The Nest Hello doorbell is the perfect finishing touch to any smart home device network, especially if you’ve chosen Google Assistant as your virtual helper.
It provides high-definition video footage of house-callers direct to your phone. It sends you intelligent, motion-based notifications.
It even has intelligent facial recognition technology that allows it to separate your welcome friends and local postal employees from strangers, which is pretty cool.
However, those thinking about installing this smart doorbell may be put off by the fact that most of the marketing behind the product is geared towards using it as a replacement for existing doorbells. So, where does that leave thresholds that don’t have one?
Installing NEST Hello On A House With No Pre-Existing Doorbell
Is It Possible To Install The NEST Hello Without A Doorbell?
I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that, yes, it is absolutely possible to install a Nest Hello smart doorbell without any existing bell or wiring.
You don’t even need a chime installed, as you can hook the Hello up to a plug-in chime or set your Google Assistant up to announce guests in its place.
The bad news is that you’re going to need some power tools and an indoor power adapter with an appropriate wattage to get the job done, so I hope you’re handy with a drill.
Installing NEST Hello Without A Doorbell
Your first port of call is to source a power adapter, but don’t just buy any old model, as choosing something with the wrong voltage can seriously damage the Hello.
Your best bet is to look for something like this OhmKat Video Doorbell Power Supply, which has been designed from the ground up to work in harmony with the Nest Hello.
OhmKat also makes this nifty plugin chime for the Nest Hello, so you don’t have to rely on Google Assistant to announce your guests like a little robotic butler.
And speaking of chimes, you will not need to use the Nest Chime Connector for installation with a power adapter and plug-in chime.
This little gizmo simply separates the chime and bell circuits so neither interferes with the other, but as you’re not using an integrated chime, it’s unnecessary.
Once you have your adapter and a drill, you’re almost ready to get started, but before you move on, download the Nest app for detailed instructions on the installation process. I’ll also run through them now, so you have an idea what you’re up against.
- Go ahead and choose your spot. It should be at least 4 feet high, so the camera has a decent vertical and horizontal field of view. If you can’t get the angle quite right, use some of the included wedges to fix it.
- Make sure any electronics in the area are switched off, then grab your drill with a 9mm drill bit, use the wall plate as a guide, and drill through the central hole. This is where the wires will travel through the wall.
- Now attach a 2mm drill bit and drill through the top and bottom holes on the wall plate. These will accommodate the screws that hold the plate firmly against the wall.
- Thread the wires through the central hole and use the included screws to secure the wall plate.
- Connect the two wires at the back of the Hello doorbell, making sure to keep them facing upwards.
- Slide the excess wire through the central hole and fix the Hello to the wall plate using the other screws. Feel free to tidy up any loose wires with the included cable ties.
- Attach the two other ends of the Hello wires to the wire ends of the indoor adapter, plug it into a wall outlet, flick on the switch, and you’re sorted!
- The LED ring on the Hello should light up blue, indicating that it’s on and ready for action.
- The Nest app will then ask you to select the location of the doorbell before guiding you through connecting it to your Wi-Fi.
- Once connected, give it a test by ringing your doorbell and waiting for a notification to come through on your phone.
- Use the app to turn off the internal chime (you don’t need it), turn on voice recording, and select your preferred language.
The Final Touch
If you want to use a plug-in chime rather than Google Assistant to announce guests, all you have to do is connect one end of the chime’s transmitter to the Hello, then the other end to the indoor power adapter, and voilà…you’ve got a chime.
I hope you found the information you were looking for in this article. Good luck with the installation. As long as you follow the instructions on the app, you can’t go wrong!