How To Install Merkury Smart WiFi Doorbell Without Existing Doorbell

I was strolling down the produce aisle at my local Walmart shopping for groceries one afternoon.

It was a rather busy day, so my mind was preoccupied. However, out of habit, I found that my legs had taken me to the tech aisle, and my eyes landed on the Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Doorbell Camera. My curiosity was piqued.

As a Smart Home nerd who has experimented with doorbells of all shapes and sizes,

I was excited to try out this new doorbell like a child with a new toy. I didn’t actually have a separate doorbell circuit, but in my tinkering adventures, I’d managed to install video doorbells from Ring, Nest, SimpliSafe, among others, all without an existing doorbell, so I was fairly confident in my abilities.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much documentation on the Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Doorbell, so the research was not as straightforward as I’d initially thought.

However, I relished the challenge, and in a couple of days, I managed to pull it off.

The Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Doorbell Camera is a reasonably priced and feature-rich doorbell that allows integration with smart assistants like Google and Alexa.

It also comes with weatherproofing, night vision, and motion sensors that send you real-time alerts on your phone via the compatible Geeni app.

Although the smart doorbell is designed to work with an existing doorbell, with an easy and cost-efficient workaround, you can install it even if you don’t have a doorbell system in place.

To install a Merkury smart Wi-Fi doorbell without an existing doorbell system, you can use an appropriate indoor power adaptor that fulfills the device’s voltage requirements.

I recommend the OhmKat Professional Video D oorbell Power Supply, which has served me well on multiple occasions.

Note: that an incompatible power adaptor can damage your smart doorbell.

Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Doorbell Voltage Requirements

As mentioned, the Merkury smart Wi-Fi doorbell has been designed to work with an existing doorbell system.

If you go by the recommended installation process, you have to hardwire the device with the wires that connect to the analog doorbell.

Hence, it needs to be connected via wires that provide an alternating current between 16-24 V and a minimum power of 10 VA. Note that these requirements are for North America.

If you live in Europe, then you will have to look for an adaptor that delivers an alternating current between 12-24 V and a minimum power of 8 VA.

We are going to subvert the need for this existing doorbell and wiring by using an indoor power adapter, also known as a plugin transformer that transforms the expensive affair of hardwiring a doorbell into a cheap and effortless job.

Indoor Power Adapter for Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Doorbell

During the installation process, I tested out a couple of adaptors. It turns out that not every adaptor is compatible with the Merkury video doorbell, so I turned to my reliable fallback.

Then I finally came across the OhmKat Professional Video Doorbell Power Supply that works pretty well with the doorbell.

All I had to do was connect the black and red wire at the back of the doorbell with a screwdriver and plug the adaptor into the nearest wall outlet.

The Merkury Wi-Fi doorbell comes with two silver screws, also called terminals at the back.

All you have to do is slightly unscrew them, place the bare wires underneath them and tighten again.

It does not matter which wire connects to which terminal. Once the screws are in place, plug the adaptor.

The red light of the doorbell will turn on, indicating that the connection process was successful.

Extending the Adapter Wire for your Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Doorbell if Necessary

To my surprise, the 12-feet long wire the OhmKat adaptor comes with was not enough for me.

I was at least 2-feet short of the nearest power outlet. Thankfully, I had [amazon link=”B07KSK4FNG” title=”this 6-feet long Doorbell Power Supply Extension Cord” /] lying around from one of my previous projects. I employed it to extend the length of the wire to plug the adaptor.

Before investing in an adaptor, do check whether your power outlet lies within the 12-foot range from where you want to mount your doorbell.

If not, then no need to worry; an extension cord takes care of that.

Install a Plug-In Chime Instead of a Chime Box for your Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Doorbell

The video doorbell under discussion comes with its own chime connector, but you will not need it if you plan to connect your smart doorbell using an indoor power adaptor.

The small white box-like device that comes with the doorbell in the box is a chime connector.

The chime connector allows the doorbell to have its own chime circuit, separate from the analog doorbell’s circuit.

It prevents any power interferences that the already existing chime box can cause.

The plug-in chime box also provides you with the same functionality but with added comfort.

