Is Your ecobee Doorbell Not Ringing? (Try These Solutions!)

If your ecobee doorbell not ringing, that’s not exactly the kind of smart home experience you signed up for.

Well, the problem may be coming from several places–the chime’s installation or transformer, the terminal wiring, the doorbell itself, and even the installation.

By the end of this guide, you will know exactly how the ecobee doorbell is intended to work and how it works in a closed circuit with your existing installation’s chime. 

How to Fix the Ecobee Doorbell Not Ringing Issue?

Tip: Have you tried pressing the doorbell’s buttons repeatedly?

1. Check the Chime’s Type

The first step is to determine whether the chime of your existing doorbell installation complies with ecobee’s requirements.

There are three types of chimes in total:

• Mechanical chimes: Standard, old-school chimes that use a bell and a hammer to produce a ringing noise.
• Digital chimes: Modern doorbell chimes use a digital speaker and electricity to produce ringing sounds.
• Wireless chimes: Chimes that connect wirelessly, over Wi-F or Bluetooth, and use a mobile application or a digital interface. 

The ecobee doorbell is only compatible with mechanical and digital chimes.

This means that you cannot use a Bluetooth/Wi-Fi-enabled chime product in the installation of the ecobee doorbell.

How to Identify the Exact Chime Type?

Start by analyzing the physical appearance of the chime, then answer these questions:

– “ Does the chime appear to be made out of metal?”

In most cases, only mechanical chimes are made out of solid metal, as the housing holds much more weight in comparison to digital or wireless chimes.

– “How is the chime’s ringing noise produced?”

Mechanical chimes produce the sound physically, while digital and wireless chimes output prerecorded audio via an electronic speaker.

– “How does the chime connect?”

If the chime wires up with your system’s “TRANS” and “FRONT” terminals, then it’s either a mechanical or digital. Wireless chimes plug into an outlet or an existing digital interface.

Tip: If you’ve recently assembled the chime and still have the user manual or package, you can check the exact chime type through there.

2. Reset the Circuit Breaker

If you’ve wired the doorbell to an existing doorbell installation, there should be a dedicated switch for the system at the circuit breaker panel.

To perform a restart of the doorbell, you must temporarily suspend the system’s power supply, until the device drains completely.

You can find the circuit breaker box in your garage, basement, or even attic.

Once you do, search for a switch that says “Doorbell” or “Doorbell system” in the lineup of controllers. 

Push the switch towards the “Off” position for approximately 30–45 seconds, then restore the electrical supply to the system. 

3. Deregister the Doorbell

A fault in the connection between the doorbell and the Ecobee app could also be causing the ringing problem.

So, re-adding the doorbell can be considered as a type of reset, without targeting the core settings of the doorbell.

Here’s what to do:

1. Open the ecobee app and tap “Doorbell device”.
2. Press on the gear icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Now, navigate to “Settings” → “Remove Device”.
4. Next, confirm the removal of the Ecobee doorbell.
5. Wait until the doorbell is removed from the profile.
6. After that, tap “Add Device” from the homepage.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions of the platform.

During the initial setup of the camera, you will be prompted to rescan the QR code and reconnect the doorbell to Wi-Fi.

Make sure you pick a compatible 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network for the doorbell, otherwise, the setup may fail.

Notice: All of the doorbell’s settings within the app will be erased!

4. Reseat Ecoobee’s Terminals

A loose terminal connection is among the prime reasons why the Ecobee doorbell is not ringing inside.

The transformer of chimes that are compatible with your doorbell requires two wires:

• “TRANS” wire: Supplies an electrical supply to the chime and works in a closed circuit with the doorbell.
• “FRONT” or “REAR” wire: This wire closes the circuit between the doorbell and your chime, based on whether the doorbell is intended for your front or rear door.

Warning: Inspecting the terminal connections requires removal of the faceplate, so disable the power at the circuit breaker before proceeding!

1. Push the release tabs on the side of the doorbell.
2. Now, gently detach the faceplate from the housing.
3. Now, loosen the screws on the side of the mounting.
4. Pull out the mounting and expose the chime’s wires.
5. Check if each of the wires is appropriately secured.

