How to Install a Ring Doorbell (Wired and Battery)

Learning how to install Ring doorbell cameras is mostly a matter of knowing which model you have. A battery model screws to the wall and needs no wiring at all. A wired model connects to the two low-voltage wires behind your old doorbell button, and what happens at your indoor chime depends on the exact model. That chime step is the part that confuses people, so this guide covers it model by model.

Whatever you install, Ring’s own guides start in the Ring app, not at the wall: you set the doorbell up first, then mount it.

The quick version

Here’s how to install Ring doorbell models, start to finish:

1. Check the model name on the box, because it decides what happens to your chime.
2. Set the doorbell up in the Ring app (scan the QR code on the back) before you mount it.
3. Battery model: charge it, screw the bracket to the wall about 4 feet above the ground, then hook the doorbell on.
4. Wired model: turn off the breaker, fit the bypass cable or the Chime Kit Mini at your chime, connect the two doorbell wires, mount the doorbell and turn the power back on.
5. In the Ring app, set your chime type (Mechanical, Digital or None).
6. Press the button and check the live view.

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What you need before you start

Know your model. Ring renamed its doorbells in July and August 2026, so the current names end in 2K or 4K. The power options and the chime setup differ between them:

Model	Power	Your existing chime
Battery Doorbell 2K, 2K Plus, 4K Pro	Battery, or optional wiring (8-24 VAC)	Can still ring it when hardwired
Wired Doorbell 2K	Doorbell wiring (12-24 VAC)	Bypassed with the included cable, stops ringing
Wired Doorbell 2K Plus, 4K Pro	Doorbell wiring (16-24 VAC)	Replaced by the included Chime Kit Mini
Peephole Cam 2K	Battery	Doesn’t use it

If you haven’t bought one yet, our guide to the best Ring doorbells compares all eight current models.

Gather your tools. The box includes the screws and wall anchors you need. You’ll also want a Phillips screwdriver and a level. For stucco, brick or concrete, you need a drill with a 1/4 inch (6 mm) masonry bit for the anchors. On wood, the screws go in without anchors. For a wired model, add a non-contact voltage tester.

Check the transformer (wired installs). Your doorbell wiring gets its power from a small transformer, usually a metal box in the garage, basement, attic or a closet, sometimes behind the chime. The voltage (V) and volt-amp (VA) figures are printed on it. Ring’s wired doorbells need 16-24 VAC and 10-40 VA (the Wired Doorbell 2K accepts 12-24 VAC), and Ring recommends 30-40 VA for the Wired Doorbell 2K Plus. Battery models need 8-24 VAC when you hardwire them. Our guide to the Ring doorbell transformer explains how to find it, check it and replace it. Ring also says never to use a halogen or garden-lighting transformer, and never to wire the doorbell to a DC-powered intercom.

Check Wi-Fi at the door. Ring asks for at least 10 Mbps of upload speed for its 2K doorbells, and the Wired Doorbell 2K only connects to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. A weak signal at the front door can make a new doorbell drop offline, so test it with your phone where the doorbell will go.

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How to install a Ring battery doorbell

A battery installation is the simplest Ring doorbell installation: no breaker, no wires.

1. Charge the battery. On the Battery Doorbell 2K, the battery is built in: pull the rubber cover off the port and charge it with a USB-C cable (one isn’t included), then push the cover back in firmly. On the 2K Plus and 4K Pro, insert the removal tool into the slot at the bottom, press the orange button to take off the faceplate, and take the battery pack out to charge it. Charging takes several hours (Ring says up to 10 hours for its removable packs).
2. Set it up in the Ring app. Open the app, tap Set Up a Device, choose Doorbells and scan the QR code on the doorbell. If the code won’t scan, you can type in the PIN printed under it.
3. Choose the spot. Ring’s guides show the doorbell about 4 feet (1.2 m) above the ground, next to the door.
4. Attach the bracket. Hold the bracket against the wall, mark the holes with a pencil, and screw it on (with the anchors on masonry).
5. Hook the doorbell on. Hook it over the top of the bracket and press until it clicks. On the 2K Plus and 4K Pro, take the battery out again, tighten the security screw behind it, put the battery back in and snap the faceplate on.
6. Test it. Press the button, open the live view and walk past to check motion alerts.

Renting, or can’t drill? Ring sells a No-Drill Mount for the Battery Doorbell 2K. Ring says it’s meant for smooth, even surfaces, not shingles, brick, stucco or glass. For charging times and battery life, see our guide to the Ring doorbell battery.

The Peephole Cam 2K is the one exception: it doesn’t go on the wall at all. It replaces the peephole in your door, fits peepholes of 0.47 to 0.55 inches and doors 1.28 to 2.36 inches thick, and needs no drilling.

