We currently have two Spotlight Cameras that we LOVE, and are seriously thinking of getting the Ring Alarm to go along with the setup as well. And ran into a question that might be a limitation and would love to know if this can work somehow:
We have a common space shared with a neighbor, and there’s always activity going on (*should* only be us or neighbor), so we don’t normally look at that camera footage because it’s mostly known people going back and forth.
Tho I would like to have a Contact/Door Sensor on the Gate and Shed that would activate the Spotlight and record whoever is coming/going or accessing the shed (only when gate or shed door are opened).
As I said there’s always activity so having the alarm go off every time would not be ideal. Motion sensor recording is also not ideal (tho OK, but don’t want to sift thru hours and hours worth of motion capture).
Just want to know when someone opens the gate or the shed with no alarms (and turn on the light at night for safety).
I’ll take a stab at this. Ring’s contact sensors would need to initiate an Entry delay on the alarm for your cameras to do what you want. So, no. As you don’t want your gate or shed to activate the alarm this isn’t a solution. My Alexa routines allow for ring sensors and a camera’s motion detection to act as a trigger to do lots of fun stuff. What you want to do is not supported. And at this time, I believe third party sensors with IFTTT support can’t either. If any of that sounded confusing, you’re not alone.
However, I can think of two options. First, the spotlight camera comes in two versions, battery and wired. I don’t know which one you have. The latest wired version has a far more advanced motion zone system. Multiple, customizable shapes that allow you dial in exactly where you want recording to start. The caveat, It needs to be plugged into a power source. So installation has it’s challanges.
This line of product from Ring requires their - Bridge
They can be used to activate one or more cameras. I presume you could turn off the cameras motion recording and use these as their trigger. Maybe a few placed in clever locations could create the solution you’re looking for. A quick call to Ring for clarification would be best.
Thanks! That does come pretty close to what I want to do. Didn’t even know it existed! ?
Too bad it’s not a contact sensor. But if I can limit is view, it should work.
Just a little pricy with having to get the bridge too. Ouch.
I cant limit the camera to the gate as its trigger zone view of the gate will be tripped without anyone actually getting to the gate (another door is in the same area).
It is the hard-wired version.