door bell wiring

M

Matt the electrician

Member
Location
Virginia Beach
Occupation
Electrician
When I am running the low voltage wiring for a doorbell from the transformer to the chime to the actual doorbell what is the best low voltage wire overall to use? I do have cat 5 but I am unsure if that is the best choice.
Thanks, Matt
 
Maybe not the best choice but I have used Cat-5 because it was already there. You have 8 conductors, just double up each one.
 
CAT 5/6 cable is too small (24ga or so). Use 18 to 20 gauge, and use more than 2 conductors if you want extra ones. Similarly, I like 18/7 or 18/8 for thermostat wiring. Even if they have a simple furnace and only need 3 wires, they could put in AC or a heat pump in the future. Retrofitting doorbell and thermostat wiring later can be a pain.
 
18/2 covers 99% of the scenarios for the button. Most doorbell cameras just have the two terminals and use Wi-Fi to connect data. 18/2 for the transformer and/or chime.

However if it's specifically requested or if it's for a higher-end home then additionally running cat 6 makes sense. It's a very rare scenario to install an ethernet doorbell camera for the vast majority of projects. In my experience these would be POE anyway and wouldn't need the 18/2

I used to run Cat 5 and double up the conductors but it NEVER was utilized for ethernet after years of running it. Just ended up being more of a pain at trim out.

Rob G
Seattle
 
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