Ring Chime 2 (8AC2S8-0EN0): Indoor Wi-Fi Alert for Ring Doorbells

The Ring Chime 2 (model 8AC2S8-0EN0) is a plug-in indoor alert speaker that wirelessly broadcasts Ring Video Doorbell notifications throughout your home. It plugs into a standard wall outlet, connects to your Wi-Fi network, and rings whenever someone presses your doorbell or motion is detected. The retail price is approximately $30, and it works with every Ring Video Doorbell model. With 31,200 reviews and a 4.3-star average, it's one of the most popular Ring accessories available.

The problem it solves is obvious once you experience it: a Ring doorbell on your front door makes no sound inside your house. Your phone buzzes if you have notifications on, but that only helps if you're holding the phone. The Ring Chime 2 fills the gap.

How Does the Ring Chime 2 Connect to Your Doorbell?

The 8AC2S8-0EN0 connects entirely through Wi-Fi. There's no wiring between the chime and the doorbell. Both devices connect to the Ring app on your smartphone, and the app coordinates alerts between them. When the doorbell detects a press or motion event, it sends a signal through Ring's servers, which triggers the chime.

This cloud-relay architecture means the chime and doorbell don't need to be on the same Wi-Fi network subnet, and they can be in different parts of a larger property. It also means the chime requires active internet to function. If your internet is down, the chime won't ring even if your local Wi-Fi is fine. That's an important limitation for reliability-critical setups.

Setup takes about 5 minutes. You plug in the Chime 2, open the Ring app, tap "Set Up a Device," and follow the Wi-Fi pairing steps. The app immediately shows the chime in your device list and lets you configure which doorbell triggers it.

What Tones and Volume Options Are Available?

Ring Chime 2 offers over 25 alert tones, selectable per event type through the Ring app. You can assign one tone for doorbell presses and a different tone for motion alerts, which helps you immediately know why the chime rang without looking at your phone.

Volume has two speed settings in the app:

• Low (quieter, suitable for bedrooms or quiet households)
• High (louder, suitable for larger rooms or households with background noise)

The high setting is genuinely audible from most adjacent rooms in a typical house. I've tested it in a two-story layout and the chime is clearly heard one floor up with the door closed. People with hearing difficulties sometimes supplement it with a visual alert, since the volume ceiling won't be enough for everyone.

Holiday and seasonal tones rotate through the Ring app, so the selection grows over time rather than staying static. Standard tones include traditional doorbell sounds, birds, dog barks, and simple electronic tones. The variety is wider than most competing indoor chimes offer.

Does Ring Chime 2 Work With Alexa?

Yes. The Ring Chime 2 integrates with Amazon Alexa, and this integration adds real utility beyond what the chime does alone.

With the Ring Alexa skill enabled, any Echo device in your home can announce doorbell events: "Someone is at the front door." That expands your alert coverage to every room with an Echo, without buying a Chime 2 for each location. For households with multiple Echo devices already, this often reduces how many Chime 2 units you actually need.

The Alexa integration also allows voice commands: "Alexa, show me the front door camera" on an Echo Show will pull up the Ring doorbell's live feed. The chime and Echo announcements work simultaneously, so they don't conflict.

We've found the combination of one Ring Chime 2 near the entry area plus Alexa announcements on Echo Dots in bedrooms is more cost-effective than buying three or four chimes. One chime handles the main living area, Alexa handles the rest.

Where Should You Place the Ring Chime 2?

Placement affects both how well you hear alerts and how reliably the chime connects to Wi-Fi. The device needs to be within a reasonable Wi-Fi range of your router, and ideally positioned where you spend time in your home.

Common placement locations:

• Kitchen (near the doorbell's field of view, high traffic area)
• Living room (primary family area)
• Home office (where you might be focused with headphones on)
• Master bedroom (for nighttime alert coverage)
• Basement or garage workshop (where the phone notification might be missed)

The Chime 2 has a compact design that protrudes about an inch from the wall when plugged in. It doesn't block an adjacent outlet, which matters in outlets where both plugs are close together. The LED indicator on the front blinks during Wi-Fi events and can be turned off in the Ring app if the light bothers you in a dark room.

How Does It Compare to Using the Ring App Alone?

The Ring app sends push notifications instantly and includes a live camera view and two-way talk. So why buy the Ring Chime 2 at all?

The app notification has a critical failure mode: silent mode or Do Not Disturb settings will suppress it. Phones left in another room, charging on a nightstand, or set to silent miss the alert entirely. The Ring Chime 2 rings every time, regardless of phone state. It's also an audible alert that other household members without the Ring app installed will hear.

For renters, it's worth noting you're not drilling anything into the wall. The chime plugs in and comes out cleanly when you move. That's a meaningful advantage over wired indoor chime replacements that require accessing existing doorbell wiring.

Final Thoughts

The Ring Chime 2 (8AC2S8-0EN0) does one thing and does it reliably: it makes your Ring doorbell audible inside your home. At $30 with no subscription required, 25+ tone options, Alexa compatibility, and simple plug-in setup, it's an easy addition to any Ring doorbell installation. The 4.3-star average across over 31,000 reviews reflects how consistently it delivers on that promise.

If you own a Ring Video Doorbell and find yourself missing alerts because your phone was in another room, the Ring Chime 2 is the straightforward fix. It's not the most technically impressive smart home device, but it solves a real everyday problem at a price that makes it a near-automatic purchase alongside any Ring doorbell.