How often do i have to charge my ring doorbell

Are you considering buying yourself a Ring Doorbell? Or have you purchased the Ring Doorbell and are in doubt about how long the battery will last for these devices? 

Then, my friends, you have come to the right page. Here I’m going to share the tips that I had used to increase my device’s battery life and other possible methods that I had come across while researching for this problem.

Ring claims that its battery lasts for about 6-12 months under ‘Normal Use.’

But the thing is, they never specified the activities that would come under the category of ‘Normal Use.’

When people started using them, they found out that the battery life varied between 3-4 months to 3 weeks or less.

Well, this disparity was expected, as the battery life is primarily dependent upon factors like the number of events that occur in front of your door, weather conditions, etc.  

The Ring doorbell battery is expected to last 6 to 12 months, based on how frequently your doorbell is used. Cold climate, Live View Overuse and Poor Wi-Fi can drain your battery.

I’ve talked about how to increase the Ring Doorbell battery life by charging the battery in a warm environment and hardwiring the doorbell to avoid the battery altogether.

You can also adjust the motion detection setting, disable Live View, and use Wi-Fi boosters to improve signal strength.

What Drains Your Ring Doorbell Battery?

How often do i have to charge my ring doorbell
How often do i have to charge my ring doorbell

Sudden Draining or decreased battery life could be caused by various factors such as:

The Climate

All of the Ring Doorbell devices use Lithium Polymer batteries, which tend to be less effective at holding charge at temperatures below 4°C(36F).

So you may end up charging your battery quite often. Also, if exposed to high temperatures, it would shorten the battery life.

Also, there are several critical temperatures at which the batteries behavior changes; some of them are given as follows:

  • 4°C(36°F): Charge holding capacity of the Li-Polymer battery is highly affected.
  • 0°C(32°F): Your battery may not get recharged at all, even if it is directly connected to the power outlet.
  • -20°C(-5°F): The Li-Polymer battery may stop functioning altogether. 

Usage

Whenever an event occurs in front of the device, the motion detector activates and wakes up several other activities like video recording, sending alert messages, etc.

Using Live View, or using the intercom to speak through the doorbell, etc., are some of the other activities with high power consumption.

When you end up having to use all these features in a single day, it takes a toll on the battery and decreases battery power.

A Poor Wi-Fi Connection

The Ring Doorbell works best when it has access to a strong Wi-Fi signal.

But in the presence of a weak Wi-Fi signal, the device would automatically try to transmit at a higher power to increase the Wi-Fi range leading to higher battery consumption.

How to Improve Your Ring Doorbell’s Battery Life      

How often do i have to charge my ring doorbell
How often do i have to charge my ring doorbell

Well, since we have identified the root causes of the decreasing battery life, tackling/avoiding such situations would be the key factor to increase your battery life.

Some of the ways are being listed below:

  • Hardwiring the Doorbell.

Just like the traditional doorbells, you could altogether avoid the battery in the device by hardwiring it to a power outlet of the house or a low voltage transformer.

If you want to know how to hook up ring doorbell without wires, get an indoor adapter.

  • Reducing the usage of the Live Feed feature

As we have discussed earlier, prolonged usage of the Live Feed feature would drain a lot of battery, and hence limiting this feature to whenever necessary is highly suggested.

It’s possible when your battery is too low, your Ring Doorbell won’t go Live.

  • Fine Tuning the Motion Detection System

Sometimes any unnecessary activities which happen at a considerable distance from the doorbell could trigger the Motion Detection System.

In such cases, you could adjust the motion settings to a lower sensitivity by disabling certain motion zones, changing the motion frequency, etc., to get the best out of the device.

  • Increasing the Wi-Fi signal strength

You should ensure that the doorbell obtains optimum Wi-Fi signal strength.

Monitor the device’s Wi-Fi signal strength by looking at the RSSI value (seen under the ‘Device Health’ section of the Ring App), and prevent poor signal strength (when RSSI is -40 or less) by placing the Wi-Fi router closer to the doorbell.

You could also purchase Wi-Fi signal boosters, which could boost the Wi-Fi signal strength.

Ring does offer the Ring Chime Pro, a three-in-one solution to extend your Wi-Fi with some additional features, which I would highly recommend you pick up.

If you are thinking about it, I urge you to check out our guide on Ring Chime vs Chime Pro.

  • Charging the battery only when it’s low on power.

Studies have shown that charging a battery when it is full or relatively complete could decrease battery life. So charging them when it is low on power is recommended. This can also help you fix your Ring Doorbell stuck in boot loop.

  • Avoid extreme climates

If the battery runs out in such a condition, take the device inside the building and charge it up using the USB cable.

Since it is being brought inside, charging the battery would also cause the device to warm up. Ensure that it is fully charged before mounting it back.

