How to Change the Time on a Ring Doorbell

Evan Gower October 11, 2019

Ring Video Doorbell is much more than a simple doorbell device. It brings the convenience of having an entrance camera, a speaker, and constant video and audio access to your front door, through your smartphone device. Recording is also an option on Ring Doorbell, but it isn’t as simple as it sounds. Can you, as a user, change the auto-recording time on your device? Can you initiate recording through your smart device app? Read on to find out.

How to Change the Time on a Ring Doorbell

How Does the Device Work?

Although it was conceptualized as a doorbell first, nobody purchases the device for having a nice ring to it (pun intended). Don’t get me wrong, a lot of people buy and use this Ring device. But perhaps the most important feature is the device’s motion detector. You can select which areas of the 180-degree entrance you want to cover. In turn, the device will notify you whenever someone walks into that designated area.

You’ll get a phone notification and be able to access the device, looking at the camera and using the speaker to communicate with whoever triggered the motion sensor. This can be done from wherever you are, as long as you’re connected to the internet. But, perhaps even more importantly, the device is set to record every time a motion sensor is triggered. The recording is directly viewable from your smartphone device and can be used in court (in case of a crime).

By default, this recording time is 30 seconds, which is a significant improvement, when compared to the 20-second recordings on previous versions of Ring. In some instances, 30 seconds is more than enough, but in others, the final second may run out moments before a break-in. This can be very annoying. So, can you change the default recording time to more than 30 seconds?

The Recording Time

Sadly, no, you can’t. This has been an ongoing issue with Ring products that many customers have complained about over time, which is why they increased the last version’s recording length to 30 seconds. However, this is definitely not enough, and the option of selecting your recording time would definitely be more than welcome in Ring’s next version update.

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The Workarounds

Unfortunately, the only kind of recording the Ring app can do is automatic. There’s no way to start recording using the app itself and, as already mentioned, there is a 30-second limit of the automatic recordings.

Luckily, there’s a potential workaround when you have your phone by your side. Given the fact that you’ll get notified every time a motion sensor is triggered, you’ll be able to see the live footage instantly. Now, although the 30-second video will be automatically stored in your Ring cloud space, you can always record the video yourself.

How do you do this? Well, simply by recording your phone/tablet screen. Some models, such as iPhones and certain Android devices, come with this option pre-installed. Whereas every smart device can download an app for screen recording.

So, how does it work? Well, when you get notified about the motion sensor/doorbell ring, you start the screen recording on your phone, and tap/slide the notification to bring up the live video feed. Yes, the recorded video may turn out grainer than the live feed, but it will likely suffice. This is slightly annoying and definitely isn’t the user-friendliest option, but it still remains the best (perhaps the only) workaround for the lack of recording settings on Ring devices and app.

Stored Videos

The 30-second videos that are recorded whenever the motion sensor is triggered are kept in your own Ring cloud space. They are kept safe and are always accessible. Well, if you subscribe to one of their plans, at least. For starters, the Free subscription doesn’t bring any form of video recording to the table. All it does is provide you with instant alerts, which allows audio and video streaming, and enables you access to a live view.

If you upgrade to the next plan, called Protect Basic Plan, you get cloud storage access, an opportunity to review and share the recorded videos, and a warranty. However, this only works per camera, so it only really pays off if you have less than 3 Ring cameras installed in your home.

Finally, there’s the Protect Plus Plan, which offers everything that the basic plan offers: cover for an unlimited number of cameras, a lifetime warranty, and Ring Alarm professional monitoring.

So, which one should you opt for? To be honest, if you don’t care about the 30-second motion sensor videos, go with the Free plan. Although there are many other benefits with the Protect Basic and the Protect Plus plans, the biggest benefit they bring to the table is the actual storage access to the recorded videos.

If you intend to review the live footage yourself and record your screen while you’re at it, you can really make the Free plan work like a charm.

Is Not Being Able to Change the Time a Deal-Breaker?

Truthfully, no. Ring Doorbell Video offers fantastic devices that bring much more to the table than your regular doorbell or typical intercom. The 30-second sensor-activated videos are a cool benefit, but not having this feature is far from a deal-breaker. Being able to look at your entrance live footage at any time, from anywhere, using your smartphone, and being alerted every time someone rings or activates the motion sensor is more than enough.

Does the lack of recording settings bother you? Would you reconsider buying the device because of it? Feel free to discuss this and more in the comments section below.