Foretravel Owners' Forum

Yikes. Mine works great, hate to disconnect it. Is the solenoid in the bell box?

WOW! Do you just pop the button out? I'll check it

Answer to what year, it's 1998.  I agree a door bell seems unnecessary, but for whatever reason it was added when built.

Not sure a fuse is the answer unless an undersized slow-burn fuse.  This is speculation, as I just disconnect mine.

The current to power the coil to pull the plunger to ring the chime may not increase with time, though heat from the coil staying "hot" will.

Said another way,  a fuse sized for "normal" pull in current may not protect against a melt down.

Pulled the button out today. No corrosion. One terminal was rusty so I cleaned and placed silicone on the 2 terminals. Another potential problem learned.
Thanks!

My coach never had a doorbell...I installed one like this last year...double sided tape of course.  Doorbell, Waterproof Mini Wireless Doorbell 1, 000ft Range Loud Enough with... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M68S376/ref=dp_prsubs_2)
Have game cameras I use sometimes too when dry camping, but they don't help at all with real time monitoring of critters or prowlers, so I ordered this...should be here Friday.  Amazon.com: All-new Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) – 1080p HD video, improved... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WGJ8XWZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

I don't have Alexa or Dot, and never will, but I do have wifi via Pepwave MaxBR1.  Not sure if Ring will work without internet connection, but I'd rather it didn't have to be broadcast on the interwebs.  I'll spin up a thread on how it works in a week or so.

FYI, Ring also has 2 way voice camera/monitors with motion activation that aren't door bells for same price.  Host family here in the KOA has one mounted on their 5th wheel, and swears by it.  Search Amazon for Ring Stick Up Camera...even a solar charged model.

@Pyolet
If you are like me (geeky) the Ring is a very cool addition to the coach.  I ordered ours last Cyber Monday on a whim. 
Since you don't have a hardwired doorbell, the easiest option would be just to stick the ring to the side of the coach and pull it off to charge it as needed.  If you go this route, the easiest option is probably to use a Ring wifi chime.  Amazon.com: Ring Chime, A Wi-Fi-Enabled Speaker for Your Ring Video Doorbell:... (https://www.amazon.com/Ring-Chime-Wi-Fi-Enabled-Speaker-Doorbell/dp/B011MYEMKQ/ref=sr_1_9_sspa?crid=1249OE0FAW3YF&dchild=1&keywords=ring+doorbell&qid=1591333276&sprefix=ring%2Caps%2C2009&sr=8-9-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFTRDFGWVNEMVlCS1gmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAwMjM4MDkxWEgxU0ZEN0pTR1BBJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTEwMjM0OTgyOFBOV01UNjlDQlVEJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfbXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==)

For those with a hardwired doorbell, a couple of things to note that might not be self evident to everyone.  In our coach, the doorbell chime was designed for 12V DC.  Just about every other doorbell chime, as well as doorbell cameras, are NOT DC, they are usually 8 to 24V AC.  If you are intending to replace your current doorbell button and wire it thru a chime so that it also provides power to the Ring camera, this will cause a problem. 
From Ring's Specs Power:  Can be hardwired to an existing doorbell system or transformer for continuous charging (8-24 VAC, 40 VA max, 50/60 Hz).  If you want to hardwire it, you will likely need a new chime designed for AC voltage, and a 24V AC transformer. 
Ring does require a fast always on internet connection.  Without that it's pretty useless.  I'm not saying it can't be hacked, to use locally, but that's way above most peoples abilities and it would render the app useless.  (See second screen shot).  If I didn't have a fast internet connection, I wouldn't have a ring doorbell or any other smart home device for that matter. 
One of the things we like about it is being able to answer the "door" using our Alexa show.  Which gives us live video (with 1-way audio) from the door almost instantly.  Then we can turn on the 2-way audio to talk to who's at the door.  Or we can ignore them.  :))


We have really enjoyed having the Ring doorbell camera, and use it more as a camera than a doorbell.  To be able to check in on the coach (albeit the outside) from anywhere has been great on the few occasions when we have left the coach over night.  One night we were staying at a friend's condo and knew storms were coming.  We were literately able to watch the storm roll in on the camera.  We were also able to check that the power was still on at the RV park, because the lights were still on at the boat dock, which we could see from the camera.

The unfortunate thing about the a doorbell/camera is that, very few people actually use it.  Most people still knock.  We had the same issue with the original doorbell.  I don't think people expect to see a doorbell or doorbell camera on a motorhome, so they just knock without even thinking.  However, you can always enable motion detection, but with only one door, you will trigger the motion detection every time you enter or leave.

One last thing, I think the Ring system is very good for what it is but I would NEVER have a RING branded device INSIDE my home.  They are NOT difficult to hack with tons of tools available all over the internet.  If someone hacks my camera, the most they are going to see is me sitting on the patio, the same thing they would see walking down the street. 

P.S.  Not sure which model of Pepwave MaxBR1 you have but if it's 2.4ghz only, you might not get the speed you need for 1080p video.  Regardless of model, the following page explains a bit on testing your internet speed to be sure you get good results.  Of course they assume your house is stationary.  Ping rate and thru-put will vary greatly by location.  How To: Test Device Wifi Speed - Ring Community (https://community.ring.com/t5/Ring-Device-Tips-and-How-To-s/How-To-Test-Device-Wifi-Speed/ba-p/521)