Ring doorbells are some of the most popular smart home gadgets today, and it’s easy to see why. They’re convenient, easy to use, and don’t require wiring as they rely on battery packs.
When fully charged, the battery of your Ring doorbell should last for a few months before it needs recharging. However, you might be getting alerts that your battery needs recharging after a few weeks of use.
This could happen for several reasons, such as high usage of the live view feature and high motion detection sensitivity.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at what’s making your Ring doorbell battery die fast, and give you some tips to maximize battery health. So let’s get started.
Ring Doorbell Battery: Overview
Before we delve into what’s causing your Ring doorbell battery to drain so quickly, it’s important to understand that batteries in Ring doorbells vary from one device to another.
Yet, all Ring doorbells use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which are known for their ability to deliver sustained power over extended periods.
Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation)
The Ring video doorbell (2nd Generation) is equipped with a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts between 6 to 12 months under normal use.
Ring suggests that normal use includes around 3 to 5 events per day. The battery can last significantly longer (up to one year) if you use fewer features. The best part is that the battery fully charges in 5 to 8 hours.
Ring Video Doorbell 3
Similar to Ring Video Doorbell 2nd generation, the battery of Ring Video Doorbell 3 should last around 6 to 12 months.
However, many customers reported that the battery drains much faster than that. This mainly happens because of the advanced battery-consuming features of this device. But on the plus side, the battery takes only 5 to 10 hours to fully recharge.
Ring Video Doorbell 4
Ring states that the Ring Video Doorbell 4 battery lasts between 6 and 12 months.
That said, users reported that the battery drains much faster than that, especially if the camera captures more than 5 events per day. The battery takes around 8 hours to recharge, and you can also buy backup batteries to install them immediately once the old battery drains.
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus
The Ring Battery Doorbell Plus comes with extensive features such as head-to-toe 1536p HD video capture, animal and people recognition, and better viewing angles. As you can expect, these features can drain the battery much faster than the previous versions.
Even though Ring states that the battery lasts between 6 to 12 months, some users report that the battery lasts for 6 weeks only. But fortunately, the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus comes with energy-saving features that can extend the battery’s life.
Common Causes of Fast Battery Drain
Even though Ring Doorbell batteries can last up to 12 months, users often find their batteries draining much earlier than that. This happens for different reasons, from environmental conditions to device settings.
1. Weather Conditions
As we mentioned, Ring Doorbells are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. While these batteries are efficient, their performance is significantly worse under extreme weather conditions.
At temperatures below 36°F, lithium-ion batteries struggle to keep charge. If the temperature gets below 32°F, your batteries won’t charge at all, and may even stop functioning.
Extreme heat can also drain batteries quicker and sometimes burn internal components due to overheating.
2. Event Frequency
Ring Doorbells send notifications to smartphones and other connected devices when someone rings the bell. The more visitors you get, the more energy your device needs to send alerts to your phone, which drains the battery faster.
Moreover, Ring Doorbells rely on motion settings to record what’s happening outside your doorstep. Whenever a passenger or a car passes near your door, it can easily trigger your device to start recording footage, leading to more energy consumption.
3. Wi-Fi Connection Issues
A suboptimal Wi-Fi connection is one of the most common issues that accelerate battery drain.
But why? When the Wi-Fi signal is weak, your device will have to work harder to maintain connection, leading to increased energy expenditure and faster battery drainage.
You can easily detect an unstable Wi-Fi connection when notifications are delayed, audio and video are distorted, or when you can’t view a live video of what’s happening outside.
4. Device Settings
Your device settings have a huge impact on battery life. For example, if you set video recording at a high resolution, the battery will drain much faster.
Other settings like continuous self-checks or any options that demand wakening the device frequently can also drain the battery faster than usual.
The live-view feature allows users to view the camera’s live feed at any time. But using this feature frequently drains the batteries quickly, especially if you have multiple cameras installed.
Tips to Extend the Battery Life of Your Ring Doorbell
Now that you know about the different causes of fast battery drain in your Ring Doorbell, it’s time to explore some tips to optimize your device’s performance and extend battery life. Here’s what you can do:
1. Reduce Motion Sensitivity
Optimizing the motion sensitivity settings of your Ring Doorbell can significantly extend battery life. By navigating to motion settings, then motion sensitivity, you can reduce the motion sensitivity levels to prevent your device from recording unnecessary events.
You can test different motion sensitivity levels using yourself or a friend as a reference to reach the ideal sensitivity level. Your final goal should be to find the right balance that eliminates false alerts without sacrificing the security coverage of your device.
Moreover, you can use the customizable motion zones feature that lets you direct the camera’s focus on certain spots and reduce the camera’s focus on unnecessary areas. That way, you get to reduce false alarms and preserve battery life.
2. Optimize Video Settings
In your Ring app, navigate to device settings, then video settings. You’ll see a list of features that you can disable to extend battery life. For example, Live View is a setting that lets you watch your property in real-time.