  • Try to use the charger that comes out of the box of this product. Otherwise, use a quality charger that could supply the right amount of output current and voltage. Using too high of a voltage could lead to your Ring Doorbell blowing your transformer.
  • Turn OFF the Nightlight feature in the daytime.

Get an Extra Battery Pack For Your Ring Doorbell

How often do i have to charge my ring doorbell
How often do i have to charge my ring doorbell

Well, buying an extra battery pack is a great thing, as you won’t lose the doorbell functionality while charging one battery pack.

The Ring company again comes up with a Ring Rechargeable Battery Pack, which is compatible with devices like Ring Spotlight Camera, Ring Video Doorbell, Ring Solar Floodlight.

It is also compatible with the Second and Third Generation of Ring Stick Up Camera, and Ring Peephole Camera.

It features a quick-release tab enabling the user to change the battery from the device without moving the device.

As usual, it claims to have a battery life of 6-12 months. But as we all know, it varies according to the usage, so let’s not have high expectations for the device if we are looking at a battery life point of view.

Specs: 

  • Lithium polymer battery with a voltage rating of 3.6V and charge capacity of 6000mAh.
  • Comes with a USB charging cord. Plugging into a standard AC adapter or to a PC might work out just fine.
  • Charging time: 5-6 hrs(when connected to an AC source), 12 hrs approx(when connected to a PC).
  • Weight: 89.86 grams.
  • Dimension: 2.76 x 1.69 x 0.98 inches.

Get a Dual Port Charging Station For Your Ring Doorbell

How often do i have to charge my ring doorbell
How often do i have to charge my ring doorbell

Ring has also come up with a revolutionary charger called Dual Port Charging Station for Ring Doorbell Batteries.

Their patent-pending design of the charger features multiple charging slots, allowing simultaneous charging of 2 battery packs.

Indicator lights included in this product allows you to check if the battery is charging or fully charged (Blue light suggesting that the battery is fully charged).

This system fits with all Ring Doorbell batteries and has a 12-month warranty.

The product is FCC, and UC certified, thereby assuring the product to be of high quality.

Specs:

  • The package includes 1 Power Adapter, 1 Power Cable, and 1 Dual Charging Station.
  • 100-240V Power Adapter
  • 5V constant output voltage to each charging slot.
  • Input current=0.3A

Conclusion

Even though Ring advertises that its battery would last for a good 6 -12 hours, research among consumers has shown that the result is significantly different.

It is primarily due to the workload that each device has to take up in a household.

Therefore, by understanding the workload in a particular household, you could make several changes in the Ring app settings so that you can avoid that unnecessary utilization of power.

Moreover, one needs to regularly replace and charge the batteries as they get drained out.

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

  • How To Reset Ring Doorbell 2 Effortlessly In Seconds
  • Ring Doorbell Not Charging: How To Troubleshoot
  • Ring Doorbell Not Ringing: How To Troubleshoot
  • Ring Doorbell Live View Not Working: How To Troubleshoot

Frequently Asked Questions

How to replace the battery on my Ring Doorbell?

Using a Star-shaped screwdriver, loosen up the screws at the mounting bracket seen at the device’s bottom.

Remove the existing battery, and replace it with a charged battery by sliding it up and off the mounting bracket. Tighten up the screws to secure it to the device

How long does it take to charge the ring battery?

A Ring doorbell battery would generally take up 5-6 hours to get fully charged if it is directly connected to an AC power outlet.

However, if connected to a PC, it takes longer to get fully charged (typically 12 hours) due to its low charging voltage.

How do you know when the ring battery is fully charged?

The light indicator present in the charger signals the charging state of the battery. If it is blue, then it means that the battery pack is fully charged.

Why is my ring doorbell not working after charging?

Typically, the Ring app updates its battery percentage after every doorbell ring.

So, don’t worry if the app shows a low battery sign immediately after replacing the battery.

Check if the battery gets updated on the app after a ring on the doorbell.

Why is my solar panel not charging my ring camera?

It can be caused due to several reasons: The solar panel may not be getting enough light due to the dirt and debris accumulated on it.

How long does ring doorbell last on battery?

6-12 months battery life (mixed reviews) Ring reports that the battery should last anywhere from 6 to 12 months on one charge – depending on how much activity your video doorbell is recording.

Do you have to constantly charge ring doorbell?

If your Ring Video Doorbell 2 is hardwired to an existing doorbell, that will keep it charged with normal use. If your Ring Video Doorbell 2 is not hardwired, the battery will need to be periodically recharged.

How long does Ring stay charged?

According to Ring, the battery in a Ring video doorbell should last between 6 and 12 months before it needs to be recharged. That estimate is based on ideal environmental conditions, though, and likely doesn't consider the sort of high use some users may experience with their Ring doorbells.