3 Red Lights On Ring Doorbell: How To Fix In Seconds

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From motion detectors to video doorbells, Ring provides some of the best security solutions available on the market right now.

Having been on a mission to replace the devices in my house with smart devices, a colleague of mine who is equally enthusiastic about tech suggested the video doorbell from Ring to replace my existing “prehistoric” doorbell.

After purchasing one of their home security bundles and integrating my Ring devices to my existing smart home ecosystem on Google, everything seemed to be going well.

Now, if, like me, you threw the manual away and suddenly realize you have no idea what any of the lights on your Ring doorbell means, you’ve come to the right place.

The problem in particular that I faced was not knowing what the 3 red lights or the flashing red light on my doorbell meant.

The 3 solid red lights on your Ring Doorbell, specifically in darker situations or at night, are just your device using its IR (Infrared) camera. You can simply disable Night Mode.

I’ve also talked about the low battery indicator, which is also red, how to charge your Ring Doorbell, swap out your battery, and reset your Ring Doorbell, giving each their own separate section.

Why is your Ring Doorbell Glowing Red?

If your Ring Doorbell starts flashing red light, it means your battery has drained and will need to be recharged. However, if you see 3 solid red lights on your device, then it means your camera’s night vision mode is switched on.

Your Ring Doorbell can also glow other colors. Sometimes your Ring Doorbell flashes blue to indicate that it’s starting up, or try to connect to Wi-Fi.

Charge your Ring Doorbell

If you see your device has a flashing red light, it’s time to recharge the device.

Since there are various models for the Ring Video Doorbell, I will outline how to change the battery on all these devices. However, before continuing ahead, please make sure to check the battery on your device.

When Ring devices are low on charge, you will get a notification via the Ring app and an email to your registered email id.

If you didn’t notice either of these in the endless void of notifications, then as mentioned above, your device should have a flashing red light.

Charging Ring Doorbell – 1st Gen & 2nd Gen

• You can use the screwdriver provided with the device or any star-shaped screwdriver that is small enough.
• Simply unscrew the 2 security screws at the bottom of the device and slide it upwards, releasing it from the mounting.
• Once the device is off the mounting, turn the device around, plug the micro-USB end of the charging cable into the device, and plug into a standard 5V AC adapter.

Charging Ring Doorbell – All Other Models

• Like the 1st and 2nd generation models, you can use the screwdriver provided in the box and unscrew the 2 security screws underneath the device.
• Unlike the older models, however, you will have to slowly lift the faceplate off the device.
• Now press the black/silver release tab at the bottom of the device and slide the battery pack out.
• Go ahead and plug the battery pack into the micro-USB end of the included charging cable and plug the other end into a compatible 5V AC adapter.

Your device should be charged when you see a solid green light and should last for a month or so, depending on various use cases.

Devices can also be hardwired to provide continuous charging, but this negates any portability moving forward.

If your Ring Doorbell is not working after charging, try disconnecting and reconnecting it with the app.

Swap out your Ring Doorbell’s Battery.

Sometimes, no matter how long you charge your Ring Doorbell’s battery, it always seems to run out within a couple of days or less.

This is a sign that your battery is nearing the end of its life cycle and can no longer provide the amount and duration of power it could sustain earlier.

If your device is under warranty, you can contact Ring’s customer support, and they will replace the battery or device for you.

If your device is outside the warranty period, you can try checking out repair centers around your neighborhood or your city.

You could also try replacing the battery yourself, but attempt this only if you are confident and know your way around circuit boards and wires.

Why are there 3 Red Lights on your Ring Doorbell?

If you see 3 solid red lights on your Ring Doorbell, it means your night vision mode is activated.

This uses the infrared cameras on your device to pick up security footage even in darkness or at night.

Sometimes, you might see these 3 lights on throughout the day, which is usually because the infrared camera is set to stay on all the time.

You can change this by going to your infrared camera settings in the ‘Ring’ app on your mobile phone and changing it to ‘Auto’.

This allows your device to automatically toggle the cameras when it senses that the ambient light sources are less than desirable.

