When it arrived, I had to install it without the solar panel since that was shipping separately. The cam worked great on battery mode for 3 days. When my solar panel arrived, I installed it and was confused when my only options for power were “wired” or “battery.” I assume there would be a solar setting but didn’t see one so I had to choose between wired and battery. I chose wired but once the sun went down, the battery drained from 100% to 0% overnight and now my camera is dead.
Before I re-install a recharged battery, I want to know should I choose “battery” power mode despite the solar panel being attached? Will the battery charge if I don’t set it to wired? Why isn’t there a solar mode where the power consumption is adjusted to assume there will be at least 8 hours of supplemental power?
Also, the written instruction for installing the solar panel did not match my actual product. It said there would be some sort of attachment requiring both plug and screws to attach the camera to the panel (perhaps for security and waterproofing?) but all I had was the plug directly into the camera. Maybe this was a difference between gen 2 and gen 3 but odd that updated instructions were not included.
Last, the stick up cam did not come with security screws (even though the manual said there would be proprietary security screws provided). Was this an oversight in packaging or another oversight in the installation instructions?
Hi @jnliao77! These settings can be found on the device page in your Ring app. While logged in to the Ring app, open the Menu, select Devices, and choose your Stick Up Camera. On the Stick Up Cam page, select Device Settings, then General Settings, and finally, power mode. Here you’ll be able to choose your desired mode, in which battery is the best for battery operation. Check out our help center article about power modes for more information.
The Solar Panel will certainly help with this battery life. Our Community post about battery drain contains tips on optimizing battery life. Also, neighbors who order a newer Solar Panel may receive a device that includes a “Weather Resistant Barrel Connector.” This connector does not match our older instructions or documentation. You can see a visual of this on our installation help center article.
If you feel like you are missing parts with your order, we do offer spare parts kits on the accessories page at Ring.com, or feel free to reach out to our support team. 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, so 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. I hope this helps!
Thank you for showing me how to change the power mode (which I already know), but my question was which power mode should I be using if I am using the stick up cam with a solar panel? As I mentioned before, it is unclear if I should be using battery more or wired mode.
It doesn’t seem like the battery will last if I use “wired” mode but it is unclear if the battery will still charge if I select battery mode. That help article makes no mention of this.
I can certainly clarify that for you, @jnliao77. You can use both, however, if you are using wired mode while operating the Camera with a battery, the battery will drain very quickly. Thus, it is recommended that you use battery mode. As we always value our neighbors’ feedback, I will definitely pass this along to our teams here!
My stick up cam is currently set up and running on battery.
I now want to use the super solar panel. I know how to do the physical installation.
How do I tell the stick up cam that solar power is connected?
The reason for my question; there are options when using the Stick up Cam with power and solar that I want to use, but are not available when using just battery.
Good question, @ism1! As long as the Solar Panel is connected and receiving several hours of direct sunlight, the Camera should detect it. Please ensure that your Camera is in battery power mode when introducing the Solar Panel, for an optimal experience with charging. Feel free to check out our help center article for more information on power modes. I hope this helps!