There should be a total of two wires connected to the ecobee’s mounting plate.

If either of the wires appears to be loose around the terminal, use a wire stripper to expose a few more inches of the wire and tighten it around the pole.

Tip: Always wear protective gear (gloves and glasses) while working on your doorbell system.

5. Install or Reseat the Chime Adapter

Every intelligent video doorbell requires a chime adapter that converts the transformer’s voltage to usable values.

This is the exact function of ecobee’s chime adapter that should already be present in your installation–stabilize and convert the transformer’s voltage.

If you already have a chime adapter, it can either be in the housing of your system’s chime or right next to the transformer, if they are not in the same place.

Don’t forget to disable the power at the circuit breaker before interacting with your system’s wiring.

Note: There should be a chime adapter included with each Ecobee doorbell purchase.

#1 There’s No Adapter in My System

If no adapter is present in your system, the doorbell can power off consistently, lose connection with the chime, and show a solid red light.

The adapter is generally laid in your system’s chime housing, but could also be next to the transformer, wherever there’s more space. 

The chime adapter must have the following connections:

• A closed “FRONT” or “REAR” doorbell connection.
• A connection with the transformer’s positive terminal.
• A connection with the chime’s “TRANS” & “FRONT”/”REAR”.

Now, the adapter will tone down the voltage of your transformer and provide the doorbell with compatible electricity.

#2 There is an Adapter in My System

If the adapter has already been installed, some of the wiring connections may have moved out of their socket or become loose.

If so, double-check the adapter’s connection with the transformer, doorbell, and the chime’s “TRANS” and “FRONT/REAR” sockets. 

Tip: If you’ve never done this before, it’s best to get in touch with a qualified technician!

6. Set Up “Whole Home Chime”

The “Whole Home Chime” function of ecobee allows for all compatible devices registered in your system to work as your doorbell’s chime.

Each of your Whole Home Chime-compatible devices will produce a sound after someone presses your doorbell.

The compatible devices include:

• The ecobee Smart Thermostat + voice control
• The ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium series
• The ecobee SmartCamera + voice control
• The ecobee 4

Each of these devices can be set to work as a chime.

Here’s how:

1. Open the Ecobee app and tap on the Gear icon.
2. Head to “Chime”, then tap “Whole Home Chime”.
3. Select a compatible ecobee device from the page.

Now, you will be redirected to the device’s options screen, where you can assign a custom ringing tone and additional settings.

We suggest using the Whole Home Chime feature if you don’t have an existing Chime setup or want the doorbell to be heard in multiple locations.

7. Inspect the Transformer

An incompatible or insufficient supply from the transformer may be the reason why your ecobee doorbell refuses to ring inside.

The ecobee doorbell requires nothing more and nothing less than a  16VAC 10VA transformer. 

How to Find the Chime Transformer?

The chime transformer can be either found in the chime’s housing or right next to the ecobee chime adapter.

It looks like a small outlet housing with up to 4 terminals, depending on the transformer’s type, with at least two occupied terminals. 

How to Identify a Transformer Fault?

A fault with the transformer may not always involve physical signs, such as marks or burnt spots.

In most cases, you would have to use a multimeter to tell whether or not the transformer conducts electricity.

How to Replace a Faulty Transformer?

1. Find a compatible 16VAC 10VA transformer replacement.
2. Remove the current transformer from the chime’s wires.
3. Next, seat the new transformer and reconnect the wires.

Although it sounds fairly simple, you should still be extremely careful not to damage the chime’s terminals or any of the wires.

That’s why it’s best to seek professional help if you’ve never done this before.

Alert: Only interact with the transformer after disabling the power of your system.

8. Flash ecobee’s OS

If the Ecobee doorbell is not ringing inside and nothing has helped so far, we can recommend a clean factory reset.

There’s a “RESET” button on the back of the doorbell that erases all of the device’s settings after being pressed for longer than 5 seconds.

First, disable the power at the breaker, unmount the faceplate, and then hold the “RESET” button for 5–10 seconds.

Wait for about 2–3 minutes and restore the power at the breaker.