A wired doorbell installation involves more work than installing a wireless doorbell. A wired doorbell has one more component than a wireless unit. This is the transformer. The big difference will be the wiring. If your wiring is still intact, and all you are doing is changing the components, then the job is not so difficult.
Not sure if you need to replace your doorbell? See the article on 'Fixing and Troubleshooting Doorbells' or 'Repairing Wired Doorbells' for listings of all the doorbell topics.
Selecting a new doorbell will probably be the biggest job. There are options and choices that need to be made. How many doors do you have that need a doorbell? The number of buttons that the doorbell supports can vary. Two buttons are common, but more are available.
There is also the appearance and finish. You can get units that have cases with nice finishes and decorative chimes. The nicer ones will obviously cost more.
It is an easy job and should not take very long.
Wired Doorbell Installation - Information
What Can You Save?
If you decide to hire someone to install your doorbell system, it could run you $100 to $175, even more for a high end system. You will still have to purchase the unit so your savings would be the labor to install it, around $50 to $75.
How Hard Could It Be?
Installing a wired doorbell can involve some work, especially if new wiring is needed. It also involves working with electricity. Caution is needed.
Check the Simple Things
Loose or broken wires at the buttons or chime unit can cause the doorbell to not work. Check the connections before you give up on your doorbell.
What Can Go Wrong?
Wired doorbells as the name implies, involve wiring. Running wiring inside of an existing home is a little difficult, unless you have access to the areas needed. Another caution is that wired doorbells are hooked to your home's power supply. Electrical shocks are possible and dangerous. Never work on wiring unless the power is off.
Wired Doorbell Installation – The Steps Involved
For some tips on how to purchase a wired doorbell, see the section below on 'purchasing doorbells'. Some useful tips are provided for when you go shopping.
The power for a wired doorbell is provided by the transformer. The article on 'Installing a Doorbell Transformer' gives you instructions on how to set and wire the transformer.
Wiring is the key feature for this type of doorbell. Running new wire through an existing home is a big job. Usually, the wiring is already in place. The article 'Installing Doorbell Wiring' provides information on adding or modifying wire if needed.
'Setting the Doorbell Chime Unit' discusses where to locate the chime unit based on a few key factors.
The article 'Installing Wired Doorbell Buttons' provides information on wiring and installing the buttons and how to coordinate them with the chimes.
Purchasing a Wired Doorbell Unit
There are a lot of options for purchasing a wired doorbell. Home supply stores will have a few to choose from. The internet will have a lot of options. Deciding what you want is always the first battle in making a purchase like this. Once you are past that, the installation will seem easy.
You can buy a basic wired doorbell kit that includes everything you need for one or two doorbell buttons for as little as $20 or $25. It may not be the most attractive thing you have ever seen, but it will be functional
In the $25 to $100 range you can find a wide variety of doorbell kits that will likely suit your needs. Multiple doorbell buttons and multiple types of chimes are supported. Some will even have metal chimes that hang down for a more elegant look. Some units even have the option of enabling a wireless feature for the doorbell buttons. This could be quite handy when adding doorbell buttons.
Appearance is always a consideration. This is especially true when the chime unit is in an area where it can be seen. Seeing the actual unit on the wall in a store would be preferred. When shopping on the internet, try to find as many pictures as possible. Remember, pictures on the internet are 'low' resolution and do not always accurately reflect appearance. Finding .pdf pictures on a manufacturer's website may help.
Another issue is the chimes. Some units have several options for the 'chimes' or 'tones' that the doorbell generates when the button is pushed. They are set up so that the sounds are different for each door. Read the information about the 'chiming sounds' if you have a preference for this feature.
Purchasing a Wired Doorbell - Checklist
- Does the doorbell have support for the number of doorbell buttons you need?
- Are all the buttons you need provided with the kit?
- Does the unit provide a variety of chimes that you can choose from? If not, will you like the ones provided?
- Does it match your decor?
- Are replacement parts available?
With all of these options, it may take you a little while to decide. Once you have decided you can get ready to install your new doorbell. The next article gets you started.
Summary
Once you have selected a new doorbell, replacing the components for a wired doorbell is not too hard. Replacing wiring if any is damaged or missing takes some extra work.