Solar charging for Ring Doorbell

Question is that on the Ring app there is a block that says install “solar charger status”. I have a solar charger attached to my doorbell and as others I have no idea how it is performing. Thought with the block on the app that would be positive confirmation that the charger is working. I have my doorbell attached to the solar panel pad and the phone still shows: “Add a Ring Solar device to Extend Battery Device”. Would have though this block would recognize the solar device and confirm it is working. Not expecting it to tell you output or charge levels, just confirmation that it does work. Any update that this should be working or is my charger not working. Thank you

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Thank you for sharing your experience with us @Tinman87! Rest assured that this status is not an indicator of your Solar Panel not working. It also is not an indicator that it is. We’ve shared this feedback from yourself and other neighbors in the Community with our teams here.

At this time, the best way to ensure your Solar Panel is charging is by monitoring battery levels and ensuring the environment is optimal for charge (direct sunlight).

I purchased a solar charger for my ring video doorbell and it gets sun all afternoon but I still have to take it off to recharge it every 2 weeks. So what is wrong?

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I have a similar problem. Based on what I read in the materials that came with the solar charger, it should fully charge with a few hours sun. My solar charger faces due west and gets direct sunlight for at least five plus hours a day. However, when I check the battery charge level, it seems to be very slowly going down. It was 100% when I installed it just over three weeks ago. Now it’s at 86% even after full sunlight for the past four hours. What is going on? Is the charger not working. The battery level would suggest it isn’t.

Same issue as others. Installed solar charger. Faces south with no obstructions. Get a notice every 2 weeks or so that the battery is low and must be charged. How can it be determined if the charger is working? Please let me know or refund me for the purchase of this.

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I have the same issue, confirmed no voltage on Pin 1 of the micro USB connector on the solar panel when the unit was in direct sunlight. What is the return policy on this defective unit?

Hi Marley,

I’ve read thru all of the 5 posts in this thread and it seems like there is NO answer to the question asked.

I mean, people have the solar panel installed with plenty of sunlight, but they are stating that they are still having to recharge the Ring Doorbell about every 2 -3 weeks EVEN in full sunlight.

This seems to me like the solar unit is NOT working as advertised?

Just curious as I have a Ring Doorbell unit myself and would like to purchase the Solar Panel, but at the same time, I’d like to make sure it’s doing what it’s advertised to do.

Please provide further guidance / information to us in the community.

Thank you sincerely,

Tom Petrik

“petriktl” username

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Hey neighbors! When you go into your Ring app > Main Menu > Devices > Device connected to solar panel > Device Health, does it show that there is a solar panel connected? If your app is not showing the solar panel as connected under your Device Health page, you will want to ensure the device is connected properly. I recommend detaching the solar panel from your device and then attaching it back, while also ensuring that there is no dust and debris on the solar panels 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 device (not the solar panel) 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 Ring device in the Ring app. Once completed, check the Device Health again to see if the solar panel is showing as connected. If the device is showing as connected, please ensure you are getting 4 or more hours of direct sunlight to the solar panel during the day to allow a trickle charge to your device. You should get about a 10% trickle charge a day to help the device stay charged up. You will also want to ensure that your device is not discharging more than it is charging, as you may have an excess amount of events that could be draining the battery on your device.

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. We’re taking additional steps to protect our team and help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This has resulted in longer than normal wait times. If you are outside of the US, please read our response to COVID-19 here to see how to contact support.

Hey @petriktl. Chiming in for Marley! We did have a trending issue in the prior months where we had an in-app bug that did not display the solar charging status, which has since been resolved, but it was on-going for a few months. As expected, this caused concern with neighbors that noticed the solar panel wasn’t showing as connected anymore, or if there was a discharge to their device too. The amount that the solar panel chargers up the device will vary depending on environment and usage of the device itself, so it can be variable in experiences. In addition, if there are an excessive amount of events, this can drain the battery down faster.

With 4 or more hours of direct sunlight, the solar panel should help keep the battery charged by providing up to a 10% trickle charge a day with that amount of sunlight on the panels. For neighbors that find that this is not the case, we recommend they reach out to our support team for further diagnosis, as this concern of the in-app bug has since been resolved. Let me know if you have any follow up questions, I’m happy to help! :slight_smile:

Hey Chelsea_Ring,
I guess I have the same issue with my solar panel not showing as connected in the app. Manually recharge my door bell every 2 weeks. Reset the doorbell while attached to the panel during daylight. No change. Am I doing something wrong?