Spotlight camera no longer powers on

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#1

Hi,

I’ve had my spotlight camera for a little over a year and use the battery powered version.

I went to change the battery yesterday, but the device will not recognize a fresh battery in either slot and will not power on. I’ve tried using three separate batteries, which were all at full power.

I’ve tried using the app as well as resetting using the button on top, but when the device wont even power up these steps will obviously not work.

Any suggestions or am I just out of luck with this device?

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#2

I have the same problem. Who knows if there’s a fix??

2 Likes
#3

Hope support posts a fix soon. The same thing has happened to my Spotlight Cam.

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#4

Having this exact problem today. My Ring spotloght cam is less than two years old, and has worked without issue UNTIL today. Fresh battery in both slots and it will not respond at all. Looking for a response soon. Thanks @aingalls12

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#5

Update:

I tried using the Ring community support chat feature and was told someone would be with me shortly…After waiting 45 mintutes I had to move along. This is probably not a high priority for them since the warranty is expired and they already have my money.

I’ll try calling the 800 number tomorrow and post any relevant updates.

#6

So, is the fix to “purchase” another Spotlight Camera? C’mon RING - be better than that!

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#7

Sorry to hear about this experience, neighbors. Your battery powered Spotlight Cams should definitely recognize an inserted battery and reconnect. The best first step is to ensure there is no debris in the battery hatch of the Cam, and that the hatch is closed securely.

If the Camera is still not responding to a fully charged battery, please attempt a reset on the Cam by holding the setup button for 20 seconds. If this concern persists, the next best step will be to reach out to our support team for more in-depth troubleshooting. Feel free to update us on the results!

#8

Thank you for reviewing and responding. I have called the toll free number and will, hopefully, be speaking to someone from Ring later today.

Just for clarity, I have attempted to use the reset button with no success. Both with the battery door closed and open.

Also of note, when I put a battery in either of the open slots, a red light illuminates next to the battery. When I press and hold the reset button, the light turns off. When I release the button, the red light returns. At no point does the external status light on the bottom of the device begin flashing.

This whole thing makes me wonder if there is some sort of firmware problem that is not allowing the device to recognize the presence of a battery.

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#9

aingalls12, you are not alone in your thinking. I have done the exact same troubleshooting steps you have done (except for making calls, which will be coming). Same light status in the open slots, reset not working. I too am also wondering if a firmware update is to blame.

I realize this does not offer any solutions, just wanted to add that this is happening to multiple customers.

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#10

Mine is doing the same thing. Not reconizing newly purchased batteries. Is there a problem with the Spotlight camera? Mine is less than 2 years old

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#11

While I’m sorry to hear several people are having the same problem; it’s comforting to know that it’s not something Ive done wrong in terms of setup or configuration.

I’ve had a couple of calls and email correspondence with Ring representatives; but haven’t yet been able to connect with them for a troubleshooting session. They were supposed to call me back last night after a shift change, but it seems to have fallen through the cracks.

I’ll be starting over tonight after work; hopefully the same technician will be available so I don’t need to rehash it all.

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#12

Still following this exact same issue. Troubleshot the same way as well. Hoping a solution is developed at some point. Thanks!

#13

UPDATE:

I was able to speak to RIng support today via US telephone number 800-656-1918. The wait time was under 5 mintues at around 12PST. I spent about 20 mins on the line with them and the TL;DR version is that they are going to replace my spotlight camera free of (extra) charge.

For those interested, here is how the process went:

  1. Company rep verified, via two factor, that I was actually the account holder. I needed to have my account email accessible while on the phone with them.

  2. A detailed verbal account of the issue from me, and what I had done to troubleshoot.

  3. A short attempt to troubleshoot remotely, on their end, which required me to have the malfunctioning camera handy. We essentially went over the same steps as described elsewhere in this post. They did ask if I had previously tried two batteries at the same time and each battery slot individually (which I had).

  4. A shot period of time on hold while the company rep attempted to do some research. I had mentioned that I had posted on this forum and there were at least a few people experiencing the exact same problem. I wouldn’t be surprised if they checked the forum to verify; I presume there was a conversation with a manager at some point, in order to authorize the replacement.

  5. The company rep came back on the line and confirmed Ring would replace my camera since I had the “extended warranty”. As an aside, I don’t recall getting an extended warranty; unless that is included in the yearly subscription which allows for monitoring of multiple devices.

  6. Email instructions were sent, while I was still on the line, to explain the return process. A new unit is being expedited and I was told the return of the old hardware needs to be done before 30 days or I will be charged the full amount.

Overall, the RIng rep was friendly and helpful; even though the chat and email attempts to reach them were not as successful. I would reccomend calling as the best method.

I hope this is useful to some of you and you’re able to get the hardware replaced as well.

Cheers

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#14

I am having the same issue that began on 3/20 and have also tried all the recommended fixes. Battery is fully charged but not recognized by the spotlight cam which will not power up as a result.
Mine is less than 5 months old. Needless to say, this makes me very skeptical of the quality of Ring products.

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#15

Followed your support process to intiate a new spotlight camera as well. Because I mentioned I’d logged this issue on the CS page and followed many of your steps, they (Ring) just cut to the chase. Ok, sounds like you have a defective camera and we’ll send you a new one. Please return the defective camera within 30 days! Thanks for being the digital martyr for this one. All the best

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#16

Received my replacement camera today and installed with no issues. My “defective” camera was 5 months old and fell under the warranty for replacement. This seems to be the standard fix at this point so I feel like we will not get an absolute answer as to what caused the problem. The camera also stopped working on 3/20 which, if I remember correctly, happened to more than one customer. If this is the case, it would be reasonable to believe that a software or firmware update caused the issue. So I am apprehensive of this happening again!!!

I will say that customer support was easy to deal with. I used the chat option and explained the issue, the troubleshooting steps, and my hope for a quick resolution. The tech did not waste time in going over the troubleshooting steps again and moved straight into shipping a replacement. I am ok with the replacement unless it happens a second time! Good luck to all others!!!

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#17

Glad to hear that Ring seems to be doing the right thing and replacing the cameras accross the board.

For what it’s worth, 3/20 is probably the same date that my issue started as well. Although 3/21 was the date I attempted to switch out the battery, I had actually received an email alert of a low battery a couple of days before. Before I changed it out on 3/21, the app still showed about 3% battery life, but the feed was not connecting. For me, 3% battery life wouldn’t typically last more than a day. I think the camera was already doomed to plasitic brick status at that point due to some type of firmware/software error.

Here’s hoping we aren’t back in the same boat in the near future; cheers.

#18

Same exact situation here! However, my spotlight cam is only 3 months old! All of my other cams work perfectly. I will be calling in tomorrow to figure out how to fix this problem.

#19

Mine has imilar proble,m, since 20 feb. i did not charge it now iused new fully chargded battery and it does not turn on !

I will call them

#20

Exact problem happened to me on March 20th! This is ridiculous! Mine is just over a year old and DEAD. Terrible for a $200 camera. And they want to blame it on my fully charged batteries?!?! NOT HAPPY