Ring Security Cameras
Spotlight Cam Battery not charging with solar panel
I have solar panels connected to my spotlight cameras & I have had to change the battery twice this week already. Initially it was jus one of my spotlight cams bit now both cameras I had to change the battery & the solar panel is on toof top getting at least 12hrs of sun daily. What could be causing the battery drain? This never used to happen
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06-11-2019 01:12:39
Responses (47)
- L
Even better would be an indication in the Ring app that the device is even being charged by the solar panel. Ultimate win would be for the app to be able to show the voltage being delivered by the panel so we can see if it needs to be oriented better. Right now all we can do is wait for a string of sunny days and see if the % goes up.
•43
10-11-2019 04:35:31
JI am having the same issue. Tried the advice and have seen no change. Started with fully charged batteries and they appear to be draining faster with the solar panel connected. Before the panel, I was recharging the batteries once a week. That is why I purchased the panel. I was hoping not to have to climb a ladder every week.
•10
20-11-2019 01:38:03
ASorry if a bother but will chime in on this.. I have similar problem with my spotlight solar, it totally stopped charging with solar at some point this month and now will not power up even with two fully charged batteries. Not reset or anything else works. This camera was received and setup just 1year and 3 month ago and its first time to have these issues. do they only work up to their warranty times?
•1
28-11-2019 03:46:10
ASame problem here! Apparently the fault occurred in the last firmware update. I have two Stickup Cam, one Ring doorbell and the problem exist with solar panel and direct AC.
•0
29-12-2019 12:28:24
CI've drawn the same conclusion. Since some kind of update things have gone to hell. Batteries don't charge in a normal way anymore. I had full sun today and 40°. The charge status wasn't moving. Suddenly it jumped to 100%. Fix the software Ring. We can't be home to charge batteries all the time.
•4
29-12-2019 01:39:09
- T
I have had my spotlight cam (single battery) in place with the solar panel for about eight months. It worked great up until a few weeks ago. Now the battery never gets over a 4% charge. I thought it might be a dirty solar panel so I cleaned it but the device still does not charge. Any ideas on what it might be. Thank you
•13
14-11-2019 07:35:46
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DI am having the same problem, hate having to un mount it to recharge it , I have two stickup, one with battery pack and the other is with the confined battery ! and I can't find the quick release mount! help please
•3
14-11-2019 07:53:29
MHey neighbors! Good call on cleaning off the panels, as this is a common culprit. Try charging the battery to 100%, as well as checking the solar panel connection is clear of any debris and is securely connected to the Cam. Keep in mind, the Solar Panel needs a few hours of direct sunlight per day to charge as expected. Also, a high number of events may drain a battery quicker than a trickle charge can restore it. I hope this helps! :)
•2
15-11-2019 08:12:22
TI'll pull the battery and charge it from the wall, check all connections, put the battery back in and report back. We get a ton of sunlight here in Central California. It's still 80 degrees around here. I am up to a big 5% battery charge today up from 3%-4% the pase few weeks. The camera keeps recording events, the battery just doesn't charge. I'll report back next week. thanks
•3
15-11-2019 08:27:52
JI am having the same issue. I added a solar panel to my Spotlight Cam Battery about a year ago. I have two batteries installed. The first one is always at 100% and the second battery never goes below 98%, and I get a lot of videos. Today, I am down to 76%. I removed the connector for the solar panel, and everything looks good and clean with the plug and the receptor. I replaced the connection, but I think it is still not charging the batteries. I am wondering if this is because of a firmware update to the camera, because, starting today, when I look at Device Health - right below the Left and Right Battery Level, there is now something I have never seen in the couple of years of owning this camera. There is a new entry that says: "Solar Panel Status" with a line below it that says, "Add a Ring solar panel to Extend Battery Life". Has anyone else every seen any mention of a Solar Panel, in their Device Health? Not happy that my solar panel stopped working around the same time that this additional line appeared, but it would be great if Ring is starting to give some indication of a Solar Panel Status.
•22
04-12-2019 08:34:28
BJakcson... that status is new to me as well. I see it on my apple app but not on android. My two ring spotlight cams with solar (two batteries in each) is having the same issue. I didn't notice until last night. I'm in Arizona so sun usually isn't a problem. We have had a couple of overcast days. I'm hoping when the sun comes out they'll charge back up. I'm wondering if that "attach a ring solar panel" statement goes away when it detects charging or if it's supposed to go away if it detects the solar panel.
•1
27-12-2019 04:55:24
- K
I’m having the same issue. I’ve spoken with Customer support and have been waiting almost a month for a replacement battery. Don’t know what good that’s going to do when it’s clearly an issue with the solar panel. I’ve disconnected and reconnected to no avail. I’ve had others look at it and the connections are good. RING what do you plan to do about this issue???♀️?
