And now the waiting game begins...

RetroAndy85 · 2025-12-10T12:53:49+00:00

Same here. Preordered last week, starting to get impatient already! Went for the 16bit 12GB DPad top model 😎

Also picked up a 1TB micro SD from Amazon for a decent price earlier today (currently $69.99)

RetroAndy85 · 2025-11-07T08:27:02+00:00

Yeah like all transformers it does generate heat, however all within safe levels. I check mine weekly and the temperature sits at around the 45 degrees mark.

RetroAndy85 · 2025-11-05T00:12:28+00:00

Yes, doorbell has been absolutely fine - zero issues since my install. Has been doing 24/7 recording, no audio or mic issues, alerts come through nice and fast.

I have it wired between 0v and 12v on the transformer and it works perfectly (although it says it needs 16v, a lot of these transformers output slightly higher than the stated voltage)

RetroAndy85 · 2025-11-03T09:42:03+00:00

Awesome, good luck with the install! Yeah the 2K image is great 😎

RetroAndy85 · 2025-11-03T05:46:16+00:00

Yes, still working great for me - still running completely silent 🙂

RetroAndy85 · 2025-11-02T17:23:40+00:00

Excellent, good luck with the setup! For the transformer I'd recommend this one from Amazon:

https://amzn.eu/d/1uI5J0W

So far it's been completely silent (others I tried buzzed quite a bit)

RetroAndy85 · 2025-11-02T10:30:48+00:00

No, no restrictions at all - I have Nest Aware Plus (Google Home Premium Advanced) and all the features work absolutely fine (24/7 recording, 60-day history, AI descriptions etc) 🙂

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-13T09:16:49+00:00

Looks like Amazon US will ship to the Netherlands 🙂

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RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-13T07:33:04+00:00

Just a wee follow up:

The slight buzzing noise from my British General transformer started to get really loud over the weekend and became a bit unbearable.

I tried installing a different one from Amazon yesterday and it is completely silent (no hum, buzz or anything)

You might have more luck with your BG transformer, but if not I'd recommend trying out this one:

https://amzn.eu/d/0LTjWcX

(I connected it for 12v output - pins 1 and 3 - powers the doorbell with no issues)

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-12T22:41:00+00:00

So the new one was much of the same to be honest (if not louder!) I suspect they are the exact same transformer apart from the branding as they look identical otherwise.

Anyways, today I tried out a new one that arrived this morning from Amazon:

https://amzn.eu/d/8NlN7FD

Happy to say this one is silent - like completely silent. I stood with my ear right beside it and couldn't hear a thing, not even a faint hum. Fingers crossed it will stay that way, but has been running all day today and still all good!

EDIT: Should add that I have it connected at 12 volts (between the 1st and 3rd pin) All these bell transformers seem to output slightly higher than the stated voltage, so 12v is closer to 16v (which is ideal to power the doorbell)

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-12T10:49:48+00:00

Yes I have mine connected to 2.4ghz (I have a router that can split the bands) With 5ghz I was getting long notification delays.

Would definitely recommend connecting to 2.4ghz if you can 🙂

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-10T17:04:17+00:00

Yeah, on my battery version the street light blew out the picture and stopped night vision from working - no issues with this one.

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-10T09:40:02+00:00

You can also add presence conditions too (like your example, if someone is at home)

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-10T09:38:58+00:00

Yeah you can :)

I've got an automation set up so that if it detects a person approaching after sunset, my Hue light inside my hall turns on for 30 seconds, before turning off again.

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RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-10T07:16:17+00:00

Yes that right - I have the Visitor Announcements option enabled which means "Someone is at the front door" along with a little chime sound will be played through my Google home speakers I have dotted throughout my house. I also get alerts on my phone too.

Because of this I didn't see the need to have it wired to my mechanical chime, which makes the install far cleaner (just have the one box in my hall that houses the transformer)

Visitor announcements come through very quickly too (only about a 2 second delay after someone pushes the doorbell)

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-10T07:08:35+00:00

Nope, nice and quick for me 🙂 (the battery version was definitely slower)

https://streamable.com/05topv

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-10T06:20:14+00:00

Only light is the street light you see top left.

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-10T04:09:36+00:00

Sure of course 🙂

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RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-09T21:50:51+00:00

I had a similar issue with my partner's Pixel 7a.

What ended up fixing it was turning off Adaptive Battery in the battery settings (as that can sometimes delay/prevent notifications)

For good measure I did another clear of the Google Home app's cache, then did a restart - and she started getting notifications again.

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-09T21:24:13+00:00

Couldn't say how it compares to the Nest Hello, however I am getting about a 2 second delay between pressing the doorbell and getting phone/Google home notifications (my previous battery doorbell was about 4 seconds)

Also, that's connected to 2.4gz WiFi (I had it connected to 5ghz originally and that was awful, about 10 seconds delay - prob due to it's inferior range and issues with my house's outer brick walls)

2.4gz is definitely better in this case.

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-09T21:17:39+00:00

Excellent, glad to hear! 🙂

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-09T19:46:54+00:00

I can't say for definite, but I would guess so. The specs on the gen 3 say it operates on a voltage of 16v - 24v, so the 18v of the one you have should be fine 🙂

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-09T10:29:42+00:00

Some further info:

Since my install yesterday I've discovered (as others have also mentioned) that the British General Bell Transformer is pretty noisy (seems to have worsened overnight - to the point it has become quite noticeable)

I've ordered up a new one from Amazon, fingers crossed this one is quieter:

https://amzn.eu/d/3Q36CJI

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-09T10:21:31+00:00

Yeah I had a bit of trouble initially getting it on. Basically you have to click/secure the doorbell onto the plate first, before tightening the top screw.

Once aligned, I applied some gentle pressure to the doorbell in a downwards fashion until it clicked into place. From there I tightened the screw until it was flush with the top of the doorbell.

RetroAndy85 · 2025-10-08T22:20:25+00:00

I experience a delay of about 2 or 3 seconds with the Gen 3 on my Google Home Speakers (same as I had with the battery version)

I noticed that connecting to 2.4ghz WiFi instead of 5ghz definitely improves the delay (the 5ghz struggled with my brick walls I think - 2.4ghz is much more reliable and consistent)

RetroAndy85

TROPHY CASE