Ring Alarm
First Alert ZCombo will connect connect, help?
I have purchased 3 First Alert smoke and CO detectors to go in my home. I follow the exact instructions in the Ring app as well as the instructions that came with the detectors. I have followed the instructions to the "T" and all I see in the Ring app is "Adding device..." "Listening for Device". It goes no where and eventually times out. I have reset everything and repeated the process. I cannot find any troubleshooting anywhere? Thanks ahead for your help!
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10-06-2020 12:23:29
Responses (13)
- J
I have exactly the same problem. I contacted the help desk but they could not resolve the problem. I tried the app on android and apple devices.
•2
29-11-2020 01:02:30
JExact same issue. I have three alarms. Two are unable to connect. One connected immediately without issue. Tried calling in to support, they were unable to help after many attempts to trouble shoot. Tried to pair and unpair with the battery compartment open then closing it while holding the button until releasing after the first short beep. Then tried the same but with a 10 second hold to reset the unit. Even tried the z-wave device reset under the base station settings. Ring should just make their own detector not just the listening device. First Alert is terrible, the product feels like it’s from the 60s
•3
30-11-2020 03:50:19
MHi there, neighbors! The most important factors in this setup are power and connection. Please attempt this setup nearby your Alarm Base Station, and ensure the battery is securely in the compartment throughout the setup process. If you are setting up multiple devices at once, it may take time between each addition for the pairing and proper configuration of the device. If your First Alert Smoke and CO still will not setup, please give our support team a call at one of the numbers available [here](https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/213608406). We’re taking additional steps to protect our team and help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This has resulted in longer than normal wait times. If you are outside of the US, please read our response to COVID-19 [here](https://support.ring.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360041597471) to see how to contact support.
•0
17-12-2020 10:03:25
- G
I am having the same issue. I am less than 2 feet from the RIng Base Station. Still the alarm does not pair with ring. I have retried it multiple times. Pressed the Test button and retried, started from scratch multiple times. No success.
•1
20-12-2020 02:24:35
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- J
In my case I figured it out why it doesn't work. Apparently z-wave works on different frequencies in the US and Europe (and some other countries). Since I live in Europe my base station works on another frequency as the first alert smoke detectors. So bottom line: The smoke detectors will not connect in Europe. FYI: using an American base station in Europe is not legal as the US frequency interferes with certain cell phone signals.
•2
02-01-2021 05:23:27
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- M
I have the same issue with all 3 of mine. They're not brand-new (2 years old), but have fresh batteries and definitely work. I'm right by the base station but get the same result each time. I may be calling them for assistance.
•1
23-02-2021 12:19:43
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- T
I also had problems pairing my First Alert ZCombo (gen 2) Smoke/CO2 detector to my Ring base station. Here is what I did to remove and re-add my device (within a few feet of the Ring base station). 1. In the Ring app, tap the menu button in the upper left and tap Devices 2. Select Alarm Base Station 3. If you see any of your problematic First Alert smoke/CO alarms, tap each one, hit the settings button in the upper right, and remove it 4. Go back to the Devices area and tap Base Station 5. Tap the settings button in the upper right, and tap Advanced Options 6. Tap Z-Wave, and tap Remove Z-Wave Device 7. Open the battery tray on the smoke detector 8. Hold the Test button while re-inserting the battery tray 9. When the device beeps, release the button. The Ring app should indicate the device has been removed. 10. In the Ring app, hit the menu icon in the upper right, and select Set Up a Device 11. Tap Security, Alarms, and tap the Smoke/CO alarm that you have (1st gen or 2nd gen) 12. Follow the prompts to add/pair the device. Note, you *might* have to pull out the battery tray, remove the batteries, re-insert the batteries, and slide the tray in again. You should see the device being added in the Ring app. Hope this helps! Also, open to feedback in case I didn't capture these steps perfectly.
•19
13-03-2021 09:40:22
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AThank you! The steps you provided help clear the First Alarm failure and then was able to reset it back up.
•1
14-07-2021 12:40:56
ALike a dream! Thanks for this step by step, I was driving myself nuts. The z-wave step was the key.
•1
07-11-2021 01:12:11
JThank you, this fixed my issues! After a very long frustrating day of trying to get it to work.
•1
30-12-2021 05:00:40
MAfter a loooong day of having to reinstall and reconnect my entire Ring Alarm system, the First Alert Smoke/CO2 detectors were the only things that would not reconnect no matter what I tried. I found @tonjabar 's post, and that did the trick for me as well! Thank you!!! Just wanted to add a few observations that might apply to others who come looking for a solution. For me, the First Alert detectors connected when I first installed a few years ago. Today, I had to replace a defective base station, so I had to reconnect EVERYTHING to the new base station after I removed the defective base station. The First Alert detectors were no longer on my list of devices, but apparently I needed to remove them or some how tell them to stop looking for the old base station (?). Going through the process of removing them and then re-adding them worked immediately. I used an Android, so when I am on the Base Station Menu with the battery tray compartment pulled out of the Frist Alert detector, the steps are 1. Select "Device Settings" tile (towards the bottom right of the screen) 2. Select "Advance Options" (Under "Tools," around the middle of the screen) 4. Select "Z-Wave" (Under "Protocol Adaptors," bottom the of menu) 5. Select "Remove Z-Wave Device" (second and last option on the menu) 6. Hit "Remove" (big blue button at bottom of screen) 7. Push and hold the Test button while re-inserting the battery tray (same as above from here on out) 8. When the device beeps, release the button. The Ring app should indicate the device has been removed. Then follow the instructions for adding the First Alert detector. Everything happened pretty quickly. And I had the detectors ~5 ft from base station.
•1
18-03-2022 12:31:24
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Chelsea_Ring
Hey @phildogbph. How far are the devices from the Base Station? For the first initial setup, I recommend having the devices close to the Base Station to ensure it is not a distance concern, and then once set up, you can move them to the proper location. If bringing them closer doesn't help, please give our support team a call at one of the numbers available [here](https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/213608406). We're taking additional steps to protect our team and help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This has resulted in longer than normal wait times. If you are outside of the US, please read our response to COVID-19 [here](https://support.ring.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360041597471) to see how to contact support.
2
10-06-2020 03:35:57
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