Installing Nest Hello Doorbell To HDB BTO Doorbell

Bought the Nest Hello Doorbell (Wired) from B&H Photo Video during that Labour Day sale.

The usual retail price is US$229 (S$308), and during the Labour Day sale, it dropped by US$50 to US$179 (S$241). Direct shipping to Singapore is an additional US$21.21 (S$29) via DHL. DHL shipping is swift, I placed an order on 2nd September 2021, and I got it 5 days later on 7th September 2021.

You can install the Nest Hello Doorbell (Wired) on most Housing and Development Board (HDB) Build-To-Order (BTO) flats by yourself without any drilling.

I chose the Nest Doorbell (Wired) instead of the newer Nest Doorbell (Wireless) simply because the newer wireless model doesn’t have 24/7 recording, and I don’t really trust Google’s event video history. I have a Nest Cam that is mounted outdoor and sometimes, it will fail to detect some events.

Unboxing

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Box Front — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Box Front

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Box Back — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Box Back

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Box — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Box

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Box Content — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Box Content

Specifications

Dimensions: 11.7 x 4.3 x 2.6 (cm)
Weight: 122 g
Power: 16V AC to 24V AC
Camera: 1/3″, 3-megapixel (2K) color sensor, 8x digital zoom
Video: HD UXGA 1600 x 1200, up to 30 fps, H.264 encoding, HDR
Field of View: 160° diagonal
Audio: High-quality speaker and microphone
Lights: RGB light ring and status light
Sensors: Ambient light
Night Vision: 850 nm infrared LEDs
Weather Resistance: IPx4 rating
Wireless: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz) 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi; WEP, WPA, WPA2 encryption supported, Bluetooth Low Energy, 802.15.4 (2.4GHz)

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Front — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Front

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Bottom — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Bottom

Tools & Accessories Needed

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Tools And Accessories Needed — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Tools And Accessories Needed

Here are the tools and accessories needed. I got them from a mix of Shopee and Lazada, and below are the direct links to them.

The 1 Gang PVC Surface Box is not shown in the image above as it comes with the wired doorbell that I bought previously.

Before Installation
I recommend testing both the Doorbell Power Supply Adapter Transformer and Nest Hello Doorbell before installation, so you can ensure that it actually works.

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Power Adapter — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Power Adapter

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Powered On — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Powered On

Setup
Since I am powering up the Nest Hello Doorbell, I went ahead and set it up.

Nest iOS App - Setup — Nest iOS App – Setup

When presented with Chime options in the setup process, choose anything as it doesn’t matter since we are not connecting a chime to the Nest Hello Doorbell.

Nest iOS App - Chime — Nest iOS App – Chime

And the setup is done.

Nest iOS App - Connecting — Nest iOS App – Connecting

Wiring Up Doorbell Point In Kitchen
Most BTOs come with the doorbell point in the kitchen.

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Kitchen Doorbell Point — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Kitchen Doorbell Point

Once you remove the cover, you will see two white wires inside it. Pull it out, and then you can proceed to mount the 1 Gang PVC Surface Box.

Next, you can crimp each of the wires with the ring terminal.

After crimping, connect the two wires to the Terminal Block, and at the opposite end, connect the two wires from the Doorbell Power Supply Adapter Transformer.

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Kitchen Doorbell Point Connected — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Kitchen Doorbell Point Connected

Use the PVC Blank Plate to cover the 1 Gang PVC Surface Box, and you can use cable clips to cable manage the wires.

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Wire Management — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Wire Management

The wire should go through to the top of your bomb shelter so that you can power the Nest Hello Doorbell from the electrical socket in the bomb shelter.

My wire management is not the best, but it is out of sight in the bomb shelter, so I think it is ok for now.

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Bomb Shelter — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Bomb Shelter

You are done with this step, but do not power it on yet.

Wiring Up Doorbell Point At Your Door
Use a flat-head screwdriver to pry open the doorbell button cover. After that, you can remove the two screws of the doorbell.

Unscrew the screws securing both wires.

Notice that there are four screw holes in the metal junction box? You will use the top and bottom screw to secure the Nest Hello Doorbell wall plates.

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Outside Doorbell Point — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Outside Doorbell Point

The point of the white wall plate is to cover up the huge hole in your doorbell.

Next, crimp both white wires like what you did in the kitchen. Alternatively, you can also use the provided extension wires in the Nest Hello Doorbell box.

After that, screw the wires to the Nest Hello Doorbell’s back and attach the Nest Hello Doorbell back to the wallplate.

Switch on the power in the bomb shelter, and you are done.

Nest Doorbell (Wired) - Fixed — Nest Doorbell (Wired) – Fixed

Nest Hello Doorbell works well for me. After pressing the Nest Hello Doorbell button, it takes between 3 to 5 seconds for the in-app notification to show along with the visitor announcement on your Google Home.