Ring Video Doorbell battery tips and tricks 

Ring Video Doorbell battery tips and tricks 

With the Video Doorbell and the Video Doorbell 2/3 there's an internal battery whereas the Ring Video Doorbell Pro is wired. On the Ring Video Doorbell 2/3, this battery is removable, making for easy battery management.

How long does the Ring battery last? The battery life of the Ring Video Doorbell depends on how often it is used and how many motion alerts it detects. That might be a couple of months, but in a busier house, it might be a couple of weeks. The weather also makes a big difference, reducing the life as it gets colder. 

How do I check the battery life? There's a visual icon in the app, but if you head into the device settings and tap on "device health", you'll get a proper battery percentage. As your battery depletes, you'll get alerts to tell you it is low.

Turn turn motion detection to prolong battery: If you find the battery isn't lasting long, then switching to a lighter motion detection frequency will give you a better life. Whether that's suitable depends on what you want detection for and if you have other security devices.

Does the Ring Video Doorbell work with a flat battery? No, if you have the Ring Video Doorbell or the Ring Video Doorbell 2 or 3 it needs the battery. If the battery is flat, you get no response from it - no rings, no alerts, no notifications, no sounds. 

Can I buy a spare Ring Video Doorbell 2 battery? You can and you should. There's no fast charging on the battery pack, so it takes a number of hours to fully charge the battery. You can get spare batteries so you can keep one fully charged. 

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Turn off mobile video access: This is another option in the app settings that will preserve battery life - accessing the live video feed uses a lot of power. 

Using Ring with other devices

Use the desktop app to stay connected: When sitting at your desk, or gaming with headphones, the desktop app is a lot more convenient than using your phone all the time. It will bring those alerts to your computer. You can download the app here for Mac, Windows 10, iOS or Android.

Use Alexa to view Ring Video: Alexa supports Ring and the Echo Show and Spot (and Fire Tablets with Alexa) can view the Ring video feed. Simply install the Ring Skill through the Alexa app to enable linking. Then you can ask Alexa to show your Ring Video Doorbell on an Echo Show or similar. 

Answer your door with Echo Show or Echo Spot: When your doorbell is pressed, you can ask Alexa to answer the door - just say "Alexa, answer the front door" and you'll be able to talk to whoever is at the door. If it's not working, try uninstalling the Ring Alexa skill and reinstalling.

Use Alexa Routines to create custom actions: Ring is now one of the devices supported by Alexa Routines. This means you can have Alexa perform particular actions when motion is detected or the doorbell is pressed. That might be change a light colour or make a custom announcement. You can set them up in your Alexa app.

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Create custom Ring actions with IFTTT: Ring is also IFTTT compatible, meaning you can link your account and create custom actions with other IFTTT devices or services. Custom recipes include lowering your Sonos volume when someone rings the doorbell, pausing your TiVo, or perhaps recording on your Arlo camera - or creating your own recipe. You can find all the details here.

Using Ring with Google Home: Google won't do as much with Ring as Alexa will, but you can still use voice to turn on recording or turn off motion alerts. You can't view the live stream however, so you might want to consider Nest Hello instead if you're tied into the Google system.

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