You can solve this pretty easily. First, touch the two wires from your exiting indoor chime together. If the chime rings, you’re good to go there. Next, grab an ohm meter (available at Lowe for about $15 if you don’t have one) and connect to the terminals on the back of the ring (without your existing chime wires connected). Then push the button and see if you get continuity across the terminals. If you don’t, then the Ring will never activate the existing chime. If you’re existing chime ever worked, you already have a transformer. Don’t waste time with a bridge rectifier, not going to fix anything. All the diode does is limit the flow of current to one direction. Again, unless you have continuity across the terminals, that is useless. Ring will not help you because the only solution is to provide you with a new updated model and they aren’t going to do that. Does anyone wonder why with all these negative posts that someone from Ring doesn’t jump in and provide some sort of defense??? Simple answer is that there is a design flaw, a problem which they are not willing to take ownership of.
Ok, so now just make a YouTube video with your findings and a step by step guide on how we can recreate them!!
This solution helped me a lot. The only trouble was in the listing of the menu items to get to the option to set a hard-wired indoor chime. For my ring three plus I had to go into my front door camera, then I had to choose device settings, then in home chime settings. Just glad it worked. For me, following the listed instructions didn’t work because my menus a little bit different.
To he clear, you have a ring 3, which is not the same as Ring Video Door Bell 2 and while your fix is applicable to ring 3, it is not applicablte to Ring Video Door Bell 2.
@RE1 , Not trying to be mean or combative. I just want to be politely informative.
The statement is incorrect about ,“Next, grab an ohm meter . . . Then push the button and see if you get continuity across the terminals. If you don’t, then the Ring will never activate the existing chime.”
It’s incorrect since the Ring Doorbell uses a Solid-State Relay, not an electro-magnet mechanical relay. Mechanical relays can be checked. But a typical Ohm meter can not check a Solid-State relay. Opening & exploring the doorbell, there isn’t a mechanical electro-magnet type relay inside.
Here’s one of many online articles:
_“Solid-state devices require a minimum amount of voltage/current across the input before the output device will conduct. Most multi-meters are designed to simply provide a small amount of voltage in order to measure the ensuing current draw. Therefore, when measuring a solid-state device, the meter will typically report an open circuit (or very high impedance) because it cannot put out enough to turn on the relay” _ https://forum.digikey.com/t/can-i-test-solid-state-relays-ssrs-with-a-multi-meter/546
More detailed good information:
http://www.crydom.com/en/tech/newsletters/solid%20statements%20-%20bench%20test%20an%20ssr.pdf
My Video Doorbell makes my mechanical bell “Ding-Dong.” Meter shows a constant high-impedance resistance Ohms (>200k, an “open-circuit”) whether button is depressed or not. Yet makes the wall-bell “Ding Dong.”
To clarify Ring Video Doorbell 2 and the Ring Video Doorbell 2nd Generation (also frequently called “Gen2”) are indeed two different models. Some people mistakenly think these are the same. Confusion is understandable due to too many two’s 2 too. LOL
Older Video Doorbell 2 uses a “Quick-Release-Battery” pack, & Video Doorbell 2nd Gen does not (has an internal battery). Also, Video Doorbell 2 does not have extra App setting-options, to switch from mechanical to digital bell (hence need a diode if your bell is digital). Later version Video Doorbell 2nd Gen & subsequent models, have Ring App selections of “None”, “Mechanical”, & “Digital.” Subsequent doorbell models, do not use a diode. Just switch setting to “digital.” “None” is the default setting (Ring doesn’t know what bell you have). Main menu > Devices > select your video doorbell > Device Settings > General Settings > In home chime settings > Advanced Settings > chime type > then switch “none” to “mechanical” or “digital” > then select “SAVE” at the upper-right.
To determine a Mechanical or Digital bell, listen to the way it sounds. Here’s a link to a video (at 2:20 minute part hear different “Ding-Dong” sounds).
My Ring model is a Ring Video Doorbell 2, installed several years ago. Still makes my NuTone bell go “Ding-Dong.” Nutone is on the compatibility list.
Your Video Doorbell 2’s both do not make your house-bell work. I believe another common factor is both use same bell-chime. What if indeed that needs to be changed to bell on the compatibility list? Older chime (less efficient) may leave insufficient current for the solid-state relay to function & no “Ding-Dong.”
After I’ve installed my Video Doorbell 2, I’ve helped friends install their Video Doorbell 2nd Gen, Video Doorbell 3, & Video Doorbell 3 “Plus” models. So I’m familiar with those model’s App settings too.
I hope you find this information helpful 
I am one of the original poster on this topic from back in early 2019. I gave up trying to solve the issue and got Amazon to refund my money buit I still get emails linking me to this topic and for the benefit of anyone looking here for answers may I make the following points.
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My problem only applied to the Ring Doorbell 2 which I shall now refer to as the RD2 throughout this post. Any other model can be made to work. My problem is specific to the RD2 and only the RD2
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There are no relevant menu items on the RD2 that will solve the problem, if there are on your unit, good luck to you as you do not have the same problem.
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Much of the confusion on this thread is caused by posters not bothering to read the previous posts and offering their experiences regardlessly. They might as well answer questions about shampooing their dog because it’s no more relevant to the RD2 than most of the contributions to this thread.
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The RD2 cannot complete a simple on/off circuit across the two terminals on the rear of the unit despite the claims of ill informed customer service agents and helpful forum contributors. No matter what the form of the internal relay, it does not close the two contacts, or it didn’t on my RD2
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The use of a diode is only relevant to electronic circuitry where a current is received and needs polarity. The working of a simple battery mechanical bell needs no polarity and neither does my original bell system. It just needs simple connectivity which the RD2 cannot provide. I can provide it by just touching the two wires together so why can’t the RD2 just do that?
