Ring Video Doorbell Keeps Ringing? (Possible Causes & Fixes)
Frequent ringing is a common complaint with Ring Video Doorbell owners. There are two ways in which the Ring doorbell may keep ringing, or ring too frequently. In the first case, the Ring itself is constantly sending alerts, even false alerts. In the second case, the house door chime keeps ringing when the Ring Video Doorbell is hooked up to it.
The Ring Doorbell keeps ringing when the button on the Ring unit is stuck. Clean the button with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab. A Ring on high sensitivity will detect too many motion events causing frequent activation. The interior door chime that is connected to Ring may not be compatible, causing the chime to ring constantly.
Unlike many other problems that frequently arise with Ring doorbells, a unit that keeps ringing is usually not broken. This problem is usually fixed with a few quick app adjustments. The worst-case scenario is a malfunctioning interior door chime. Most troubleshooting and fixing can be done by Ring owners without professional help.
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Why is the Ring Video Doorbell Ringing Too Much?
Frequent doorbell ringing and smartphone alerts can cause Ring owners to feel frustrated. This type of over-alerting gives a barrage of motion alerts to Ring users, most of which are false alarms. There are three main reasons why the Ring doorbell is constantly alerting users to outdoor activity, whether it is important or not.
- The Ring video doorbell scans areas called “motion zones.” These motion zones may be set such that the motion sensors are scanning areas where there is high, irrelevant activity. Examples would be sidewalks, local business traffic, or foot traffic for adjoining apartments or condos.
- The Ring doorbell app is set to alert the user frequently. This motion frequency setting can be adjusted to take a longer “break” after each alert, which means that the motion detection system is less active, and the user receives fewer alerts.
- The Ring doorbell button is stuck or the wires are shorting. This is a less frequent problem, but one that deserves investigation if zone and alert frequency settings do not resolve the problem.
Aside from the stress that comes from constant doorbell alerts, frequent activation shortens the battery life and the life of the doorbell unit. Some users prefer to have frequent Ring doorbell alerts, but find that the unit is always showing a low battery, and here is why.
Ring doorbells are hardwired to the low-voltage doorbell wires to trickle-charge the unit. When the Ring is frequently on, the trickle charge may not be able to keep the unit charged, resulting in persistent low-battery warnings.
How to Adjust Ring Motion Zones and Frequency
Motion zones are a major culprit when it comes to Ring Video Doorbells that are hyper-alerting owners. Motion zones are customizable for all wired Ring doorbells so that users can adjust the field of view that the doorbell is “watching.” This allows Ring owners to have the video doorbell unit only monitor critical areas such as the driveway, walkway, and front porch.
Unless the Ring is a Doorbell Pro or Elite, it will still alert from motions such as animals and cars, but the alerts will still be fewer because the field of view will be more limited. While the app is open, adjust the motion frequency as well. This helps to avoid multiple alerts from children playing, animals running around, or landscaping that is blowing in the wind.
- In the Ring app, select the Ring device that needs adjustment. Select “motion settings,” and then “motion zones.” The app will help users adjust the motion zones.
- It is important to keep busy streets and sidewalks out of the blue motion zone areas because this will cause alerts whenever a person, dog, or blowing paper bag passes down the busy sidewalk.
- Ring owners should consider limiting the motion zones even further. Unless they are being used in an area where the owner is truly afraid of home intrusion, monitoring the driveway, front walk, and front steps is sufficient.
- Next select the “advanced settings” option, and then choose from “frequently,” “regularly,” or “periodically.”
- The “frequently” setting will allow the motion sensors to trigger at every possible movement. This will give the most alerts and detect the most events outside of the home. This also decreases the battery life because the unit is frequently on. This may cause frequent low battery alerts.
- The “regularly” setting causes the motion sensors to take a short break in between detection events. This decreases the frequency of things like being alerted twice for the same foot traffic or receiving two alerts when a dog runs right across the yard and then returns to the left.
- The “periodically” setting gives the motion sensors a longer break after a motion event. This is recommended for those who receive frequent alerts for non-qualifying events such as children playing in the yard, landscaping teams at work, or groups of kids walking home after school. This setting saves the most battery life.
