Many people want to be sure that their Ring doorbell camera is actually recording, so they ask how to know if their doorbell camera is recording?
In the case of Ring doorbells, it’s pretty easy to tell, all you have to do is check the red light on the physical doorbell or you can even look at the Ring app. If the red light is on, it means that the camera is recording.
Ring doorbell is one of the most popular smart doorbells on the market and it’s not used just like a regular doorbell, but the device can record videos of the people who ring the doorbell, list the times when the door was open, send alerts, and notifications to the app, etc. However, it’s necessary for any homeowner to know that the camera is actually recording.
How do I know that Ring Doorbell is recording videos?
As we said in the intro, you can check the in-app and physical lights that serve as indications that the camera is indeed capturing videos. When your Ring doorbell starts to record an event, you will be alerted on the phone through the Ring app.
Additionally, you may pay attention to the doorbell’s red LED light which (when ON) indicates that the doorbell is recording footage.
By default, the Ring doorbell can be triggered into recording mode by various events such as:
- When someone rings the doorbell
- When the motion is activated
- When the device is set in manual recording
- When sound is detected
Why My Ring Doorbell is NOT Recording
Usually, the Ring doorbell fails to record if there’s a problem with the internet connection or the unit is not powered up at all. The most common reason is related to the (WiFi) internet not working.
You can tell that the connection has problems by opening the Ring app on the phone and checking the live view mode. Normally, you should see the doorbell’s camera there.
If you can’t see the camera, then you’ll see an error message such as “Live View Failed” or “We’re experiencing problems connecting to your Ring Doorbell”.
These errors indicate that the doorbell and the app can’t communicate with each other. Common reasons include:
- Unreliable internet connection
- The WiFi coverage is weak
- The phone’s internet has problems
- The internet connection is too slow to handle the traffic
Ensure that the internet works
In order to work properly, the Ring doorbell needs a stable and reliable internet connection. If this connection is not robust, then the doorbell may not record all the events.
Moreover, to watch your doorbell’s recorded videos you need to use the app. Start by verifying the connection strength via the app. Follow the steps below.
- Open up the Ring app
- Go to My Devices and tap your Ring Doorbell
- Tap on the Device Health button.
- Scroll down and locate the Signal Strength section.
The app gives a rating based on the performance of the connection. Very Good, Good or Fair are passable and indicate that the connection works correctly. If you see “Poor” or “Very Poor” then the internet is the culprit for the problems you’re having with the doorbell.
Check your internet speed
Sometimes the internet works but it’s simply too slow to handle all the devices in your network. While Ring requires at least 2Mbps upload and download speed to work properly, there may be other devices such as computers, laptops, phones, tablets, gaming consoles, streaming TVs, etc, that can possibly choke the doorbell.
First of all, find out your internet speed and calculate if it’s good enough for the devices you use. You may upgrade the plan with your ISP or you can purchase an extra router that will expand the coverage to better handle the traffic.
Test out the connection by using your computer (also, there are plenty of phone apps that you can use). Find out what’s exactly your download and upload speed. While the download speed is usually okay, you may lack on the upload side. Rind uploads the videos through the cloud and it may fail if the rates are slow.
Another thing to consider: during peak hours, the internet may be slow in your whole area. This happens during busy hours when everyone is streaming movies or doing other online activities that clog the network.
Other suggestions
Make sure the phone and the camera (doorbell) are on the same network. This is just to test it out. You may turn off the phone’s internet and use the WiFi instead.
Ensure the doorbell is powered up properly. Check the light indicator on the unit itself. They should light up and blink.
Update the phone app to the latest version. Also, the doorbell needs to have the latest firmware as well. Check the settings to confirm that it’s the latest version.
Contact Ring’s Customer Service
If none of these methods work, then it’s probably the time to contact Ring’s technical support and they will further assist you.
Their team will ask for permission to access your system and let them try to figure out why the recordings don’t show up. Sometimes they may even need to remotely access your local network.
Conclusion
If your Ring doorbell is not recording, then the issue is usually related to internet connection issues. Ensure your internet actually works.
Additionally, you need to see if the unit is powered up correctly and inspect the settings (maybe the recording is disabled). Lastly, you may contact Ring’s technical support for remote assistance.
