The Ring company has been at the forefront of revolutionizing home security through their smart devices, especially Ring doorbells.
The video doorbells allow two-way communication in high resolution, operable via the Ring app.
However, different doorbell models have a non-identical power source, and you might wonder if there are models that work without the battery.
A ring doorbell will work without the battery if it’s a Ring Doorbell Pro and the Ring Doorbell Elite. These are newer models of the Ring doorbell that don’t need the battery. However, all the other models need batteries to work, even when hard-wired with an existing doorbell.
In this article, let’s take a detailed look into whether or not a Ring doorbell will work without the battery, and if it can, how they’re powered to run their operations.
Can a Ring Doorbell Work Without the Battery?
Ring Company is the creator of innovative and smart doorbells that can record video and let you chat with another person in real-time.
However, with the arrival of different models, you might ask if they all need batteries to function.
A ring doorbell can work without the battery if it’s a Ring Doorbell Pro and Ring Doorbell Elite. These are newer models that don’t require any battery to operate. However, all other models like the Ring Doorbell 1, Ring Doorbell 2, Ring Doorbell 3, and Ring Doorbell 3 Plus rely on batteries.
The Ring Doorbell 1, both the first and the second generation, had fixed rechargeable batteries. That means you had to remove the doorbell from its brackets to charge the device.
The Ring doorbell 3, 3, and 3-plus have a detachable battery that you can slide for recharging without the need for removing the whole device.
It would be best to have more than one rechargeable battery so that you can replace the drained battery with a new one to avoid downtime.
Here are the steps to recharge your battery:
- Remove the security screw at the bottom of the faceplate with a star-shaped screwdriver
- Take out the faceplate by placing your fingers under the lens with your thumb at the bottom.
- Remove the battery by pressing the black tab. The battery will detach and slide down.
- Insert the charging cable into the battery and let it charge.
- Place it back into its compartment once the battery is fully charged.
- Wait for a minute for the device to power on and boot.
- Re-attach your faceplate and the screw.
Remember, when the battery is charging, you’ll see both green and red lights on your battery. Once the battery fully charges, only the green light will light.
You can also hard-wire the battery with your existing doorbell. However, make sure the existing doorbell works between 8 and 24 volts AC to avoid damage to your ring doorbell.
Once hard-wired, you won’t have to remove the battery for recharging every time. Nevertheless, it’s essential to remember that hard-wiring these doorbells don’t mean you won’t require batteries anymore.
The wiring of your current doorbell doesn’t act as a power source; it charges the batteries of the ring doorbell.
That means you’ll need the batteries to operate the device even if you make a hard-wire connection.
Sometimes, you might have to recharge your batteries by detaching them, even with the wired connection. It’ll happen when the battery is draining faster than the connection is recharging it.
How Is the Ring Doorbell Pro and Elite Powered?
Ring Doorbell Pro and Elite are among the latest models that’ll work without batteries.
The Ring Doorbell Pro is powered using hard-wire connections, but unlike other models, the hard-wiring skips the need for batteries. Moreover, you can also charge it using an AC adapter. On the other hand, you can only power the Ring Doorbell Elite with an Ethernet cable.
To power the Ring Doorbell Pro, you have to connect it to a doorbell transformer that provides AC power between 16 and 24 volts.
You’ll have to update your transformer if it doesn’t offer a minimum of 16 volts.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a transformer. You can also use the Ring Plug-in adapter to power up your pro model.
The Ring Doorbell Elite has a single power source option, and that’s the ethernet cable.
This model comes with an Elite power kit and two ethernet cables that you have to install along with the doorbell before you configure the device in the Ring app.
To install the Elite power kit:
- Plug its power cord into a socket.
- Connect the small ethernet cable from your router to the port that says ‘Internet In’ on the kit.
- Connect one end of the long ethernet cable to the kit’s port that says ‘To Ring Elite’ and the other end to the Elite device.
Once you’ve installed the power kit, you’ll have to install the doorbell next. This link will give you the details of how you can do that.
Installation of both the Pro and the Elite models isn’t easy because you have to handle different wires during the process, and if you’re not careful, you can get hurt. So, it’ll be best if you let the professionals perform the installation.
What’s the Backup Time for the Ring Doorbell Batteries?
The backup time for the Ring doorbell batteries is between 6 to 12 months when fully charged, thanks to their lithium-ion battery. However, the duration can vary depending on the usage and maintenance.
The performance of a lithium-ion battery is affected in cold temperatures.
That’s because these batteries release energy when chemical reactions happen, and cold temperatures can reduce the rate of these reactions.
If you live in an area where the temperatures go below freezing point in the winter, it would be best if you consider buying the Pro or the Elite model to bypass the battery issue.
Lastly, it’ll take 5 to 10 hours for the battery to get fully charged.
Final Thoughts
Ring doorbell is a useful device if you’re looking to upgrade your home security. Different models are available with various features and power sources, and you can select a model depending on your budget and needs.
After learning all of this and you think is not worth it to have a ring doorbell, or you’d like to find a better option, check this blog post where I break down the best Ring Doorbells alternatives
Are You Still Struggling With Your device?
If you’re still struggling trying to get going your smart device, contact me at nelson.barbosa@myautomatedpalace.com and we can discuss how can we fix it!