The feature is handy in some cases, but disabling it can significantly extend battery life. HDR is another feature that improves video quality so you can see the slightest details in shadows and bright areas. Turning HDR off gives a boost to your battery by reducing video quality.
If you see Pre-roll in your video settings, you might disable it as well to extend battery life. Pre-roll constantly records crucial moments before visitors ring your bell or trigger motion sensors.
After that, check the video recording length. If your Ring Doorbell is recording the maximum possible duration, your battery will drain fast. So it’s best to minimize the set length for recordings of events you don’t answer to maximize battery life.
3. Check Wi-Fi Signal Strength
As mentioned earlier, if your Ring Doorbell is struggling to connect to the Wi-Fi, it’ll work harder to try and maintain a stable connection, which puts more strain on the battery.
If you suspect that your Wi-Fi signal isn’t strong enough, navigate to Device Health in your Ring app and check the Wi-Fi signal strength. If the signal is weak, try moving your router to a different place for better network coverage.
You can also invest in a Wi-Fi extender so that the network bandwidth is enough for your Ring device to work properly. Try to remove any objects that are between your router and your Ring Doorbell as they may be hindering your device from maintaining a stable connection.
Note that newer Ring Doorbells have dual-band properties, meaning they can connect to your 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. But old devices can only connect to 2.4 GHz networks. If your Ring Doorbell is a dual-band, and the signal is still weak, you might need to reset your network settings.
4. Protect Your Ring Doorbell From Extreme Weather Conditions
Lithium-ion batteries struggle to perform well under extremely cold or hot weather conditions. If you live in an extremely cold region, consider insulating around your Ring Doorbell to protect it and preserve the battery.
Try to keep your Ring devices away from dryer vents or HVAC setups and apply anti-fog coating to minimize the impact of cold weather on the battery.
You can also explore Ring’s accessories such as small solar panels. According to Ring, these solar panels can keep your Ring Doorbell continuously charged when installing them in an area that gets at least 3-4 hours per day.
5. Disable Linked Devices
If you have multiple Ring gadgets, the linked devices feature triggers all your devices to start recording as soon as one camera detects motion.
While this option can be handy in detecting potential theft and crimes, it can significantly drain the battery of your Ring Doorbell if any of your devices is continuously detecting motion.
Thankfully, Ring allows you to control how your devices react to motion and when they start recording.
6. Change Your Device’s Location
Since Ring Doorbells detect motion automatically when it detects motion, your device will die much faster if it’s installed in a high-traffic area. This usually happens if you don’t have a yard and your Ring Doorbell points straight to the sidewalk.
Remember that Ring devices record any motion even if it’s not a human one. So, for example, whenever your neighbor’s pet passes by your Doorbell, your device will start recording, draining the battery faster.
If that’s the case, you can try to find a better angle for your Ring Doorbell so that it doesn’t keep recording irrelevant events.
7. Hardwire your Ring Doorbell Battery
Even though battery-powered devices can be convenient for smart homes, they can be a hole in your security system.
No matter how powerful your device is, if the battery drains for any reason, you’ll be left without coverage. That’s why having a security camera directly plugged into a power source is always better.
Fortunately, you can hardwire your Ring Doorbell to your existing doorbell system to minimize the need for manual charging.
However, note that when you hardwire your Ring Doorbell, it only receives a “trickle charge” and your device will still demand occasional manual charging to ensure consistent performance.
To do this, you have to ensure your current doorbell system is equipped with a transformer supplying 8-24 Volts AC (VAC). Alternatively, if your doorbell system lacks this voltage range, you might need to invest in a Ring Hardwired Transformer Kit.
Be careful, though, you must disconnect power to the designated area as a safety measure before you install your doorbell. Depending on where you live, the local laws and codes may oblige you to hire a professional electrician to ensure a safe and successful installation process.
FAQs
Is hardwiring the only solution to fast Ring Doorbell battery drain?
Hardwiring is an excellent solution to battery problems, but it’s not the only one. You should try to disable unnecessary features first from the Ring app.
If that doesn’t work, then maybe you need to check your Wi-Fi connection and ensure your Doorbell isn’t working hard to get a good signal.
The last solution is to try alternatives such as using a Ring Solar Panel or hardwiring your Ring Doorbell to your existing doorbell system to eliminate the need for batteries.
How long does a Ring Doorbell Battery Last?
According to Ring, your Ring Doorbell battery should last anywhere between 6 to 12 months under regular use. Ring states that regular use is around 3 to 5 events per day.
Despite that, users report that their batteries drain much earlier than that. This can be due to several factors such as weak Wi-Fi signal, HD video recording, and high motion sensitivity.
Final Words
Even though Ring Doorbell batteries can last up to 12 months, it’s not a surprise if your battery drains faster than that. Lithium-ion batteries can drain faster than usual for several reasons, from extreme weather conditions to Wi-Fi connection issues.
To combat fast battery drain, we explained useful tips such as checking Wi-Fi strength, reducing motion sensitivity, hardwiring, and disabling linked devices. By following our tips, you should notice an improvement in your Ring Doorbell’s battery.