Ring Doorbell Not Charging? Try This

The Ring doorbell is a smart, well-built device that gives owners peace of mind regarding who’s at their door, whether they are at home or at work. But when the unit starts acting up, just how secure is your home?

Many users have had issues with their Ring doorbell not charging properly. So, what’s the deal here? How can you solve it and be sure your house is safe? Moreover, what are the reasons that the battery drains so quickly? We’ll get to these questions in a bit.

Check the Battery Life

You’ve recently noticed the low battery indicator on your Ring doorbell. Naturally, you realize it’s time to charge it. After hours of charging, it’s still saying low battery, causing you to believe that your Ring doorbell isn’t charging properly.

The first step is to check the battery life. How do you do this? Do you look for the battery life indicator on the unit itself? Actually, no, you can check this straight from the app. Let’s see what you need to do:

1. Open the Ring app on your phone.
2. Then, go to ‘Devices.’
3. Click on your unit.
4. Then, tap on ‘Device Health.’
   
5. Check the ‘Power Status.’
   

If the ‘Power Status’ shows ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good,’ then that’s good news. But there are some other things you can try.

Get the Transformer

In some cases, the battery tends to drain fast because there’s no transformer. The transformer you currently have might not be strong enough to support all your devices, including the Ring unit. For that, it’s a good idea to get a new transformer that’ll be attached to the electrical panel board.

However, choosing the right transformer isn’t easy. You need to know about electricity to be able to select a suitable unit. If you aren’t sure about what’s best for your house, call an electrician. They’ll help you make a smart choice.

Check the Electrical Panel Board

Go to your electrical panel board and open it. You’ll see different breakers. There will probably be a transformer attached to the panel. The first thing you want to do is check if the breakers are turned on.

Check if the wires on the transformer look good. Be careful though, don’t touch them until you turn off the breakers! This can put you in danger, so make sure to follow this step. Alternatively, you can call an electrician to check the wiring and ensure everything is working smoothly.

If all is well here, then it’s time to contact Ring support.

Reach Out to Ring Support

In some cases, the issue is with the Ring doorbell itself. To confirm your suspicion, contact customer support. Keep in mind that the phone call may last a while, so don’t do it when you’re in a hurry.

The Ring customer support will help determine when the battery stopped charging. They’ll help you reset the device, which might help you restore the battery to its full potential. If the bell chime doesn’t respond, you’ll go to the next step instead.

Sometimes, the issue can be the firmware. The firmware is an update to software, which might not be compatible with some Ring units. The technician might recommend returning to the previous firmware. An incompatibility with the firmware can cause battery charging issues.

By going through these various steps with you, they can determine whether the device is faulty. If all fails, customer support will send a replacement for your Ring doorbell.

The new unit shouldn’t have issues charging.

Why Does the Battery Drain Fast on a Ring Doorbell?

As many users have issues with the battery on their Ring doorbell, the question arises – why does it drain so fast? There are a couple of potential reasons. Let’s take a look at them.

Cold Weather

One of the issues with the Ring doorbells is that they can’t withstand extremely cold weather. When the temperature drops below 36 F, the battery won’t charge efficiently. Slightly colder weather affects it even more, and the battery doesn’t charge at all. Finally, if the temperature is below -5 F, the unit will stop working altogether.

The reason for this is that cold weather negatively impacts the lithium-ion batteries, which Ring doorbells contain.

One of the solutions to this problem is to bring the unit inside when the temperature drops significantly and charge it with a USB. Doing so will also ensure the device warms up a bit.

High Number of Events

Events include all activities that activate the Ring doorbell. If you push it, that’ll be one event. Detecting motion is another event. The battery on the Ring doorbells is supposed to work for 750-1000 events. Period-wise, that means around 6-12 months.

A high number of events drains the battery a lot faster. However, sometimes the doorbell may involve even ‘false events.’ For example, a bicycle passing close to your house isn’t a threat, but the device will recognize this as an event. If the device is alarming you about an unusual number of events, check the settings and set up motion zones.

Maintain the Battery

As you can see, there are various reasons why the battery on a Ring doorbell might not charge. To maintain its life and ensure your house is safe, get yourself familiar with factors that drain the battery. Sometimes, the reason may be as simple as the cold weather. Other times, the issue is the wiring or even a faulty device.

Over to you – are you satisfied with the Ring doorbell? Have you had any issues with it besides the battery? Let us know in the comments section below.