What is it?

The Doorbell Modernizr 2 is a device that can transform your ordinary doorbell into a "smart" wifi connected doorbell. Whenever someone presses your doorbell, the Doorbell Modernizr can send a signal to your home automation system (currently supported: Home assistant, Domoticz and Openhab).

With this signal you can create automations to, for instance, send a notification to your phone, take a snapshot with a camera, or anything else you can think of.

With the Doorbell modernizr 2 it's also possible to switch your doorbell on and off from your home automation system.

The Doorbell Modernizr comes assembled and pre-programmed with a 3D printed housing. The Doorbell Modernizr needs micro usb power supply, any phone charger will do, or you can optionally order one with the Doorbell modernizr.

Hooking it up

The Doorbell modernizr can be hooked up in 3 different ways:

• Connect in parallel to receive only the bell signal
• Connect in series to be able to switch the doorbell on and off
• Connect both ways to be able to receive the signal and switch the doorbell on and off.

The connection terminal on the left is used to receive the doorbell signal, the terminal on the right is used to switch the doorbell on and off.

The green lines in the schematic represent your existing doorbell wires.

To receive the doorbell signal, connect the left terminal in parallel with your doorbell chime, shown in the diagram by the blue wires.

Most doorbell transformers use AC, so it doesn't mater how you connect the wires of the doorbell to the board, there are however some cases in which the doorbell does use DC. In that case you need to make sure the + wire of the doorbell is connected to the left side of the screw terminal and the - to the right side.

To be able to switch the doorbell on and off, re-route the wires, so that the right terminal is connected in series with your doorbell, as represented by the red wires in the diagram.

How to use it?

All instructions can be found in the manual

Programming

The Doorbell Modernizr is based upon the popular ESP8266 microprocessor. If you like, you can program it yourself with your own software, for instance with the Arduino IDE. Just hook it up to your computer, and program it like any regular ESP8266 development board.

Open source

The Doorbell Modernizr is open source, you can find the Arduino source code, STL files for the housing and gerber files for the board on github

Q & A

Can I switch something else instead of the doorbell?

Yes, the Doorbell modernizr uses a relay for turning the bell on or off. The relay is rated up to 10A 250V.

Does my doorbell still work when the doorbell modernizr is not powered or broken?

By default the relay connecting points make contact when the doorbell modernizr is not powered, so the doorbell ill work even when the doorbell modernizr is not powered.

Are any pings of the ESP8266 broken out?

Yes, there is room for a header on the board with the following pins: GPIO 2, 4 & 5, vcc and gnd.

Does my home automation system still get a signal when the doorbell button is pressed, even when I turned the doorbell off?

No, when the doorbell is turned off, the home automation system wil not get a signal when the button is pressed.