The Ring Spotlight Cam is not just a camera, but it’s a tool that can be used to illuminate your property. It helps the camera get better pictures and the spotlight can be programmed to turn on and off when it detects motion.
Some users may notice the Ring Spotlight flashing on and off and this is caused by various factors such as the batteries being low, the triggering threshold is set too low, and or motion sensitivity is just too high.
In this article, we will explain shortly why the Ring Spotlight may be flashing on and off and how to fix the issue. Simply follow the troubleshooting tips listed below.
How to fix Ring Spotlight cam flashing On and Off issue
As we said, a Ring Spotlight camera flashing on and off may indicate low batteries or that the motion settings are misconfigured. Let’s start checking them one by one and get the issues resolved.
Recharge the Ring Spotlight camera’s battery
If the batteries on the camera are low, the spotlight will start to flash on and off letting you know that it’s time to recharge them. The Ring Spotlight camera is equipped with rechargeable batteries that need to be removed and changed periodically.
Spotlight Cam battery is charged using a common micro-USB cable (an orange one is included in your Ring box). The micro-USB cable can be plugged into any USB power source such as a computer. Your battery will take around five to 10 hours to fully charge depending on whether the USB cable is plugged into a USB port or into a wall outlet.
Here’s how you charge the Ring’s batteries:
- Open the better compartment by pressing the white button and lifting it open.
- Remove the battery by pressing the release tab.
- Connect any micro-USB charger to the charging port in the battery. During charging both the red and green lights will light up.
- Your battery is fully charged when the light on the battery shines a solid green.
- Once fully charged, insert the battery back to the Ring Spotlight (it will make a click sound).
- Usually, it takes 1-2 minutes for the camera to start up.
Additionally, you may check the battery level through the Ring app. Open up the app and tap Ring Spotlight Cam under Devices.
On the top of the upper right corner, you should see the battery level. If the level is below 10%, then the camera’s light will flash indicating that the battery needs to be charged.
If the battery is fully charged but the Ring Spotlight still is flashing on and off, then it might be something else that needs to be checked. Continue to the next part for more information.
Check the camera’s motion sensitivity
The motion sensitivity controls in the Ring app allow the user to adjust the sensitivity level according to the area under surveillance.
To set up the motion zones for your Ring Spotlight camera, open up the Ring app and navigate to Devices > tap the device you want to adjust > tap Motion Settings and then tap Motion Zones. Follow the app’s instructions to create the motion zone.
Keep these rules in mind when adjusting the motion settings:
Don’t use motion zones in high traffic areas. Creating a motion triggering zone in areas with high traffic may cause the camera to get triggered all the time and as a result, the spotlight will keep flashing.
It doesn’t make sense to set motion detection spots where people are constantly walking, or where the cars drive all the time. Split the area into different zones and enable the motion accordingly.
Adjust the motion settings via the Ring app. You can change the motion settings easily by accessing the Motion Sensitivity section on the Settings tab.
You can drag the blue area around and change the zones. You may try a few options here until you get something that works well for your location. Each installation is different and depends on local factors such as the position, area under surveillance, lighting conditions, etc.
Change the Motion Frequency. The Frequency tab allows you to set how often you want the motion detection to go off. If the “Frequently” option is selected, then the camera will get triggered to most all the movements which will result in the spotlight flashing.
Try switching it to one of the other options and see if it makes a difference. Moreover, if the motion gets triggered too often then the battery will be drained quickly.
Inspect the area for small animals
Motion detection can be triggered by anything including small creatures such as insects, birds, rodents, etc. Basically, anything that moves will trigger the camera (which causes the flashlight to go on and off).
So, if the camera gets triggered in scenarios that don’t make much sense, inspect the area under surveillance for small animals. Sometimes even plants that move under the wind can trigger the camera.
If you notice that the Ring Spotlight Cam is flashing only at certain times of the day, check that footage and see what’s going on. Sometimes even the sudden change of a light condition may be detected as motion by the camera.
Conclusion
Flashing going on and off on a Ring Spotlight Cam is not just annoying but it will drain the battery as well. Luckily there are some quick fixes that you can try.
Start by checking the battery level, then move on to the motion detection settings that can be adjusted on the Ring app (such as sensitivity, motion zones). Lastly, you may directly contact Ring technical support for additional troubleshooting.
