Of course, Ring has taken the video doorbell game to the next level. But having it does not mean anything if it does not function as it should be.
It’s quite frustrating!
Yes, there are plenty of reasons why is your Ring doorbell not working like not detecting motion, disconnection from Wi-Fi, not ringing, and so on.
Luckily, most of them need easy tweaks and simple troubleshooting to fix. And in this article, you will learn exactly what to do to get it working again!
Ring Doorbell Won’t Work: Reasons & Solutions
When anything has to do with electricity, smartphone, and Wi-Fi, you can assume some trouble to face. There is no way to tell exactly what trouble you will face.
So, I have listed some common problems with Ring doorbells that most people face. I hope you will find your solution too!
Ring Doorbell Not Ringing
Let’s start with the most common problem that literally everyone faces now and then. When your device is not ringing the mechanical doorbell, there might be several causes behind that like the following:
- The doorbell of your home is not compatible with the Ring doorbell.
- Incorrect settings.
- Your doorbell is incorrectly hardwired.
- It’s not receiving enough power.
Any of the above issues can cause the problem! Let’s see how you can troubleshoot the problem.
POWER REQUIREMENTS
If you are not sure whether you have a digital or mechanical chime, remove the cover of the doorbell chime box. If you see a physical bell, it’s mechanical. If it’s a speaker, it’s digital.
For your mechanical doorbell, its transformer needs to have specifications like 8-24 Volt AC power to be compatible with the Ring doorbell. But if you have a Ring Doorbell Pro, it requires an AC transformer with a minimum of 16-volts.
If you are sure, your doorbell transformer does not have enough power, you can install a Ring Doorbell Transformer that is compatible with all Ring devices.
CHECK THE WIRING
You need to check the doorbell wiring too if power is not the issue as discussed above.
For safety reasons, turn off the breakers first. To have a clear look at the wiring, remove the doorbell from the mounting bracket.
When open, all you need to do just make sure the screws are not loose and the wires are tightly wrapped around the 2 screws on the mounting bracket of the doorbell.
Now, check the wires connected to the chime box and the doorbell transformer. Clean the wires if you notice any residue on the wires.
If you see any corrosion or damaged wires, you must replace them. Hire an electrician if you are not comfortable doing so.
ENSURE RIGHT SETTINGS
Your Ring doorbell won’t ring if the settings on the app are wrong. Follow the steps to enable proper settings:
- Open the app and select your doorbell.
- Press Device Settings.
- Go to General Settings.
- Select your ‘Doorbell Chime Type’.
- You will see a dropdown menu. From that, pick ‘Mechanical’.
- Turn on ‘Ring My In-Home Doorbell’ and you are done!
If none of the above can’t get it ringing, you may need to reset the power. Remove the battery from the doorbell or flip the breaker to force it to restart.
Forcing to restart this way should resolve the mechanical chime issues.
Ring Doorbell Not Connecting To Wi-Fi
Your Ring doorbell needs the right wireless router configuration to get connected with the Wi-Fi. So, before you install the doorbell, pay close connection to the router configuration.
It supports only wireless routers with a frequency band of 2.4 GHz. Many people use the old wireless router with the Ring and often they face the problem of not connecting to the Wi-Fi.
If you are not sure about the old wireless router, let a professional have a look. Replacing the router will most likely solve the problem.
Even if you have a new router, your Ring device may not get connected to Wi-Fi if it’s out of the range.
So, the range of your Wi-Fi and the placement are something you need to keep in mind while installing your Ring device.
If there is no way you can install it closer to the Wi-Fi range, you can buy a Wi-Fi extender to keep the device within the range.
You can skip buying the Wi-Fi extender if you buy a Ring Chime Pro. It has a built-in range extender with an external chime that everyone can hear in the house.
Ring Doorbell Not Detecting Motion
To me and many experienced homeowners, this is the most fatal problem that can happen to your Ring doorbell.
The motion sensor of your doorbell may not work due to several reasons and many factors like motion parameters, batteries, and wiring issues can cause it.
If the motion parameters are properly checked and the batteries & wiring are okay, the device itself may be problematic. You need to check the sensor with a technician.
If the equipment itself is faulty, it’s better to get a replacement from the Ring instead of trying to fix it.
