How to Troubleshoot a Wireless Doorbell Not Working?

Wireless doorbells are awesome little creations for one major reason - you can put them just about anywhere! Unfortunately, just like most electronics, they’re prone to failures that aren’t always apparent. If your wireless doorbell isn't working, there are a few things that could cause it.

The five most common causes of your wireless doorbell not working are battery failure, weather damage, distance, wireless interference, and signal issues.

Keep reading for information on how they work, as well as how to troubleshoot your broken wireless doorbell.

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How Do Wireless Doorbells Work?

Traditional wired doorbells function by pressing a piece of conductive metal to an active circuit. This, in turn, completes the circuit and creates the signature ringing sound. Wireless doorbells, on the other hand, function much differently.

Wireless doorbells generally work by sending a radio signal to a receiver (your phone, usually) which picks up the signal. The receiver then triggers your signal, be it a sound, light, or both. If your wireless doorbell stops working after a while, there are particular things to look for.

Because wireless doorbells use a rather complicated series of circuitry, it’s vital to be extremely gentle with them. Dropping or hitting them can cause damage, but the plus side to them is that you don’t need to perform as much electrical work to get them up and running.

Rather than needing to attach a transformer (as with a wired doorbell), wireless models are a bit more “plug and play.” They generally attach directly to an outlet or run on batteries.

How to Troubleshoot a Broken Wireless Doorbell

Because they’re rather complicated (and small) electronics, there are a lot of minor things that could cause your doorbell to stop working. In order to troubleshoot, follow this list in order - it’s written in order of easiest to hardest in terms of troubleshooting involvement.

Before you start, you’ll want a screwdriver and some spare batteries (just to make things easy).

1. Battery Failure

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This is the most simple fix by far. If your wireless doorbell has stopped working entirely, start by checking the batteries. It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised (or maybe not) at how many people forget to check the power of electronics.

This goes along the same line as the classic, “have you tried turning it off and back on again?” It should always be your first stop - after all, batteries don’t last forever.

To see if this is the issue, simply remove your doorbell’s cover (usually with a screwdriver, sometimes it’s just a latch) and replace the batteries. If it starts working, great! If not, move on to step number two.

2. Signal Degradation

This is a really easy thing to forget about. You see, as with all wireless items, they have a maximum range in which they can function. And just like with your phone, things like concrete and the walls of your home can interfere with getting that signal.

If your wireless doorbell isn’t working and you’ve already replaced the batteries, check the maximum range of your doorbell. Generally, these ranges are a very generous guess that assumes there is nothing in between the receiver and doorbell. Even a single wall can interfere with the signal, dropping its range by up to 60%.

In short, if your maximum range is 1000 meters without obstruction, walls can drop that to 400 meters. And it doesn’t matter how big your home is - four walls in the way will degrade any signal more than no walls. In other words, placement matters.

To fix this, just try to move it somewhere with a clear line of sight between transmitter and receiver.

3. Distance

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This one is obvious if you’ve been reading along. Wireless signals have a range, as we discussed in step 2. If you’re trying to operate beyond the device’s range, it’s just not going to work.

When relocating your device, try to keep your transmitter and receiver as close as possible - especially if you’ve got a lot of walls or floors in between them.

4. Wireless Interference

This is a rather obvious problem for those familiar with how radio waves work. Basically, your wireless device operates on a particular frequency. Any other wireless items in range (perhaps your neighbour’s wireless doorbell) can operate on the same frequency. This makes it harder for the receiver to determine what signal is coming from where.

Really the only way to figure out if this is the issue is to turn off all other wireless devices and test your doorbell. If it works after doing so, turn on each wireless device one at a time, and see if any of them make it stop working.

Once you’ve identified the source of interference, see if you can either a) move it out of range of your doorbell, or b) change the frequencies upon which your devices operate.

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5. Weather Damage

Especially if you live somewhere like the UK where rain is a constant, weather damage is a very strong possibility for outdoor devices. Your wireless doorbell is no exception, even if it’s supposedly “waterproofed.”

To determine if this is a cause of the issues, start by checking your doorbell’s manual. (You did keep that… right?)

Check that the doorbell is at least given a protection rating of IP44 or higher and that it’s actually rated as waterproof or resistant. If not, there’s your problem. Another possible cause could be the actual temperatures of your climate. Temperatures that are too hot or cold can really screw with electronics, so be sure to buy a doorbell that’s rated for your climate.

Generally, it’s pretty obvious if your doorbell has taken weather damage. If your manual has revealed nothing of use, pop open your device and look inside. Is it dirty, wet, or rusting? Then you’re going to need to either clean or replace it, depending on the severity of the damage. You can clean dust and moisture with a soft cloth or paper towel, but be gentle. If it's rusted, it's time for a new one.

Final Thoughts

Wireless doorbells are a great invention that makes installation and use much easier, for the most part. But when they stop working, there are a lot of small things to check. If your wireless doorbell stops working, be sure to look at:

• The distance between receiver and transmitter
• Any physical obstructions between them
• The power source (especially if batteries)
• Weather damage and waterproofing
• And check for interference from other wireless devices

By checking each of these things, you’ll have your wireless doorbell working in no time. If none of these work , it’s likely that your doorbell is simply dead. It’s unfortunate, but that’s life. If you do need a new wireless doorbell, check our guide to the best ones on the market!