Does Ring Doorbell Need Power? (Unraveling Its Energy Needs)

The Ring Doorbell has become one of the most popular 21st-century doorbells to date. It’s no mystery why they so popular with HD quality video from your front door to your cell phone and two-way communication at the same time, video doorbells ensure that you always know exactly what’s going on at the main entrance of your house.

Does the Ring Doorbell need power? No, the Ring Doorbell doesn’t need power connected to it. It works off a built-in rechargeable battery and has an option to connect to electrical wires. The battery life is 6 to 12 months depending on the activity at your door. It also has solar power options.

The fact that there isn’t any electrical work required for the battery and solar options, makes it one of the easiest smart doorbells to install. You also save a decent amount of cash by avoiding electricians’ hourly rates.

Don’t take chances with electrical work to save cash if you are going to connect it to the house power though. Pay an electrician to do the job professionally.

The fact that the Ring Doorbell has an option to be hardwired into your home is excellent because this will mean that your built-in battery can be preserved and used as a back-up solution only when the power goes out for any reason. Get an uninterrupted power supply to back up your wi-fi power as well otherwise, your Ring Doorbell won’t serve any purpose.

The Ring Doorbell even has a solar-powered option which will at very least extend your battery life but in very sunny conditions can sustain your doorbell power requirements permanently.

Another advantage of the solar charging bracket is that you don’t need any electrical knowledge to attach it. The solar charger becomes the new wall mounting bracket for the Ring Doorbell so all you need to do is slip the doorbell over the solar bracket for an easy installation.

How To Prevent Solar Panel Theft?

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What Power Options Do I Have For My Ring Doorbell?

Built-in battery

The best way to use the Ring Doorbell system is to have it wired physically to your house power and then have the built-in battery only run as a backup power supply.

The Ring Doorbell has a built-in battery that lasts 6 to 12 months depending on how busy your front entrance is.

Many people report having to replace their battery after only 2 to 3 months and for that reason, I would make use of the wired power option you have available.

If you are not going to make use of any wiring or the solar option to power you Ring Doorbell and only run it off the batteries then you need to follow the following guidelines.

It’s important to recharge your battery before it runs completely flat otherwise you may need to do some setup steps over again.
You will receive multiple alerts via email and on your Ring App warning you to charge your battery before it dies.
To recharge your battery, remove the two screws at the bottom of the doorbell and slide the doorbell up and over the mounting bracket. Use a micro USB cable to connect the doorbell to a USB power source. 2.1Amp wall charger is recommended as this will charge your doorbell within 4 to 5 hours. A computer USB port will work as well but takes longer to charge the battery. (Up to 12 hours) While charging, the round indicator light on the front of the doorbell will indicate the charge percentage. It’s fully charged when the circular light is solid blue. The battery percentage on your Ring app won’t relate properly to the battery’s actual charge while being charged. This is because the battery percentage only updates every time there is an event for the doorbell like when it picks up motion or when it rings. Once your Ring Doorbell is fully charged, disconnect the USB and place the doorbell over the mounting bracket screwing it in with the two screws you removed from the bottom.
You will need to recharge your battery every 6 to 12 months depending on how much activity you have going on in front of your house in the camera’s view. Some people find that they need to replace the battery in half this amount of time. In my opinion, this is still not too bad though.
If you find that your battery is running flat too often and you’re recharging it every month or two, adjust the motion settings in the Ring App as there maybe leaves, moths, and other things setting off your sensors unnecessarily.

Wired connection

Connecting your Ring Doorbell to your house’s power. You can connect it to your previous doorbell electrical wires to continuously charge the battery and only make use of it if the house power goes off.

Connect to 8-24 VAC, 40VA max, 50/60Hz only. No halogen or garden-lighting transformers and no DC transformer/power supplies.

Make sure to switch off your power source to the doorbell wiring before replacing the doorbell

To connect your Ring Doorbell to your previous electrical doorbell wiring, carefully remove the old doorbell and disconnect the wiring from it. The same wiring you will attach to the Ring Doorbell.

Now you have your primary Ring Doorbell power source exposed. Connect your wiring carefully as per the instruction manual and insulate the wiring with electrical tape.

Secure the Ring Doorbell to the wall after connecting the wires.

If you don’t have an existing electrical doorbell that you’re going to replace, you need to contact an electrician to do the installation for you.

Electrical Work Should Be Done By Electricians

Whether you’re replacing an existing electrical doorbell or fitting the Ring Doorbell to new wiring, you should hire an electrician to do the job.

Any electrical work has a high-risk factor not only to the person who works on the project but also to the house as a whole. If things aren’t done correctly you can cause fires long after the installation is complete.

By allowing electricians to do all electrical work, you can save on huge medical bills from injuries. The job will be done correctly the first time and your home insurance won’t have many reasons not to pay you out if anything bad happens. Like a fire caused by faulty unauthorized wiring.

Solar assistance

The Ring Doorbell has an option to connect a solar power panel bracket to extend the battery life of the unit.

They do claim that with only a few hours of direct sunlight per day, it will stay fully charged but I find that many people are complaining about having to still replace batteries.

The advantage of the solar panels is that battery replacements are less frequent than what they would’ve been without solar assistance.

You don’t need to be an electrician to attach the solar bracket to the Ring Doorbell, just follow these instructions:

First, you’ll need to remove your Ring Doorbell and its mounting bracket from the wall. Loosen the screws at the bottom of the doorbell and slip it up and over the mounting bracket.
Unscrew the mounting bracket from the wall.
Place your Ring solar charger over the original holes of the doorbell and mount it using the screws included.
Once the solar charge is securely mounted, plug the attached USB cable from the solar charger into the port at the back of the Ring Doorbell.
Now clip the Ring Doorbell into the solar charger and press downwards to fix it into place.
Replace the screws which you removed back into the bottom of the doorbell and you’re done.

Now that your Ring Doorbell is charged by the sun, you won’t have to recharge batteries or connect it with wires.

If you find that you still need to recharge batteries every now and then, adjust your motion sensors so that they don’t pick up things like falling leaves or birds flying past.

Your battery life will be significantly affected if your sensors are reporting movement all day long.

Get An Uninterrupted Power Supply For Wi-Fi

In addition to having a built-in battery for your Ring Doorbell, you should also get an uninterrupted power supply for your Wi-fi router.

Remember, if your power goes out at your house, the doorbell won’t be able to communicate with you through the internet as your wi-fi will be off without back-up power. It won’t record what is happening or do anything useful if there is no internet connection.

This one on Amazon features a 600VA / 330W of back up power. It has 7 outlets for different electronics to be plugged in along with the router. It has one USB charging port. A 3 to 5-year battery life and is backed by APC’s 3-YEAR warranty, plus a $75,000 connected-equipment policy.

Conclusion: Does Ring Doorbell Need Power?

No matter your power requirement, the Ring Doorbell has the option for you.

With battery and solar-powered options, this doorbell is ideal to reach further away places on your property.

Using the battery together with a wired installation or solar charging bracket is the best way to make sure that you stay connected and aware of what’s happening at your doorstep at any time from any place.