But what if the motion sensor is okay but it’s not sending you any warning update?
This scenario mainly occurs when you set its movement to any specific period. The motion sensor can’t detect any movement when there is a selected motion schedule.
To determine there is no selected motion schedule, look at the top of the Ring’s app toolbar. If you see a clock there, there is an active motion schedule.
Just disable it and it should send you an update as usual.
Sadly, it may not still notify you even if the alerts are enabled. But don’t worry; I have a solution for that too!
If the camera can detect motion, set the motion frequency to ‘frequent’ just for the sake of testing purposes. Now, interact with the Ring doorbell’s camera and check the event history.
If no history is there, you have a failed device. You have two options now. You can either contact Ring for your next course of action or you can follow my troubleshooting guide.
This is how I would fix it…
- Go to the settings of the application and clear all the records.
- Now, you need to make sure the alarms are triggered. You can do so by logging back into the Ring app and assess the motion sensors.
If the above approach does not work, reset your Ring app which is easy to do. Just like in-reinstalling any mobile app from the store.
Weird Noises From Ring Doorbell
This happens a lot when you have a mechanical doorbell chime. It may be working but making weird noises like buzzing or humming sounds.
When it has loose bolts, it can make such weird noises. Tightening the loose bolts should solve the problem.
Follow these steps to solve the problem:
- Safety first! So, ensure electricity disconnection by turning off the circuit breaker.
- You need to gain access to the mounting screws. So, remove the cover of the chime to get access.
- Do you see any loose screws on the device? If so, tighten them well.
- Re-attach the cover and listen to the noises. I am 100% confident that you won’t hear any such weird noises!
If it does not solve the problem (which is rare), I would strongly recommend buying a Ring Chime for Ring Chime Pro and replace your old mechanical chime.
Both of them come with various chime sounds and they are both easy to install. It works with any Ring doorbell including the battery-operated models.
Ring Doorbell Live View Not Working
When there is a problem with data transfer between the app and the Ring device, the live view function won’t work. There are several reasons why there might be a data transfer problem like:
- Poor internet connection between your phone and the internet.
- Too slow upload and download internet speeds.
- The router and Ring device are having a poor connection.
So, if I were you, I would check the above issues to fix the live view issue. First, check whether you are getting a good signal to your phone.
If you have a good signal from the internet, you need to check the internet speed. Your internet speed determines how fast your device and upload and download video.
Slow functioning of either the upload or download will result in not displaying video. On average, your internet speed should be at least 2 Mbps.
Let’s say the internet speed is good. But you may not have a live view due to a poor connection between your Ring device and the router too.
So, apart from internet speed, there should be good signal strength between the router and the Ring device to be able to see live video.
Several factors can lead to poor signal strength like physical obstructions (heavy-duty walls/floors, objects like bookcases, mirrors, fish tanks, and other competing Wi-Fi networks nearby you!
It’s easy to check the signal strength. Go to the Device Health Screen from the app and you can see the Signal Strength under the network section.
If the signal strength shows poor or very poor, you need to remove the obstructions mentioned above to improve it.
Sometimes, you may have the option to remove the obstructions. In that case, you can download the Rapid Ring app to improve the speed. It works along with your Ring app to deliver the live view faster.
Here is a nice Ring doorbell troubleshooting video to watch:
Try Ring Customer Service
If no troubleshooting tips mentioned above can solve the problem you may have with your Ring doorbell, you should contact their customer service through phone or live chat.
They are really helpful even if your warranty period has expired. They will send you a replacement if your device still has the warranty.
And you should join their forum. You will find plenty of tips and tricks to solve tiny problems you may have.
Alternatives of Ring Doorbell You Can Try Out
Well, if worse comes to worst and you have to replace your doorbell, then looking for new choices might not be a bad idea.
However, it will be hard for you to go with a solution as costly as the Ring doorbell. That’s why here are some cheaper alternatives to Ring Doorbell that you can replace for the broken one.
- Zmodo Greet HD Wireless Video Doorbell
This one is an amazing alternative to the Ring Doorbell for a lot of reasons. First of all, it’s way cheaper than the Ring Doorbell. But the quality isn’t that bad at all.
You get a wide-angle HD lens to have a crisp and clear view of your doorstep. You can use your phone to check up on the video footage live, so you don’t even need to get up from your place.