Since I went for the OhmKat adaptor, I decided to go with the OhmKat Wireless Universal Video Doorbell Chime, the adaptor’s natural companion.

All you have to do is install the chime in the split connection between the doorbell and the adaptor.

This way, it draws the power from the adaptor, and you don’t have to plug it in separately.

The best part is, you don’t have to buy any additional wiring. The OhmKat adaptor natively comes with a split connection for connecting the chime box.

How to Mount Your Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Doorbell

Mounting the doorbell on the wall is the only tricky part of the whole process.

Also, I’d advise that you connect the doorbell to the compatible Geeni app before mounting it.

It’ll save you from having to awkwardly stand around in the hallway trying to pair the doorbell to the app like I had to.

The instructions for app connection are mentioned below.

The doorbell does not come with a mounting stencil. Hence, to make drilling easy, I marked the hole placements on a sheet of paper and stuck it to the wall.

I’d recommend that you mount the doorbell on the wall such that it is approximately 4 to 4.5 feet above ground level.

This will make it easy for you to look at the faces of the visitors. Moreover, this is also the optimal height for sensors to work correctly.

I used the 9 mm drill for the holes. After you have drilled the holes, screw in the mount and place the doorbell over it.

I did not want to drill a hole across the wall to run the wires through it. So, I got some circle cable hooks and ran the wires under the house’s main door. The circle cable hooks help keep them in place.

However, if you want to drill a hole and run the wires through them, use a bigger drill bit to drill a hole between the two screw holes of the mount.

Clean all the debris and run the wires through them. For this, you will have to connect the wires to the terminal after they are passed through the hole.

Setting up Merkury Smart Wifi Doorbell with the Geeni App

All Merkury products are connected to your smartphone using the Geeni app.

The connection process is relatively easy, and it hardly took me a few minutes to set it up with the app.

Once you have plugged in your doorbell, you will see a red light. This means that the device is plugged in, but it is not connected to the Wi-Fi.

The setup process is rather simple and you can get it done by following these steps:

Download the Geeni app from the PlayStore or AppStore.
Click the add device button.
Select the Smart doorbell category.
You will be prompted to turn your device on. If it is already turned on, ignore this and click on the ‘Next step’ button. If your device is not showing the red light, there is a problem with the connection. Turn it on and then select ‘Next step’.
A pop-up display will ask you to confirm the Wi-Fi connection you want to connect your doorbell with.
Once you confirm your Wi-Fi connection, a QR code will appear on the screen. Scan it with your camera. You will hear a beep, which means the connection was successful.

Now, if anyone rings the doorbell, or if there is any movement in the area in front of your main door, you will be alerted via the application.

Moreover, the doorbell has a microphone and a speaker while the app activates your phone’s speaker and microphone. This way, you can also use the camera as an intercom.

Conclusion

The Merkury smart Wi-Fi doorbell with a camera is advertised as a system that needs to be hardwired to an existing doorbell system.

However, I can confirm that using a plug-in adaptor and chime; you can set the whole thing up within a few minutes even if you have never installed a doorbell before.

I know this because I have installed Ring, Nest, SimpliSafe, and Zmodo doorbells without ever having an existing doorbell by using indoor power adapters.

It’s quite the nifty little thing, this Merkury Doorbell and I’m surprised they managed to fit in features on par with other brands out there, at such an affordable price point.

I’ve used the doorbell to talk to delivery men while I was away from home. Porch pirates are something of a menace in my neighborhood, and the Merkury doorbell lets me instruct deliverymen to place my packages out of sight from the street.

Walmart also offers other nifty products with brands under its umbrella, like onn TVs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Merkury Smart Wifi Doorbell record?

The Merkury smart Wi-Fi doorbell comes with a recording feature, but you have to install a microSD card in it for it to work.

Since the device records 1080p videos, it is advised that you use a minimum of 16 GB capacity SD card.

Is Merkury and Geeni the same?

Geeni is a subsidiary of Merkury innovations that deal with smart home products. Hence, all Merkury Wi-Fi products use the Geeni app to communicate with the user.

What devices work with the Geeni app?

All the smart products developed by Merkury innovations work with the Geeni app.