The Ring Chime proves to be highly advantageous in various scenarios by providing a delightful chime or ‘ding-dong’ sound when your Ring Doorbell is pressed. This comes in handy if you have replaced your previous doorbell chime unit during the installation of your Ring Doorbell or if you wish to position the Ring Chime at the rear of your house, ensuring you can hear the doorbell from any downstairs location. Nevertheless, it raises the question of whether the Ring Chime is a necessary component for your doorbell installation.
The Ring Chime and Ring Chime Pro are not obligatory elements when setting up your Ring Doorbell. While they offer valuable features such as extending your WiFi range and notifying you of doorbell presses, they remain optional. You have the freedom to explore other devices that can serve the same purposes if you desire.
What Exactly is Ring Chime?
The Ring Chime product range operates independently from your Ring Doorbell and can be easily plugged into a wall socket, connecting to your home’s WiFi network. Its main function is to detect when your Ring Doorbell is pressed and then play a customizable chime or doorbell sound. Though the two Chime versions share a similarity in functionality, the Chime Pro v2 offers some notable upgrades compared to the original Chime Pro.
| Device | Price | New Generation | Plays Doorbell Sounds | Extends WiFi Range | WiFi Type |
| Chime v1 | $29.99 | No | Yes | No | 2.4 Ghz |
| Chime v2 | $29.99 | Yes | Yes | No | 2.4 Ghz |
| Chime Pro v1 | $49.99 | No | Yes | Yes | 2.4 Ghz |
| Chime Pro v2 | $49.99 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2.4 + 5 Ghz |
Firstly, it comes with a built-in night light, providing additional illumination during darker hours. Secondly, it is compatible with both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz WiFi networks. This versatility is advantageous since 5 GHz WiFi is faster and often more reliable, which can contribute to better Ring recording stability. Moreover, the Chime Pro v2 offers guided feedback during the setup process, helping users find the optimal location for the device.
One noticeable improvement in the v2 Chime Pro is its sleeker design, achieved by eliminating the need for external WiFi antennas. As a result, the newer Chime v2 presents a more aesthetically appealing appearance when compared to the v1 Chime.
While each of the four Ring Chime models has its slight variations, they all share the primary function of playing a chime or doorbell sound whenever someone presses your Ring Doorbell. However, as explored later in the “Alternatives” section, it’s worth noting that obtaining this chime sound doesn’t necessarily require a Ring Chime, and there are other options to consider.
Advantages of using Ring Chime
The Ring Chime proves to be a highly valuable addition to any household, offering numerous benefits that enhance the overall functionality of your Ring Doorbell installation. While it is not compulsory to use as part of the Ring Doorbell setup, its features provide significant advantages:
- Multi-Chime Capability: You have the flexibility to use multiple Ring Chimes throughout your home, ensuring that you never miss the doorbell’s sound, even if you are at the far end of the house or upstairs.
- Customizable Chime and Doorbell Sounds: With a selection of 15-30+ (depending on the model) chime and doorbell sounds to choose from, you can personalize your alerts. This fun feature allows you to set sounds like barking dogs to deter potential intruders or spooky creaking doors for Halloween enjoyment.
- “Do Not Disturb” Mode: The option to set up “do not disturb” times ensures that the chime sound remains silent during specific periods. This is particularly useful in preventing disruptions from prank ‘doorbell ringers’ overnight.
- WiFi Extender Functionality (Chime Pro): The Chime Pro model acts as a WiFi extender, enabling your Ring cameras and doorbells to connect and enjoy improved WiFi range. This proves beneficial when certain Ring devices face connectivity issues, preventing potential video footage loss or clips getting cut off prematurely before the 1-minute mark.
- Night-Light Feature (Latest Chime Pro): The newest Chime Pro version comes equipped with a practical night-light. This may seem like a minor feature, but it proves exceptionally handy when navigating downstairs during nighttime.
All in all, the Ring Chime adds convenience and practicality to your Ring Doorbell system, making it an excellent addition for most households.
Alternatives of the Ring Chime
The Ring Chime is undeniably useful, but there are viable alternatives that can serve the same purpose and offer additional benefits:
- Echo or Google Home Devices: Echo Dot 3rd gen or Google Nest Mini can be utilized in calling mode to announce when your Ring Doorbell is pressed. By connecting Ring with your Alexa app, you can configure various Alexa-enabled devices (such as Echos and Fire TVs) to make announcements. Additionally, you can choose from a selection of 26 different chime and doorbell sounds that will play when the Ring Doorbell is activated. Using these smart speakers brings a plethora of other useful features, making them a worthwhile option instead of the Ring Chime.
- Use an Existing Doorbell Chime: If your existing wall-mounted doorbell unit is compatible with your Ring Doorbell, you can use the chime (sound-making) part of the doorbell unit to play a sound when the Ring Doorbell is pressed. This hardwired doorbell chime is usually louder than plug-in Ring Chime devices, ensuring you can hear it anywhere in your house. If your unit is not compatible, you can still use Ring Chime devices in conjunction with your old doorbell chime for the best of both worlds.
- Buy a Third-Party Wi-Fi Extender: While the Ring Chime Pro acts as a Wi-Fi extender for Ring devices, it is limited to use with Ring devices only. To address poor Ring camera/doorbell connection strength and improve Wi-Fi range for all devices in your home, consider purchasing a third-party Wi-Fi extender. Products like Google Nest WiFi system or Eero mesh Wi-Fi system offer better customization options and can work with any Wi-Fi devices, providing enhanced control and coverage for your entire home.
Using these alternatives, you can enjoy the benefits of a doorbell chime or chime-like sound when someone presses your Ring Doorbell while also leveraging the additional features offered by the chosen devices.
Wrapping it up
As mentioned earlier, one of the advantages of using Ring Chimes is the ability to employ multiple units throughout your house. This ensures that you can hear the chime sound from anywhere within your home. While I personally prefer using Echo devices for this purpose, some individuals might have privacy concerns with smart speakers and prefer the simplicity of multiple chimes.
Setting up multiple Ring Chimes is straightforward. After plugging in a new Ring Chime, launch the Ring app, go to the menu, and select “Setup Up a Device.” From there, choose “Chimes” and scan the QR code on the Ring Chime device. Follow the setup steps in the app, and the new Ring Chime will be ready for use quickly.
It’s essential to note that each Ring Chime functions independently of others. While they can chime together as configured via your Ring doorbell, each individual Chime cannot communicate with other Chimes. In other words, having multiple Chime Pros won’t create a WiFi mesh that evenly improves the WiFi signal throughout your home, as some third-party WiFi extenders might do. However, you can connect different Ring devices to different Chime Pros, improving WiFi signal strength in specific areas.
If your primary goal is to hear the doorbell chime from any location within your house, using multiple Ring Chimes works effectively and is easy to set up. It provides a practical solution without the need for a complex WiFi mesh setup.
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