•7
09-12-2019 01:13:09
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CI'm having issues also. I have 4 spotlight cams with solar. It seems once the temps get cold they won't charge. I'm located in MA. Just got out of a text chat with ring. Trying to find out what I should see in the Solar Panel Status area under Device Health. All I get on all 4 cams is "add a ring solar panel to extend battery life". I have a panel on each cam and it doesn't even know it. I'm guessing the firmware on my cams is not capable of reporting. My units are all about 1 year 3 months old. Starting to tick me off.
•4
22-12-2019 08:00:32
LYeah that seems to be a new field for me and like you it says to connect a panel when one has already been connected.
•2
22-12-2019 09:26:57
BI have two spotlight cams with solar panels. Both have two batteries in them. I live in Arizona so low temps shouldn't be an issue. We've had a couple of rainy overcast days. I noticed last night that I have that "add a ring solar panel to extend battery life" statement on both of these cams. At first I thought maybe one had gotten disconnected but then I see the notice on both. I'm waiting on some sun to see if the battery that's dropping on each starts charging again.
•2
27-12-2019 04:46:07
JI’m having the same issue with my Two solar powered spotlight Cams. Issue came on suddenly end of November. I now have to charge batteries manually. App indicates solar panel is not connected. I’ve never had this issue before November of 2019. Chat with rep did not help, nor did camera resets, or app reinstall. This is silly.
•2
28-12-2019 10:48:15
B**\*\*For iOS users seeing "add a ring solar panel to extend battery life" read below.** I called CS.. the person I talked to asked someone else about the "add a ring solar panel to extend battery life" statement . Developers told him that it's on the IOs app only (not on Android) and that **it's there for everyone regardless of if they have a solar panel attached or not. It's basically an ad. It's not an indicator of if the solar panel is connected or not.** They now know it's causing confusion for customers that have solar panels attached. Both of my battery spotlight cams have solar panels. One gets more sun than the other. We'd had a few overcast days here in Phoenix and my right battery on both cams wasn't fully charging. Today we've had sun. The panel that gets full sun most of the day has charged that battery up to 100% (had been below 90%). The one that doesn't get as much sun has gone from 67% to 86%.
•3
28-12-2019 10:58:37
- K
I'm having the same issue. I have two solar pannels side-by-side one charging a spotlight cam (no issues) and one that's not charging the stick-up cam. Oddly, I saw the stick-up go down to 9%, then charged all the way to 100%, but then went down to 0% and won't recharge. Did anyone get a solution from Ring?
•1
09-12-2019 08:50:33
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- C
I've just about had it with this charging issue. My 4 spotlight cams always charged. Ever since the line SOLAR PANEL STATUS was added to Device Health on my phone the batteries will no longer charge like they use to. If I had one cam I'd be suspecting something with it or the panel but when 4 stop all at the same time something is rotten in Denmark. Could it be the phone software is screwed up and will no longer report properly? I know when the temps get well below 32°F charging becomes an issue. We were at 50° yesterday with full sun on the panel. It would not charge. There was one instance sometime back the battery was not fully charged. It was a warm day, sun out but no report of an improving charge level. Right before the end of the day the battery level went from 80% to 100% in an instant. That's weird. Yesterday I put in a different fully charged battery in a cam. From use it went to 99%. Right now it's above freezing and the panel is in full sun. The cam has not been used but it refuses to go to 100%. What the hell is going on? Ring seems more interested in pumping out a variety of new products than in taking care of existing customers. I spent an hour in a text chat the other day. The guy didn't have a clue what I was talking about when I mentioned the SOLAR PANEL STATUS field. I had to send him a screen shot. I had to delete the app from the phone, restart the phone and load the app again. It was the same software version. 5.21.0 I leave home for weeks at a time sometimes. I don't have anyone to come climb a ladder and change a battery. I'm a pretty patient person but this is really starting to grind my gears. I'm going to start visiting some sales sites and expressing my displeasure. There has not been one Ring rep chime in here. Ring, please fix your software and end this issue. If I wanted to be on a ladder changing batteries all the time I wouldn't have bought solar panels. One last point! You added the field to the software. Why? All it does is tell me to add a solar panel to extend battery life. It doesn't even know there is one there.
•21
24-12-2019 04:31:08
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VHi any update on your issue? My cameras have all stopped charging after a year ... suddenly batteries flat. Nothing has changed, weather is the same as this time last year ??♀️
•0
23-06-2020 11:30:52
JWhat good is a solar panel that isn't even recognized by the attached camera? Don't tell me to clean it or reconnect it - I wouldn't be writing this if I hadn't already tried that and everything else. This product is a failure. And why is this community forum just full of problems with no solutions? Where is the customer support?
•1
24-10-2020 09:38:55
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Marley_Ring
Good question @Klscook! The Solar Panels are definitely getting enough light during the day. Please make sure there is no dirt, debris, or leaves covering the panels, as well as no debris near the adapter. If you have not already, try unplugging and plugging the Solar Panels back in to the Cams. Let me know how this goes! :)
1
06-11-2019 11:42:49
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