Hi Dan,
Thank your for your reply. The main reason why It thought it important to put out a simple set up that works works was because of some of the nonsense which is out there. I put it as a reply to your post in particular because your method lead me to find the method that I finally used. Your method is good but complicated, and I think unnecessarily so.
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Even though the instructions for the chime that I used is advertised as rated for 8V, when if you look closely at my picture showing the chime wiring, you can see that the solenoid actually has 8-16V AC written on it. So, yes 18 V is two volts over the manufacturer’s specifications, but not unduly so. I believe that even 24V AC would be okay for the hardware, which is why the chime is listed on the Ring site as being compatible. Such devices often have much higher tolerances than are advertised.
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I wrote ‘The “Bypass” module, as “dancase” mentions is actually the “Pro Power Kit”. To use it in "Pro Power Kit " mode…’ I cannot see how you got the impression that I am saying anything different from what you said. I am much too impatient to be writing to Ring and waiting weeks for them to send me the correct cable - especially when it is a simple fix if you, “Know which end of a soldering iron gets hot”. That is just me. Getting the cable with the correct socket would have been better, of course.
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The Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) was the only issue that I had with the difference in voltage as I stated in my comment. The received signal strength is not only related to the transmitter power but also the receiver power. As with many systems, the supply to the device can be related to how much power it can use to amplify a wireless signal. This was a point that I tested directly by using the different voltages and checking the RSSI. The Door Cam was in the same place, so the only reason for a difference in the reported RSSI is the power supplied to the device, proving that the two are related. This was the first thing that came to my mind when I read how many people reported having issues connecting the Ring device to their WIFI: They were using too low a voltage, and hence the signal detection power is too low. My device has been working perfectly at 18V AC without any drop-outs at night, even when using Live View. (The motion detection caught a spider crawling up the wall one evening!) The Pro Manual states that the minimum voltage required is 16 V AC.
I must say that your method was a breath of fresh air compared to another “Working” method which had the solenoid connected in series with the Door Cam (without using the Pro Power Kit.) It works, but the solenoid is always energised (you can feel it vibrating) and this is likely to cause issues with solenoid/transformer burnout besides being dangerous.
Sincere regards,
…Lowel.
p.s. My response to your reply has not been put into the community blog, so I have copied it here.