Having a new piece of home security equipment can give you more peace of mind, but it can also be a little confusing at first, especially if you just got a high-tech gadget like a Ring doorbell.
To get the most out of your Ring doorbell, you have to understand its signals, which it mainly conveys through the circular LED light around the doorbell button.
Your Ring doorbell should be lit up when it’s recording, trying to connect to the internet, or undergoing a firmware update, among other activities. The device is designed to light up under different circumstances, and some light patterns could even indicate the doorbell has run into a problem.
The rest of this article will explain what your Ring doorbell is telling you through its light patterns and how to troubleshoot common issues that you can identify when the device is lighting up – or not lighting up.
Triggers That Cause a Ring Doorbell To Light Up
Your Ring doorbell will stay lit up if it’s hardwired as it’s continuously receiving power, according to the smart home technology site Smart Home Starter.
If the doorbell is running on batteries, it’ll cancel the light-up feature to save energy.
But there are other triggers for the device to light up.
Some are nothing to worry about, but some could point to power, internet, or setup issues.
A Ring doorbell could light up when it has lost wifi connection, detected a loose router wire, or is receiving a voltage that is too high or too low, among other reasons.
Other light patterns could signal more specific Ring doorbell activities, which I’ll discuss further in the next part of the article.
Ring Doorbell Light Patterns and What They Mean
Here’s a cheat sheet provided by Ring on understanding the light patterns of the Ring Video Doorbell Pro. (Note that light patterns may vary from each version of the doorbell.
You can check which one you have through this guide.)
- Solid white light – the doorbell is recording or is in idle mode
- Spinning blue light – ordinary press of the doorbell button
- Spinning white light – the device is trying to set up wifi when it doesn’t have saved wifi credentials; times out after 10 minutes
- Blue light moving upwards – the device is connecting to network during setup
- White light flashing on and off – ongoing firmware update
- Blue circle flashing, one second on, one second off – the device is starting or booting up
- Solid blue light – the speaker is enabled
- Four LEDs flashing four times – successful setup
- White light flashing at the top half of the circle – a password error has caused setup to fail
- White light flashing at the right half of the circle – a failure to connect to the Ring network has caused setup to fail
- White light flashing at the left half of the circle – setup has failed for another reason
- Short rapid flashing burst of blue light, then a spinning white circle – factory restore
- Blue light flashing at the top half of the circle – if it occurs during setup, this means a bad password; if after connection to power, it signals the device is charging
- Red light flashing at the bottom half of the circle – the device isn’t getting enough power
I know it’s a lot to remember. But you can refer to this article anytime you come across an unfamiliar light pattern.
Why Is My Ring Doorbell Not Lighting Up?
When you know all about your Ring doorbell’s light patterns, the next thing to learn is why it’s not lighting up when it should.
Your Ring doorbell not lighting up could be due to an insufficient power supply, a poor wifi connection, or an extended press of the button on the right side during the setup stage, according to Ring.
Ring explains that your Ring Video Doorbell Pro’s light should be spinning when it’s in setup mode.
If it isn’t, you could be pressing the button on the right side of the device too long, or the doorbell isn’t receiving enough power.
In the first case, Ring recommends that you press the button firmly and release it immediately; don’t hold it down.
You may also try performing a hard reset if your device doesn’t light up and flash and your spotlight cam has power, Ring says.
Just hold down the right button for a full 30 seconds.
When you release the button, the light should flash a few times, indicating that the device is restarting.
After about a minute, try putting the doorbell back in setup mode by briefly pressing the right button.
Troubleshooting Ring Doorbell Common Issues
Insufficient power and weak or lost wifi connection are common issues your Ring doorbell could be signaling through its light patterns. Here are some fixes you could try.
How To Resolve Insufficient Power Issues
If you have an existing doorbell mechanism, you could troubleshoot power issues by bypassing it.
An alternative is to upgrade your transformer.
Ring recommends choosing one with at least 16 volts AC and at least 30 volt-amps (40 VA max) and 50/60Hz.
Don’t use a halogen or garden-lighting transformer or a DC transformer/power supply, according to the company.
If you don’t have a usable internal doorbell mechanism, you may use a plug-in adapter to resolve power issues.
How To Fix a Lost Wifi Connection
Ring devices could go offline because of power surges or outages messing with your router, a change in wifi network passwords, or a loose wire in your router setup.
These incidents are often temporary, and your Ring doorbell should reconnect to the network when they pass, but when they don’t, the company suggests you take the following steps:
- Check whether a wifi disconnection caused the issue by going to “Device Health” in the Ring app. The network header will show “offline” if the device is disconnected.
- Ensure your router is correctly set up and working. Check to see if your other wifi devices are having connection problems too.
- Unplug the router for 30 seconds, then plug it back in, or turn off the power to the doorbell at the breaker box for 30 seconds, then restart it. After either of these steps, see if your doorbell automatically reconnects.
- Press the side button of the doorbell to place it in setup mode. After 10 seconds, press it again and see if the device reconnects.
- If none of these work, check whether your device is getting enough power.
Final Thoughts
Your Ring doorbell’s light can tell you many things, from the status of its setup to the strength of its connection to power and wifi.
In the same way, a lack of light could be a sign that the device is experiencing an issue.
It could take you a bit of time to memorize what the light patterns mean, but once you’re familiar with them, spotting what’s normal and what to troubleshoot will be a lot easier.