Hey there, @ChillB. Thank you for sharing your experience in great detail! As you have another Ring device and Solar Panel nearby, the comparison has ruled out many variables.
The “Established” indicator was a recent change that we made to the app, as we look to refine how the solar panel shows it’s connected in the Device Health page. If you see “Established,” this is the same as the “Connected” status, and therefore should not be a cause for a concern. If you see Not Connected, Not Charging or Not Established is when the Doorbell is not detecting the solar charger and should be looked into.
As you mentioned the number of events and hours of direct sunlight match that of your Spotlight Camera. Some other things to consider here:
- Did the Video Doorbell battery start at 100% charge? This is important for truly monitoring battery usage/ Solar charge.
- Although the number of events are the same, answering events or frequently triggering live view can also drain battery quicker.
- Wifi signal can also drain battery in the event there is signal interference, and one of your Ring devices has to work harder to remain connected and communicate events. The RSSI in your Device Health will show this best.
Additionally, there are differences in the power rating for each. The Spotlight Cam Solar Panel is rated for 2.2W 5.2VDC, and the Super Solar Panel is rated for 5W 5VDC. In comparison to the Solar Panels, the Doorbell Solar Chargers are rated for 0.52W 5.2V DC. Thus, if activity is the same between the Video Doorbell and the Spotlight Camera, the charge it receives back can differ. Feel free to check out our help center article about the Solar Charger for more information. I hope this helps! 