Chime Pro (2nd Gen) Won't Connect To Network PLUS Further Issue

I bought a Ring Doorbell 3 Plus and it connected to my network with no issues. It is installed and working.

I bought a Chime Pro (2nd Gen) and tried to install it today. I have tried at least ten times, and each time ended up with a red light and the message about ‘sometimes things just won’t connect’.

Then I found a related post here about using a different address entry as a workaround. But the problem has now developed further.

The last time I tried the normal connect method which had been ending with the red light up until then, the app told me there were no networks near the Chime Pro - that was downstairs. So I brought it upstairs so it is right next to the router (within a metre or two) and it still reports the same thing.

It appears that the Chime Pro has lost it’s wi-fi.

Is there some way of checking this before I send it back? I really need to get this working and it is annoying enough that it hasn’t gone smootly.

Incidentally, ‘Ring Setup 80’ is showing in the network list, but it is 1 or 0 bars - even though it’s only a few metres away.

Actually, scratch this.

I haven’t got a clue what I did, but after trying another half dozen times or so it decided it would connect this time, and it is now working. Ran through the update and everything in a few minutes.

There was a minor scare, when the update operation seemed to wipe all my connected devices off the app, and any attempt to go to ‘Devices’ just asked me to set one up, but rebooting my phone appeared to fix that.

I have to say, this experience could have been a whole lot less hassle - I was close to sending it back.

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In case anyone experiences connection issues with their Chime, here’s a follow up story.

Since I was getting a weak wifi signal between my upstairs router and downstairs bell/chime pairing, I decided to remove everything and go through set up again - this time using a dueal-band wifi extender I have purchased. You can guess where this is going.

After cursing a lot because I had to take the bell off the wall again (with a torch, since it was dark) to get to the QR code/5-digit code on the back of it (and inevitably losing one of the screws), it ran through set up flawlessly. Then came the Chime…

It just would not pair, just as before. Red light after red light.

I had noticed that when I set up the bell the first time, it automatically connected to the 2.4GHz channel of my home network. I chose that option on the extender this second time around. Each time I tried to connect the Chime I was trying the 2.4GHz channel. When I then tried the 5GHz channel - which with hindsight was what it connected to the first time on my home network - it connected.

I now had a strong signal to both devices. But then came another problem. Intermittently, when I tried Live View, I just got a black screen. Sometimes it took several tries, sometimes the video started off highly pixellated, other times it became pixellated, and still other times it couldn’t connect - even though all devices were connected with strong signals. The bell still alerted me, and the Chime chimed. It was just Live View and a black screen or no/poor streaming.

I was getting ready to do a hard reset when I simply switched the doorbell from 2.4GHz on the extender to the Chime network. Now I have the bell, to the Chime, to the 5GHz channel on the extender, to my home network. And it works flawlessly.

I am guessing that I either had interference on the 2.4GHz channel on the extender, or the extender uses a different protocol and that caused the issue. I don’t know.

I will need another Chime Pro for upstairs, and I am guessing that connecting to the Chime network might be easier than connecting to other networks. Fingers crossed.

And while I was looking on the internet this afternoon for possible solutions to the problem I was having, I saw someone comment somewhere that when you connect the Chime, turning your phone on to Aeroplane Mode to turn off its signal can help. I never got to try that, but… who knows?

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