to an electronic chime - YouTube and The Concept of Connecting a WiFi Video Door Bell to a NuTone Intercom System - YouTube : a 40 min long video from Northside Service Company, San Ramon CA but you must be patient and watch carefully. For some insight see a related solution using a competitor’s doorbell system - https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/relay-for-16vac.158043: Electro-Tech-online blog “talks the problem”. A Relay for the Nest Hello Doorbell - Functional Devices. Here a RIBU1C relay was used. This is from Samuel Klennert, an Electrical Engineer from Functional Devices Company.
