How do you know if your solar panel is working?

Jennifer,

It is difficult to tell if the Solar Charger is working. I installed it 6 days ago with some sunny days in between then and now. I have been monitoring the battery level regularly and have never seen it go up, only down. Starting with a 100% fully charged new battery, 6 days later it’s down to 88%. I have the mothion sensor frequency set to Standard.

The question remains, how do I know if it’s actually charging the battery? Thanks

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Seems simple. So of the battery level decreases everyday and never increases, is it working?

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I called Ring support a few weeks ago - just a few weeks before my 1 year warranty expired. I told them about my issue. They confirmed the panel was not working properly ( I guess they can also see the alerts I receive when my battery power is low and needs to be charged). They said since I am still under warranty they will exchange my panel for a new one. I asked if they made any changes to due to problems with the panel. I was told there are no known issues but will glady change mine since it is under warranty. I swapped out the old panel for the new one - I also noticed that the output on the new panel is slightly higher than the old panel. From my point of view that can only help with my situation.

The app does is not have any useful indicator that tells you the panel is fully functional and is actively charging the battery. The only way to determine this is to note the current power level and hope it increases. That is what I did. The battery was at 92% when I attached the new panel and has successfully charged to 100% (once I had a sunny day and relatively low activity). So I would say my panel is working but not certain, at this point, if the panel can keep the battery charged under high usage.

I would recommend anyone with solar panel issues contact support and if it is still under warranty, request a replacement. Check to see if it has a higher output than your old one. If I remember correctly, my power output was 2.2 W and the new no one is 2.4 W. Also, the panel comes with another 1 year warranty.

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I wish I would have read these before purchasing.

The app is totally useless when it comes to this Solar panel device.

With all the other useful data that the app provides (a lot of it I don’t even understand but realize it’s there for good reason), why omit something that would seem so simple? My doorbell Ring shows the power source correctly. And the battery life indicator is functional. So why not have anything to show it is connected and being recharged by the solar panel?

I guess nothing to do now but cross my fingers and hope for the best. I connected it a couple days ago and have only seen the battery life go down. Doesn’t seem to be going down any faster or slower than when it’s not connected to a solar panel at all.

I don’t have extremely high expectations. Since the battery doesn’t drain that fast normally, it would be nice to have it gradually charge up, especially since the area gets a lot of sun.

What’s the point of even having this thing if it does absolutely nothing? Would probably rather save the money and just keep charging it the old way, or use the cash to buy another battery…

And it’s great to see no one from Ring bothered to answer the two simple questions proposed earlier in this thread.

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We just purchased ours a few days ago. It wasn’t working until my husband decided to take another look at it. The plug felt like it was all the way into the camera but it wasn’t. As soon as he pushed the plug in and it clicked the panel started working.

I initially had the same problem, thanks. They are working now but still not all that well. I just don’t think we get enough sunlight in the UK for these panels. They “do” work, just not great. Thanks for the info though, its certainly something I noticed too ( eventually )

not happening here in sunny fl. still discharing.

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Are you talking about the solar panel for the Ring 2 device that costs $49? I’m wondering what you mean by plug? There’s something that gets attached by 2 screws…is that what you mean? I’m trying to figure mine out also. I don’t feel like it’s working but wondering if it has to do with the connection. It would make so much of a difference if the app recognized the device and showed that a solar panel was attached.

I wish I seen this before I brought it too! I have the original ring doorbell and was having to charge the bell every 2 weeks! I spoke with someone on live chat and told them I think the camera is faulty and they disregarded the comment and said I should get the solar charger which I did, £49 later I’m still having to charge the doorbell every few weeks because it dies! Theres no way to tell when the bell is charging (which would I think solve everyone’s issue who has written on this thread) even if it’s only for an hour a day for example but we have the sun rise at the front of our house and set at the back so it definitely gets enough sun but still needs to be taken off and charged!

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I have the same issues, just working over one year and now didn’t charge anymore, feel frustrated

I do that multiple times a day. Bought a new panel because the Old one, like 3 months old, seemed to do nothing. Now the new one has gone up 1% once in a week of mostly sunlight. It’s not the panel. It’s the camera. Now what? Guess I have to call.

OK guys, I had called Ring, and before they told me, I figured it out. The answer is that under “Power Source” when the solar panel is connected and detected, this changes from “Battery” to “Power Outlet”, indicating that power is coming from the solar panel (or AC). While this doesn’t give us a reading of how much power is coming into the unit, at least you can tell it is connected and giving power.

If you all knew this already, sorry! Hopefully it helps others as it helped me.

Curlynerd

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Hmmm…interesting. I never hear that. My Ring never listed anything but Battery for the power source. I wonder if that means it really isn’t working (and this is the replacement unit I received).

I had this question with my new cameras, because I thought one wasn’t charging, and noticed that each camera will show you differently that it’s connected.

Spotlight Cam - will actually state under “Solar Status” - “Connected”

Stick Up Cam - will NOT state connected under “Solar Status” but will show the battery is charging on the battery symbol on the cameras main page by showing the lightning bolt symbol in it.

It would be nice if a firmware update was done for the Stick Up Cam so that it stated “Connected” under the “Solar Status” section of the app.

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Hey neighbors! Thank you for working with each other in this thread to resolve your concern with your device not registering the solar panel as connected in the app. We did have this bug in the app before where it would ask you to add a solar panel to extend your battery life, which has seen been resolved. At this time, if your app is not showing the solar panel as connected under your device’s Device Health page, you will want to ensure the device is connected properly. I recommend detaching the solar panel from your Ring device and then attaching it back, while also ensuring that there is no dust and debris on the solar panel and at the connection.

After checking the connection, if you find that it is still not showing as connected in the Device Health section, please try resetting your Ring camera by pressing and holding the setup button for 20 seconds. After this reset, re-establish the connection your device has in your Ring app by tapping on Reconnect or Change Wifi Network under Device Health. This will take you through another setup of the device in the Ring app. Once completed, check the Device Health again to see if the solar panel is showing as connected.

In the event you may not see the solar panel connected still, please give our support team a call at one of the numbers available here. If you are outside of the US, please go here to see how to contact support.

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I was wondering if there is updated info on this for 2020? I read the message board from 2019 and didnt look like there was a way to check if the solar panel is working on not.

THanks in advance.

It should show up now. If you go to your device list and then check device health, it now shows when there is a solar panel connected. If it doesn’t show, you may need to update your device. Mine are showing up now.

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Oddly, it did appear for me a while ago, but now it doesn’t…it displays the message “Extend your battery life with a ring solar charger” again. :frowning:

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Weird. Just checked. Mine are still showing connected.

My panel had stopped working , so I tried all of Chelsea_Ring’s recommendations, but still not working. Then I examined the wiring more closely and noticed that a critter had chewed right through the cable from the panel to the camera! Suspect either a crow or a squirrel. They were crafty enough to remain behind the camera, so they didn’t get caught on camera :smiley:

Anyway, spliced the two wires in the cable together, soldered them, taped each individual wire carefully with electrical tape, and then around the whole cable, and now it’s working fine again.