How To Reduce Glare On A Ring Doorbell (Do These 5 Things!)

Ring doorbells are one of the most popular ways to keep a digital eye on your home, but they have one major issue: glare. Glare from sunlight can make it hard for your doorbell’s camera to do its job. In fact, it can even obscure an entrant’s face. That’s pretty bad for security. How can you reduce that glare?

The best way to reduce glare on a Ring doorbell is to buy a doorbell angling kit or to install a sunshade near the doorbell. You can also try to paint reflective surfaces a dark matte color to help prevent light bouncing. However, you also may want to upgrade to a Ring Pro or Ring 3.

The glare that you see isn’t just bad for your camera. It’s also bad for your level of safety. Should something happen, the footage from your Ring could be a major part of an investigation. Let’s talk about how you can make your world safer.

The easiest cure for any type of glare is shade, and there are ways to make your doorbell area shadier. Some folks might use a potted plant to provide shade, but that’s often not the best choice. Rather, it’s best to install a sun shade designed for smart doorbells in mind.

These sunshades have a lot of perks. For example, they can provide anti-glare protection year-round without harming your visibility. They’re also pretty cheap. However, you will probably have to re-install your doorbell with a different mount. So, there’s that issue. Even so, it’s a good choice for people who want a fast fix.

Another common way to reduce glare is to turn your camera away from the sun. Of course, the “traditional” Ring doorbell setup is flush against the wall, leaving the sun plenty of entryway into your camera. Putting it at an angle away from the sun might be the cure that you need in many situations.

To do this, you usually are going to need to buy a doorbell angling kit. (Sometimes, they’re called wedges.) Much like with doorbell sun shades, an angling kit will require you to re-mount your doorbell’s setup. These are often under $20 and will be a cinch to install.

Okay, so I actually made this subheader title as a reference to an old Rolling Stones song. You should NOT paint your Ring doorbell black by any means. However, black (or at least darker) paint does have some use in reducing glare around your doorbell.

Darker shades of paint like brown and black are great for absorbing light. Since glare tends to worsen as a result of light reflection, it’s easy to see where painting reflective surfaces (like a brick wall) could improve your visibility. If you notice that one side of your camera is glowing, then paint could work.

Of course, this is not a good solution for everyone. I mean, most people don’t want to have to paint their home exterior. Even if they do, black paint is not exactly the best for HOAs. Like, most people will end up flipping out if their neighbor paints their house black.

Aside from painting the sides of your building, getting a new Ring doorbell is another option that you might want to consider if you’re not a fan of the mounts. You see, the issue of glare is one that Ring is well aware of. That’s why they’ve been working on getting it fixed in later efforts.

The Ring 1 and Ring 2 are the models that tend to have the most glare. If you want to get a new doorbell (and you might want to if yours is old-ish!), then you can choose from the Ring 3 or the Ring Pro. Both the Ring 3 and Pro models have flatter, more low-profile cameras.

The way that they are designed makes them more resistant to glare and lens flare. So, you get a clearer picture with both.

Moving your doorbell isn’t always doable, nor does it always solve the problem. However, there are some ways to make it work. If you can, try to move your doorbell to a different side of your door. At times, the change of angle or the difference in position can help give your doorbell more shade.

While this is still pretty labor intensive, it’s a good option if you don’t want to pay money for a new doorbell or a new mount. So, it’s worth a shot. You have nothing left to lose.

Related Questions

What happens if a Ring doorbell overheats?

Like with all other electronics, overheating is a sign that you might have an electrical fire on your hands. However, that’s a worst-case scenario. In most cases, this means that the lifespan of your doorbell could be cut short. In some cases, your doorbell will just stop working and go into “blackout” mode as a result of the high heat it’s enduring.

Why is my Ring doorbell blurry?

This can happen for a wide range of reasons. It could be that it’s foggy outside, or that humidity got trapped inside the doorbell. In some cases, the doorbell could simply have a smudge from a fingerprint. Wiping the front of the doorbell can help. If you believe moisture got trapped in the doorbell (from like, seeing water in it) call Ring.In some cases, Ring might be able to give you a replacement doorbell. Water should not be removed from the doorbell manually, as this can be a shock risk. Besides, it’s a sign of a manufacturing defect.

Is it possible to turn off your Ring doorbell light?

Yep, you absolutely can turn off your doorbell’s light. To do this, go to your Ring app and check out the “Light” section. Switch the light from on to off, and you’ll be good to go. Most people will choose to turn off the doorbell when they are trying to conserve energy. If you’re out and about, it may make sense to keep it on. You never know what it could prevent.