How to Use Night Vision on your Ring Doorbell?

Night Vision on your Ring Doorbell is a standard function that will trigger automatically when the camera senses that there isn’t enough ambient light surrounding the recorded area.

You can also change the ambient light around the device or infrared settings to use night vision more effectively.

Modify your Infrared Settings.

To modify your Ring Doorbell’s infrared setting, you can try the following:

• Make sure you have downloaded and installed the Ring app on your smartphone.
• Open the app and look for the 3 dots on the top right corner.
• Now open device settings and look for the device you want to adjust the settings for.
• Click on the gear icon next to the device, and below the video settings tab, you will see options for your infrared settings.

Modify the Ambient Light Around the Ring Doorbell to Correctly Identify the Time of Day.

If your porch lighting is too dim or if shadows and such darken the area, it can cause your camera to turn on night vision intermittently.

To prevent this, you can make sure that the ambient lighting around the camera is not too bright or too dim, as this will allow the camera to function optimally during the daytime and switch to night vision come nighttime.

Setting up additional light sources or simply using brighter bulbs to light up your porch and other areas of your house will help prevent the camera from switching modes ever so often.

Reset your Ring Doorbell

If you are facing multiple issues with your device, sometimes Resetting your Ring Doorbell is the best way to fix many software-based problems.

However, remember that performing a hard reset will erase all data from your Ring device, including saved settings and Wi-Fi passwords.

Resetting 1st & 2nd Gen Ring Doorbell

• Unscrew the 2 security screws under the device and remove them from the mounting bracket.
• Turn the device around and hold down the orange setup button at the back of the device for 10 seconds.
• You should see the light on the front of the doorbell flashing for several minutes. Once the light stops flashing, your device has been reset.
• You will enter the initial setup mode after the light stops flashing.

Resetting All Other Models of Ring Doorbell

• Proceed to remove the 2 security screws on the device, slowly lift the faceplate, and pull it off the device.
• At the top right corner of the device, you should see the setup button, which is denoted by an orange dot on most devices. Hold it down for 10 seconds.
• The lights will start flashing for a while and then stop.
• You will now enter the initial setup screen.

If you are planning on giving the device to someone else, please make sure to delete the device from your list of devices on the Ring app as well.

• Open the Ring app on your smartphone or tablet.
• On the home screen, locate the device you want to remove and click on the gear icon next to it.
• Tap Device Settings>>General Settings>>Remove This Device.

Contact Support

If you are still facing trouble with your Ring device and none of the above steps helped to rectify it, then contacting their support team would be your best bet.

A Red Light isn’t Always a Cause for Worry

These fixes are relatively simple and can be done with the tools provided with your Ring device.

Your device might emit other similar light patterns, so referring to your device’s user manual is a good way to understand what each of these light patterns means.

Using some smart devices can seem complicated and might leave us more confused than relaxed, but with the right guides and information to help you out, technology becomes one of the easiest tools to make our lives secure and better.

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

• Ring Doorbell Not Connecting To Wi-Fi: How To Fix It?
• How to Connect to a Ring Doorbell that is Already Installed
• Ring Doorbell: Power and Voltage Requirements [Explained]
• Ring Doorbell Not Detecting Motion: How To Troubleshoot
• How Long Does Ring Doorbell Battery Last?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you tell if someone is watching you on the Ring doorbell?

It is not physically possible for you to know if someone is watching you through a Ring doorbell, as there are no indicators to show this.

Does the Ring doorbell light up in live view?

The Ring doorbell will not light up the LED ring when ‘Live View’ is active until the doorbell’s button is pressed. This is done to save battery.

Why is my Ring base station red?

If your device has issues connecting via Bluetooth, it will show a red light indicating this error. You can wait for a few seconds and tap ‘Try Again’ to attempt a reconnection. This is required to activate the sensors and receive any alerts from your devices.

Does Ring work without Wi-Fi?

All Ring devices require Wi-Fi to work and control. Sensors and cameras will still activate when sound or motion is detected, but you will not be able to control them or receive any alerts from devices that are not connected to Wi-Fi.