This one also saves up the motion alert clips for 36 hours on its official cloud service.
Things get better with the direct communication feature of the doorbell. You can directly talk to people using your phone through the doorbell. Now, that’s a good way to avoid unnecessary interactions.
- IseeBell Wi-Fi Enabled HD Video
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s an upgrade over the Ring doorbell, but it’s good enough. And for an affordable price, you can go by with this doorbell.
It has got quite a lot of features similar to the Ring doorbell but isn’t as good in terms of quality.
You still get the wireless functionality to operate this one using your phone. This is a convenient feature to have, and for the price, it’s quite impressive.
In the doorbell, you get cloud recording in HD resolution that goes on without any break.
It also comes with several other modern features like advanced motion zone, night vision, motion notifications, etc. With the easy installation, it’s a decent replacement for the Ring doorbell.
- Arlo Essential Video Doorbell
Now, this one is more expensive than the other two choices, but it’s still cheaper than the Ring doorbell with similar features. It has got that classic smart alert option for you.
You get a call every time someone presses the doorbell button.
The amazing part is the camera quality of this is as crisp as you would love to see. This also works with Alexa, so you get to use the full potential of your devices.
Setting up the doorbell is as simple as it gets.
You can either communicate with people through live calls, or you can opt for prerecorded messages. This gives you so much freedom to interact with certain people.
And it comes with excellent protection against heat, rain, cold and sun.
- Lorex Video Doorbell
If you can’t seem to find any of the above, you can go with this one. It’s priced between the Arlo and Zmodo. So, you can be assured of the affordability and quality of both of them.
For the features, you get Full HD video footage on this one with 160-degree coverage. It also has a night vision that will let you see clearly in the night and feel much safer.
The doorbell comes with a local storage unit, so no worries about paying a monthly fee for that footage. And using the app, you get to enjoy features like talking to the people in your doorway using your phone.
So, overall, this can be a great affordable alternative for Ring Doorbell.
Well, don’t get me wrong. If there is an option to get your Ring doorbell working again, you should surely go for it.
But if replacing the doorbell is your only choice, you can go for these cheaper alternatives that serve similar purposes. However, they will not match the quality of the Ring Doorbell, so don’t expect too much from these.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If no internal parts are damaged, your Ring may not work properly due to a poor connection between the internet and your Smartphone. Also, a poor connection between your Ring doorbell and router may be responsible.
Yes, it will still work but you won’t be able to control the device from your smartphone. If the internet goes down, Ring will still be armed and the alarm siren will be active.
Ring sensors are known to last not for a long time. When they are acting up, they go offline. You must replace the sensor when this happens.
When there are fluctuations of voltage sent to the chime, your Ring doorbell will keep going off even if there is no one there. It’s also known as ‘Phantom’ ringing.
The contact sensor has to be as close as possible like ½ an inch of space needs to be around the sensor.
Ring contact sensor batteries can last up to 3 years depending on how well you use them.
When it detects any motion, Ring smart lights will activate but you won’t be able to watch the video, talk to the visitors, or get any notifications without the Wi-Fi connection. The ring security camera must have a Wi-Fi connection to function.
Hard resetting the doorbell will solve many problems. To hard reset it without the app, find the orange button located at the back of the Ring doorbell.
Press & hold the orange button for 15 seconds and release it after those 15 seconds. It will take up to 5 minutes to reset itself.
Final Thoughts
I just mentioned all the possible scenarios of why is your Ring doorbell not working and tried to give you the relevant troubleshooting tips.
I believe I have covered everything. If you face other problems with your doorbell which is not listed above, learn how to reset the Ring doorbell and apply the same.
Let me know if you have any unique problems with your doorbell in the comment box.
About Author
Ring doorbell goes temporarily into setup mode when bell button is pushed quickly. Ring chime pro was added but same issue still occurs. Single at chime pro is strong in both directions.
1. The works fine until the bell is pressed
2. The ring light turns white and starts spinnng. Setup mode is announced
3. After about 5 minutes it return to normal status and reconnects to Wi-Fi
4. It can be made to return t normal by pressing bell button twice. First to solid white than on second press to blue. Announces reconnect to Wi-Fi.
Good Monday, My Ring Doorbell got wet over the winter and isnt working, what can I do