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How to hardwire a Ring doorbell

This is where Ring doorbell wiring comes in. Whichever model you have, start the same way: turn off the breaker for the doorbell circuit, then hold the voltage tester to the old doorbell button’s wires to confirm the power is off. If you can’t tell which breaker it is, Ring says to turn off the main breaker or call an electrician. Then take the cover off your indoor chime and follow the steps for your model.

Wired Doorbell 2K: the bypass cable

Loosen the screws on the chime’s Front and Trans terminals (leave the existing wires in place), connect one end of the included bypass cable to each terminal, and tighten the screws. The cable sends power straight to the doorbell, so your existing chime stops ringing. To hear the doorbell inside, use a Ring Chime or an Alexa device. Our Ring Chime vs Chime Pro guide explains the current chimes.

Wired Doorbell 2K Plus and 4K Pro: the Chime Kit Mini

These two need the Chime Kit Mini from the box. Disconnect the wires from the chime’s Front and Trans terminals, connect each one to a Chime Kit Mini wire with the included wire nuts, then stick the kit inside the chime box (hold it in place for 30 seconds). The Chime Kit Mini takes over from your old chime and plays one ringtone.

Battery doorbells on existing wires

If you’re wondering how to hardwire Ring doorbell models that run on batteries, it’s the easiest of the three. Ring says most battery doorbells don’t need any changes to the wiring: the doorbell connects to the existing wires, the wiring keeps the battery topped up, and your existing chime keeps ringing. If you’d rather not keep the chime, you can bypass it instead.

The rest of the wiring steps are the same for every model:

1. Unscrew the old doorbell button and disconnect its two wires.
2. If the doorbell needs to point at the walkway, fit a Wedge Kit (it tilts the doorbell up or down) or a Corner Kit (it turns it left or right) over the wires first. Most Ring kits stack three pieces, and Ring recommends no more than two mounts in total.
3. Screw the bracket on directly over the wires.
4. Connect one wire to each terminal screw on the back of the doorbell. On these AC doorbells either wire can go to either screw, and the included wire extenders help if the wires are short.
5. Push the extra wire back into the wall, hook the doorbell over the bracket and tighten the security screw.
6. Turn the breaker back on. The doorbell lights up when it has power.

If your home has a second chime, Ring says to bypass it by joining its Front and Trans wires with a wire nut. Ring’s hardwiring guidelines list the voltage and chime setup for every model, including older ones.

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Set the chime type and test it

Before you press the button for the first time, tell the app what kind of chime you have. Ring says to check this setting before testing to prevent damage to the device.

In the Ring app, go to Menu > Devices > your doorbell > Device Settings > In-home Chime Settings and choose:

• Mechanical if your chime has a small hammer that strikes metal bars (a real “ding-dong”)
• Digital if it plays recorded tones through a speaker
• None if you bypassed the chime, wired straight to a transformer or used the Plug-In Adapter

Battery doorbells also have Automatic Chime Detection, which rings the chime and adjusts the setting for you. Wait a few minutes after saving, then press the doorbell and check that the chime and the phone alert both work.

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No doorbell wiring? Use the Plug-In Adapter

Without doorbell wires, you can still power a Ring doorbell with the Ring Plug-In Adapter (2nd Gen), which plugs into an indoor outlet near the door:

1. Run the cable from the outlet to the doorbell (along the molding, or through the wall, door or window) and secure it with the included clips. Don’t plug it in yet.
2. Connect its two wires to the doorbell’s terminals (either way round), mount the doorbell, then plug the adapter in.
3. Set it up in the Ring app and choose “no chime”.

To hear it inside, add a Ring Chime or use an Echo. The adapter doesn’t work with the Peephole Cam or the Elite, and the Chime Kit Mini can’t be used with it.

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If it doesn’t work after installing

Most problems after a Ring doorbell installation are power, chime or Wi-Fi problems:

• Not enough power. According to Ring, the signs are a doorbell that won’t turn on or flashes red, loses power at night or after someone presses it, a chime that buzzes or hums, or a “poor power rating” in Device Health. The fix is a transformer that meets the ranges above (Ring’s own Hardwired Transformer is 16 VAC, 30 VA), the Plug-In Adapter, or an electrician.
• The chime buzzes, rings partly or doesn’t ring. Check that the chime type in the app matches your chime, that “Ring my In-home Chime” is on, and that every wire is tight under its screw.
• Offline or slow live view. That’s usually Wi-Fi at the door. Our guide on how to reset a Ring doorbell covers reconnecting it and what the light patterns mean.

For other brands, our general guide on how to install a video doorbell covers the same steps.

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The bottom line

Once you know your model, how to install Ring doorbell cameras isn’t complicated. A battery Ring doorbell installation takes a charged battery, the app and a few screws. A wired one is a two-wire swap, as long as you turn off the breaker, check the transformer, and handle the chime the way your model needs: the bypass cable for the Wired Doorbell 2K, the Chime Kit Mini for the 2K Plus and 4K Pro, or nothing at all for a battery model on existing wires. Set the chime type in the app before the first press, and you’re done.