When is Ring going to get with the times and offer a solar panel powered mailbox sensor?
So sick of changing the batteries every 3-4 weeks.
If there is one on the market, please let me know.
I second.
I’m in Atlanta, GA. In winter low goes below/around 32F fairly regularly, then set of new batteries dies within a month easily. Over Summer, battery lasts a bit longer, but still less than 3 months (because I’m sick of frequently change I’m taking a note, so these are fairly accurate observation of our experience).
I do like this mailbox sensor-trigger feature, it gives good peace of mind. That said AAA x 3 x 12 = AAA x 36 (depending on a deal you find, it’s easily beyond $20 at minimum) in a year is a bit costly operation.
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Battery life Stinks and is the actual worse device yet I’ve seen Ring make. They do need to make a solar panel with range extender built in so you can use rechargable batteries. I’m also tired of changing out the batteries every 3-4 weeks which is just crazy. The unit dies if it drops below 1.38vdc which is high in my opinion. Should be able to at leat get down to 1.2v and then die.
Question is when is the next FW update to fix or a new improved model of the sensor???
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The battery life on the Ring Mailbox Sensor really needs a revamp to the unit OR needs a solar panel that has the Antenna extender built into the one unit. This way you get the extender as well as a way to put in rechargeable AAA batteries inside.
Also when the battery get low and your away from home it can drive you NUTS when the device keeps going Online/Offline every 1-3 mins. We need a way to deactivate this so it doesn’t alert our phones/devices as I have to Remove the sensor till I can get back home and change the batteries. Which is a once a MONTH occurrence. That’s unacceptable.
I guess Ring does not pay attention to their customers on here. Still waiting for their solution.
Now the external antenna wire has broken off due to having to change the freaking batteries all of the time.
I got fed up with changing the batteries every few months and having the device be dead for a while because the app won’t tell me when the battery dies (at least a push notification would be useful there), so I created my own solution for solar charging it and it works surprisingly well. I’m just using a single 18650 cell connected to a solar charge controller and a 5v solar panel with a USB output. The interface to the sensor is just one of those cheap USB AAA battery replacement things from Amazon with the connector cut off and soldered to the charge controller. When I first installed it the app reported 63% charge and by the end of the day it reported 82% so it is indeed working.
My sensor is mounted to the back wall of the mailbox rather than the lid.
Get creative.
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I also converted mine to solar using a flagpole light from menards. It is working great and will see how long it lasts. https://photos.app.goo.gl/asZijt9RgamAMebs7
Me too. Of all the Ring devices, an Antenna and Solar Panel with rechargeable battery is a no-brainer. Mailboxes are often at the end of a driveway, so unless the device is fully powered and connected at all times, it defeats the purpose of the mailbox sensor. This isn’t a difficult fix.
Please post a parts list and some written instruction as pictures do not provide enough info to duplicate.
I thought I was going crazy as I bought the mailbox sensor and then it felt like it was a crazy short amount of time before I realized I wasn’t getting notifications. 3-4 weeks and then dead batteries? The Earth is not some endless cornucopia of plenty, and neither are our wallets.
If someone could post a how-to on how they rigged up their DIY solar panel solutions with like a parts list, I really would be most grateful. I’m not going to pour batteries into this sensor, even if batteries only costed a penny apiece. I’m not tech ig orange but neither would I even know where to start based off the photo gallery the one poster generously shared
And Ring, if you’re listening, I don’t normally presume to speak on others behalf without their say so, but in this instance, even if you just made an adapter kit for one of your existing solar panels, I think we would all agree we’d prefer even that as an official solution.
I’d rather pay $39.95 or whatever, once, than 6.99 a month forever more for a pack of batteries. Do your part to support this product and your company’s committment to sustainability!