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Ring never answer this question because either their agents are inadequately qualifed to deal with questions ouside the scope of their printed answer sheets or, if they are techs from within the company, they know the unit cannot perform the function being requested and have been instructed not to admit a failing in the design.
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A Ring Doorbell Pro would probably solve this specific problem but it poses another problem that I cannot solve. It requires an electrical mains current to operate it and the site of my bell push does not have any near electrical connection without complicated electrical construction installation which is not justified for a simple doorbell!
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I no longer have any axe to grind in this matter and have no position to defend as I returned my RD2 for a refund, so I can say that with the exception of “RE”, no other contributor has been of any help as they either fail to identify the model of their Ring Doorbell, refer to a model which does not have the fault, or just don’t understand that different models are different and just because they are sold by Ring doesn’t make them the same. The title of the thread doesn’t help as it is not specific and attracts owners of all Ring models so they cannot be blamed for asking their questions in the thread, but none of their experiences or proffered solutions are relevant to the RD2 so were of no use to me.
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18 months have elapsed since I struggled with my RD2 and in that time I can see that no one has solved the problem. Other problems have been solved but these solutions don’t help with my original problem which is so basic that it is difficult to understand why the design of the unit failed to cope with my required use. What does come out of a lot of the posts is that Ring devices are badly made in China and that the company does not operate a quality assurance scheme that can pick up poor design and poor manufacture. They just deal with everything through sales oriented support staff who have little real understanding of the workings of these devices.
So I offer my sympathy to anyone who bought a Ring Doorbell 2 and found that it wouldn’t operate their original mechanical bell. By all means struggle with all the misunderstood advice offered here and suffer at the hands of the Ring Support Staff who will always assume that it is you who does not understand their device when in truth it is they who are ignorant of its faults. If you can use another model, try it, but I lost confidence in the RIng company and decided that I couldn’t allow them to make me miserable for a second time!
Initially my mechanical doorbell would not chime with the Ring Doorbell (2nd gen). I went to the Device in the Ring App, then Device Settings; then In-Home Chime Settings; then Advanced Settings; then Chime Type. Under Chime Type select “Mechanical” then give it a few minutes. My original mechanical doorbell chime now works!
Hope this helps someone. I was stumped for a whole day.
Ring Video Bell 2 (1st gen) does not have the option in the app to select chime.
very simple fix. On a Ring Pro DO NOT install power brick on the mechanical doorbell if you wish it to chime when the Ring doorbell is pushed. This should be added to the instructions from the beginning. After reading literally tons of posts it just boils down to DO NOT install the power booster in the mechanical doorbell.
Thank you so much… Wired up my new Video Doorbell 3 2 weeks ago and was surprised to find that the existing indorr bell didn’t ring. Thought oh well… and bought a Ring Chime…
But it still bugged me, and today I find your comment and now my indoor doorbell rings. For anybody else looking for this on the current software, it’s under Device / Settings / Device Settings / In Home Chime Settings / Advanced Settings then choosing ‘Mechanical’ from the selection list.
Now have a £30 chime I don’t need…
Thanks,
David
We have a second generation Ring and I have a in home preexisting digital doorbell. With the above instructions we were able to get our doorbell to work. I had a very hard time figuring this out because I am not tech savy but my son helped me. So I thought that for those who are like me I would make it very simple.
First go to the 3 lines in the upper left corner of the app. Press ->Devices, then click your Front Doorbell or whichever unit is attached to the old wiring for the old doorbell. Then go to Device Settings , then go to Home Chime Settings and then we clicked advance settings and then selected the digital 1 option and our home digital doorbell works. It says that if the digital 1 option does not work to try digital 2 option.
Hope this helps!
That’s great advice if the app that controls your unit has the features you mention but when I bought my Ring unit back in May 2019, that was not the case and there was no option to do anything, so I asked Ring to take the unit back and refund my money. They refused so I went to Amazon who sold me the thing and because they understand that good customer service keeps customers, they gave me back my money. So I don’t have the unit any more and I am unlikely to ever buy anything from Ring as a result of the way they fobbed me off with nonsensical technical advice and then refused to take back their product. Later it seems they changed the way the device works but when I was one of the first posters on this thread, they left me to rot and told me to have a great day!
Azwl- exact same situation here. My existing chime had always worked throughout the house and just stopped months ago. Came to this thread for help. The only troubleshooting help I saw on the Ring site was for the Ring Pro. Those device settings referred to by Ring Help and others here are not applicable for our Ring2. I looked multiple times and ways.
Sorry I’ve forgot the name of the person who posted about going to the inchime settings in the main menu. After reading through the thread I was convinced that my Ring2 video would never work with manual chime but that done the trick. At first I was looking in the general settings instead of main menu and like others thought mines didn’t have that option. Worked a treat. Thank you ?
Rog2 - Ring Video Door Bell 2 (2019 vintage) does not have that option in the settings as many others in this chain have confirmed.
Hi RE, no idea about the vintage bit but it is a Ring video doorbell 2. Frustrating that they’re all different.
Thanks again to the person who helped pair mine with door chime. ?
I was able to fix mine by slightly change how the lugs were connected to the plate. It appears for my device and plate, the tips of the lugs need to go inside as the screws are tightened. [see attached image]. So obscure! Someone in the beginning of this thread gave me the hint.
You’re awesome Aurorawatcher! I fooled around to try to get my mechanical doorbell to work all day!! I went through the steps you cited and now it works!! Thanks!.. Wenz
I said same thing to tech support. My electrician tried all day. Still won’t close circuit
Yes, this worked on my 2nd generation Ring doorbell. If you have the traditional doorbell (with the ding dong sound) select mechanical.