- Tap save before exiting the app motion frequency settings.
Motion zones can be readjusted until the Ring owner feels that the unit is alerting for the right reasons, and skipping over outdoor activities that do not warrant an alert. Setting the motion activations to “periodically” is sufficient for most Ring users. This setting is likely to catch all motions such as package deliveries and front-door visitors without triggering repeatedly for the same event.
How to Stop Receiving Ring Doorbell Alerts
Ring doorbells are designed to make life safer and simpler, but there are times when knowing everything that is going on outside the home makes life more stressful. At these times it is best to take a break from receiving alerts from the Ring doorbell.
Those who have a Ring Protect subscription will still have recordings of motion activity. Unless the unit is a Doorbell Pro or Elite, which can be set to only alert when it detects a human, then disabling motion alerts is the only way to deal with weather events and such without messing up the zone settings.
- Inside the “motion settings” section of the app, there is an option to “motion snooze.” This is the easiest way to take a break from receiving motion alerts without adjusting any other motion toggles.
- When motion snooze is selected, it can be snoozed for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, one hour, or two hours. The unit should start alerting again once the snooze period has expired. It can also be turned off by simply tapping motion snooze again to wake up the unit.
- Alternatively, users can choose to stop receiving push notifications from Ring. It is important to remember to turn them back on when desired.
- Newer Ring doorbells have sliders that allow users to choose whether they want to receive motion alerts, doorbell alerts, or both. This is a fantastic way to be able to answer the door when needed without being constantly alerted to outdoor motions.
When the Ring doorbell is constantly ringing, these are quick and easy options to silence the noise for a while and relax.
Ring Video Doorbell Keeps Ringing the House Chime
Some Ring doorbells are wired into the house chime and they not only use it for trickle-charging the doorbell batteries, but they also ring the interior house chime when someone presses the Ring doorbell button.
These doorbells function the most like a traditional doorbell with the addition of motion detection and video recording. However, they add another piece to the puzzle that sometimes does not work. The most common complaint with these units is that the home door chime will not stop ringing.
- Occasionally, the button simply gets sticky or stuck and needs careful cleaning to release and stop chiming. Do not disassemble the unit for cleaning unless the warranty has already expired. Clean button components with a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol and make sure that they are working smoothly.
- If the interior door chime is not compatible, this may cause the Ring doorbell to activate frequently or may cause the interior chime to buzz. This is a list of compatible doorbells that will work with Ring products. Doorbells not listed should not be used with a Ring unit.
- The interior doorbell chime may need to be bypassed with this Pro Power Kit that can be supplied by Ring. It keeps the charging functionality that is needed to power the Ring doorbell but does not let power activation chime the doorbell.
- Turn off power to the doorbell at the breaker box, then unmount the Ring unit and make sure that there are no pinched or exposed wires. If wires are allowed to touch, this creates contact and rings the doorbell. There is not much room for wires behind the Ring, so some users drill a relief hole behind it to house wires.
- Double-check that the doorbell wires are not installed backward into the Ring unit. This could cause a constant activation of the interior door chime.
- Finally, be sure that all uninsulated wiring is covered with black electrical tape to prevent shorting. Shorting is a frequent cause of interior chiming as well as buzzing or humming in the interior chime.
When the interior door chime is silenced, the Ring doorbell will still work with full functionality. However, the interior bell will not chime. Instead, users will receive phone alerts only. To have full indoor chiming and Ring doorbell functionality, users must purchase and install a doorbell from the compatibility list provided by Ring.
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Conclusion
A Ring Video Doorbell that keeps ringing may have motion zones and motion sensitivity that is set too high. This will keep activating the Ring unit. Secondly, the Ring unit may be paired with an incompatible interior door chime. In this case, the chime must be replaced with a compatible unit, or the interior doorbell’s power supply must be replaced with one that bypasses the chime.
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Hannah DeMoss has been a writer for nearly a decade. Her passion for writing began years ago has continued to grow. Her expertise at home involves furniture restoration and other small DIY tasks. When not writing, Hannah enjoys the outdoors with her husband and pups, as well as traveling.
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