Battery-operated Ring doorbells offer many impressive capabilities, but constantly having to recharge the batteries can be a drag.
Fortunately, Ring doorbells may be hardwired to your original doorbell wires, making the battery last indefinitely.
You can keep your Ring doorbell’s battery charged for normal usage by hardwiring it to your existing doorbell wiring or an electrical transformer. If you frequently use some of the hardwired Ring’s more power-thirsty features, you may still need to occasionally charge the battery.
Throughout this article, I’ll explain how hardwiring your Ring doorbell to a power source can help you avoid frequent recharging sessions.
I’ll also explain how to minimize your battery usage and discuss ways to hardwire your Ring, even in a home without existing doorbell wiring. Read on, and you’ll be hardwiring your Ring in no time!
Can I Hardwire My Battery Operated Ring Doorbell?
You can hardwire your battery-operated Ring doorbell to your existing doorbell wiring or an electrical transformer. This connection provides the Ring’s battery with a continuous flow of current, keeping it charged in conditions of normal use.
On average, a Ring Video Doorbell battery lasts approximately 1,000 activations between charges.
By hardwiring your doorbell to a steady source of current between 8 volts and 24 volts AC, you can keep the battery charged indefinitely.
If your door chime operates at 8-24 volts AC, you can connect your chime’s power supply to your ring doorbell using the existing wiring.
If your door chime doesn’t meet those standards, you can install the Hardwired Transformer for Ring Video Doorbells (available on Amazon.com).
Ring’s official hardwired transformer comes with easy installation instructions.
If your home lacks doorbell wiring altogether or if you don’t want to fool around with electrical wiring, the Ring Plug-In Adapter on Amazon.com simplifies the process.
It allows you to plug your battery-operated Ring doorbell into an indoor outlet.
Why Won’t My Ring Doorbell Charge When Hardwired?
So, you’ve hardwired the Ring doorbell to a power source, but you’re still getting low battery warnings. What’s going on?
Even if a battery-powered Ring doorbell is hardwired to an electricity source, it relies on its battery for operations. If the demands of the battery are greater than the hardwiring charge, the battery will still need occasional recharging.
Fully hardwired Ring doorbells use your household electricity for functions like WiFi, motion detection, and generating Live Views.
When you hardwire your battery-powered Ring doorbell to a power source, that electricity does not go to your camera or sensors.
Instead, it supplies a trickle of current to your battery while it provides power to your Ring.
Most of the time, that trickle will keep your battery within operational levels of charge.
But under heavy usage, the battery might need supplemental recharging.
And if your battery goes bad or is defective, your Ring doorbell will not function despite your hard-wired power supply.
Some issues that might cause Ring doorbell battery issues include:
Cold Weather
The lithium-polymer batteries used in Ring doorbells become less effective at temperatures below 40°F (4.44°C).
If you have a cold snap, your Ring’s battery may start losing charge faster than your power supply can replace it. This problem should resolve when temperatures warm up.
Bad WiFi Connections
A weak WiFi signal makes your Ring doorbell work harder to stay connected to your network.
Check your Ring app for your RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator).
If your RSSI is lower than -70, your Ring’s communication efforts with your router are likely draining its battery.
The Ring Chime Pro on Amazon.com not only boosts the WiFi signal to your Ring doorbell. It also serves as a chime box and a nightlight.
Overly Sensitive Motion Settings
Overly sensitive motion settings drain battery life and bandwidth.
You want your Ring video to start when the mailman shows up with your package.
You don’t need to see every squirrel in your yard and every leaf that blows onto your porch.
You can adjust your motion settings through your Ring app as follows:
- Tap Devices, then choose your device
- Tap Motion Settings, then Motion Sensitivity.
- Adjust the Motion Sensitivity Slider for “Less Motion”
- Save changes.
If you live on a busy street, cars driving past your house may be triggering your Ring’s motion sensors.
To cut down on false positives, you can set up a Motion Zone that focuses on your porch and yard while ignoring the street.
To create a motion zone:
- Select your device
- Tap Device Settings, then Motion Settings
- Tap Add a Motion Zone
- Follow the on-screen directions and draw the area that you want to monitor.
- When your Motion Zone is in place, press Save.
With these adjustments, your hardwired Ring’s battery should be better able to keep up with the camera and motion sensor demands.
Overuse of Live View
By keeping a Ring.com window open on your browser, you can turn your Ring doorbell into a security camera that lets you keep an eye on your porch.
Live View is convenient, but it takes a toll on your Ring doorbell’s battery.
If you want a 24/7 view of your front yard, a wired Ring Spotlight Camera (available on Amazon.com) is a better tool for the job.
Alternatively, you could replace your battery-powered Ring with a wired Ring like the Ring Video Doorbell Pro on Amazon.com.
Dead Battery or Defective Doorbell
Hardwiring your Ring to your doorbell’s transformer may help you keep your battery charged.
But if your Ring’s battery is dead, your Ring will still be inoperable.
If you have a spare battery, charge it fully and then swap it out for the old one.
If your problem persists, your Ring doorbell may be defective and need replacement.
Conclusion
Hardwiring your battery-powered Ring doorbell allows you to use most of its capabilities without having to worry about recharging the battery constantly.
You can stretch out the time between recharging and, in many cases, may even be able to avoid recharging altogether.
If you follow the pointers that we’ve covered in this article, you should be able to enjoy your Ring for months or even years between charging.